What GCC Means to Me

December 19, 2023

Rob McMaken is an educator and musician.  He lives with his wife Vicki and their two kids Finn and Emerson.  

As a parent, I am incredibly grateful to everyone in this community who has supported the Georgia Conflict Center over the years. My kid Finn was supported all her three years at Clarke Middle School by the restorative justice program.  

Let’s face it, middle school is hard for just about everybody. It’s particularly hard when kids find themselves ostracized or situations that involve conflict. Mr. Fayoyin does an incredible job of helping people in the school to understand their own feelings, actions, and impacts. Finn has said “I really don’t know how I would have made it” without the work done in the peace room through the restorative justice program.

Now, as a high school educator in a different school system, I’ll share a personal anecdote to illustrate how special and valuable the restorative justice program is.  Once, upon returning from a midday restorative circle at CMS, the juniors and seniors in my high school AP Art History class saw a “CMS VISITOR” sticker still on my shirt from the visit.  One of them asked me “where have you been?”  I decided then to tell them about the restorative justice protocols in CCSD.  When I finished explaining, I noticed that two different kids -- both college-bound seniors -- had tears in their eyes.  Concerned, I asked, “oh no, what’s wrong?”  One said “we need that here.”  The other one said “why doesn’t every school have that?”  

I cried in front of my students.

Later, I realized these were tears of sadness (for the truth of what they said) and tears of joy (for the kids of CCSD who benefit from this work).  

I believe that students who do not have restorative justice programs in their schools are absolutely being deprived of developing interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that are essential.  Gratitude to all of you who support this wonderful and essential service.

other blogs and recommended reading

New Study: Black, Special Ed Students Punished at Greater Rate Through Pandemic

Despite a dramatic decline in suspensions as students moved to remote learning during the pandemic, Black children and those in special education were disciplined far more often than white students and those in general education, according to a recent New York University study.

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“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”― Thich Nhat Hanh

Each time we choose to draw near, rather than to send away, we are actively building a new way to be in community together. As we model this way of being in schools, we are shining a light and showing a way for what can be possible in the community as a whole.

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What GCC Means to Us at Global Village Project

Hannah Edber, director of eduction, at Global Village Project shares how the infusion of restorative practices benefits a school that embraces multiple cultures.

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Opinion

Where Is the Forgiveness and Grace in Cancel Culture?

A link to an editorial written on 12/28/21 in the New York Times from Michael Eric Dyson, reflecting on Bishop Tutu's approach to apartheid and the limited value of punishment or banishment.

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Pine Bluff School Introduces 'Restorative Room' to Help Calm Students, De-Escalate Fights

A school in Pine Bluff introduced the 'restorative room' as a way to help encourage kids to process their emotions and get through tough experiences.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →