This week’s review is on Virtue-Based Restorative Discipline: A Catholic Response to Bullying Behavior by Lynne Lange.
It’s rare to find a book that so perfectly fills a niche. Long a desire of mine, a truly Catholic discipline policy is the center of this former assistant superintendent’s book. In an era of increasing school choice and technological tumult, we need to ensure our schools are authentically Catholic. Beyond the liturgies, wall decoration, and classroom procedures centered on prayer, forming virtuous students is a key way to ensure the climate of our schools is one of positive growth and negative discipline.
Often derided as soft or focused on discussion over substance, restorative discipline is a clear path to building a student-centered approach to behavior management – focused on positive growth. Rooted in the basic idea that children are not fully formed yet and deserving of support by the community, restorative discipline requires everyone in a school to be fully onboard with the approach and entails extensive parent education and professional development.
Lynne Lang builds upon societal understandings and secular approaches to restorative discipline to center this approach on virtue ethics and embed it in the day to day of a Catholic school’s community. Her book is a wonderfully concise guide to implementing this system in the school (or home) that provides support without being preachy. Beginning with a personal history and continuing through an implementation guide, the book is a great resource with which to view, discuss, and strengthen the discipline policies of a school to be truly growth-oriented.
Lang begins by rooting her system in a clear why: “Have you considered that every thought, every word and every deed is a step toward, or away from, heaven?” (13). These right choices are called “virtues” or “holy habits that imitate God and set you on a path to intimacy with the Creator” (15). By rooting our systems and practices in virtue and a clear sense of drawing ourselves towards God and heaven we can ensure that we are truly Catholic, where “God can use any circumstance as a call to evangelization for both those harmed and those responsible for the harm” (19). After this introduction, the book lays out in three parts virtue-based discipline policies.
The first section, covering chapters 2-4, focuses on climate and virtue. The climate chapter discuses what a safe school feels like (offering as a resource Dr. Jane Bluestein’s Creating Emotionally Safe Schools). In this context, Lang offers a definition of bullying to ensure clarity: “exposed, repeatedly, and over time to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself” (25). These leads to those who are bulliers, targets, and witnesses amidst situations that cause harm physically or emotionally. In our Catholic schools, we are called therefor to decrease antisocial behaviors and increase faith practices — leading to a duel effect of building virtue.
Chapter 3 builds on this idea – as virtues are “not equal to character traits” (38). They are rooted in how we live, especially as adult models, and force adults to either be “oh-no’s” (resistant ones), “so-so’s (reluctant ones), or “gung-ho’s” (those ready for change). (48-49). With adults on board, we can begin to model and teach the virtues – at a deliberate level, rooted in the Catechism (beginning in paragraph 1804) and practice. Their contrasts, vices, can likewise be discussed and brought forth in conversation. The practices that lead to this development include prayer, scripture, community, silence, suffering, and knowledge of the saints (63-65).
The second section picks up and focuses in two chapters on restorative practices and traditional discipline, serving as a background section for jumping off into the final section – which focuses on virtue-based restorative discipline. Chapter five thus outlines common examples and practices of restorative justice, in secular and religious settings. These are rooted in a sense of emotional safety – a prerequisite for learning (74) – and key to community. Lang continually returns to the important idea that restorative practices aren’t just for behavior – but all aspects of communal gathering and still require the idea of consequences – but as part of a larger practice of restoration that aims to “restore peace” (84).
Chapter six exposes the relationship-focused aspects of VBRD starting with adults and extending to parents, students, and the boarder community. These two discussions lead to the third section – several chapters walking through the parts and implementation of the system. You can see Lang’s frustrations with half-hearted implementation or “in-name only” initiatives as she details her steps and common mistakes.
For those interested in implementation the book is worth purchasing as a handy guide in this section. Self-assessments, timelines, and checklists are all offered to ensure a full and proper implementation. Scripting for staff, students, and parents help to set up and correct misconceptions providing language that is rooted in the faith for mission-alignment. I especially liked the provided series of questions for parents to have when their students come home to complain or share an incident:
This coupled with quick communication home by staff can mitigate crisis before they metastasis (120).
Chapter 11 focuses on the education of children – much of which is applicable to schools all over – not just those implementing VBRD. Advice to start with silence, prayer, and student surveys lead to concrete ways to implement and lead class circles (127). Advice on introducing the topic to the community at whole is matched with the call for exit surveys and highlighting “miracle stories.” All of these are best practices for reflective and data-driven schools seeking to develop their mission.
Virtue-Based Restorative Discipline: A Catholic Response to Bullying Behavior by Lynne Lange.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Good For: Catholic schools who want a Catholic discipline policy.
Best nugget: Catholic schools are called to model and develop virtue.
Please note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I am not paid to provide reviews or use content.
Leave a Reply