From Chaos to Calm in the Classroom - Brenda Miller

When the whole classroom learns how to stay calm in the face of upsets, the focus lands on the person as a human – being, not the problem – and that allows kids to blossom. The intention of the strategies in The Kid Code is for everyone involved in a conflict to get ‘right now relief’ in an upset child (or anyone else). Many of the strategies taught are the practical application of restorative justice, a growing movement in the education system that unifies and ensures justice is met while retaining the dignity and integrity of everyone involved.

WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Centre, a nor – profit research and service agency that conducts research into school safety, violence, and crime prevention says that restorative justice in schools led to increased connectedness and decreased fighting, suspensions, and bullying.

Nobody wants kids to suffer, yet according to the CDC, our kids are suffering more than ever. This contradicts the evolutionary law the next generation should be mentally, emotionally, and physically more developed than us, yet there are 4.5 million kids in the US that have behaviour problems, 4.4 million with anxiety, and 6.1 million with ADHD and I imagine Canada is not far behind in comparison. Those numbers tug at the heartstrings of kids of today. Where are they going to end up if they don’t have strategies that take them back to their joyful, wise, and carefree nature?

And how are teachers doing? Many are understandably stressed out. They are not only dealing with kids who can’t self-regulate to emotional health, but also with micro-managing or distant parents, and that’s before they have to deal with the rigors of administration – and on top of that, they have their own lives that are not without problems. Teachers deserve a rewarding teaching experience and kids deserve a peaceful teacher.