This summary provides an overview of key ideas from Block's work on restorative community:
1) Block discusses the importance of shifting conversations from problems to possibilities, from fear and fault to gifts and abundance.
2) He advocates moving from oversight and law to building social fabric and choosing accountability.
3) Block also addresses the dangers of projecting labels onto groups and shifting responsibility away from ourselves.
2. RESTORATIVE COMMUNITY
Block defines restorative community as a possibility
that rotates on the question, “What can we create
together?”
…Remind anyone of Dr. Abraham’s Critical
Pedagogy lesson plan model steps 6-8, “Who might
we become together?”
Is this related?
What aspects of music education need restorative
attention?
3. PROJECTIONS
Block discusses the dangers of projecting our beliefs about the
“others” onto groups of people.
When we label groups like “underprivileged” or “at-risk”, it shifts
our thinking so that the problem lies with the group we are
projecting the label on, not on ourselves for allowing such
conditions to exist. When the problem doesn’t lie within
ourselves, it ceases to become our responsibility.
What kind of labels might we project on our students?
What kind of responsibility and accountability might we be
avoiding by making these projections?
4. BLOCK’S ESSENTIAL MINDSET CHANGES FOR
RESTORATIVE COMMUNITY
From conversations about problems to ones about
possibility
From conversations about fear and fault to ones of
gifts, generosity, and abundance
From a bet on law and oversight to a preference for
building the social fabric and choosing
accountability
From seeing the corporation and systems as
central to seeing associational life as central.
5. RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
In restorative justice systems, the victim and the perpetrator
work together to bring healing and reconciliation to
themselves and the community.
The offender admits guilt
Offender, victim, and families discuss damage done
Offender apologizes and promises not to commit offense again
Offender promises some kind of reparation
Victim decides whether to forgive:
If yes, community gets a say in whether the offender gets to rejoin community
If no, the offender faces the traditional justice system
Is this practical?
What kind of community is the restorative justice system best suited
to?
City
Smaller town
High School
Middle
Elementary
6. READ MORE ABOUT RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Interesting Overview of the Truth and Reconcilliation
Comission in South Africa:
http://www.crinfo.org/articlesummary/10240/
More on the Truth and Reconcilliation Comission
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-
projects/TRC/index.htm
Current Work and Publications in North American Living
Justice:
http://www.livingjusticepress.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&
SEC={3901BBB2-F2E7-47DE-A49F-D59F660A7FE4}
7. CITIZEN VS. CONSUMER
Every citizen works
together for the greater
good.
Power of the citizen
remains with the
citizen.
Takes responsibility for
actions, education and
future.
Consumer allows
someone else to make
decisions.
Consumer gives power
away.
Prefers to delegate
responsibility to others.
8. CITIZEN VS. CITIZEN
When citizens are simply voters, they become
consumers, when they hold themselves
accountable for the well-being of the larger
collective, they are truly citizens.
What is the difference between citizens of a
community and the citizens of a country?
9. COMMITMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability = Willingness to care for the well-
being of the whole.
Commitment = Willingness to make a promise
without expecting any kind of return
How does this apply to music education?
10. THE DRAGONFLY POOL
We’ve talked about accountability as community members honestly
letting one another know “where they are” at any given time, and
about commitment as the emotional essence of community.
Putting these together, as Block says they are “forever paired”, (71)
what might this look like in our classrooms? Might the answer be a
bit daunting?
Should we be emotionally truthful and accountable to our students?
Does that promote growth or uncertainty? Would that build
community or cross the line of what is appropriate?
This is an excerpt from a children’s book by author Eva Ibbotson. At
a “progressive” British boarding school before the eve of WWII, Tally
has just finished her first day at a school where attending class is
optional, neither uniforms or shoes are required, and yet, the
students are learning.
*** The Dragonfly Pool ***
11. THE DRAGONFLY POOL
But now, as the lights went out, the homesickness that had been lying in wait
for Tally gathered itself together and pounced.
She thought of the aunts, waiting for her as he came home from school, eager
for every detail of her day. She thought of her friends in the street – Maybelle and
Kenny, and Primrose in her stable.
But above all she thought of her father. Coming in from the surgery asking,
“Where’s Tally?” as soon as he entered the house…teasing her about something
foolish she had said…walking with her along the river on a Sunday, while they
talked about anything and everything on earth.
It would be months before she saw him again and they had scarcely been
separated for a day.
The lump in her throat was growing bigger. She groped for a handkerchief.
And then she heard the sound of sobbing. The sobbing grew louder, was
muffled, then grew louder again. Tally had expected tears from Kit, but he had
gone to sleep at once, his thumb in his mouth, and anyway his room was at the
other end of the corridor. She waited, but the crying went on. It was none of her
business, really – but she had not been brought up to ignore distress. She got out
of bed, opened her door, and listened.
12. CONT…
The sobbing came from a door opposite. She knocked very quietly, then
pushed it open.
She was in the housemother’s room. Magda was sitting at her table, which
was piled high with manuscript paper. Clearly she had intended to work on her
book about the philosopher with the difficult name, but she wasn’t. Her head had
fallen forward and she was crying bitterly; strands of hair lay on the paper and
there was ink on her face.
When she saw Tally she sat up suddenly and blew her nose. “Is anything
the matter?” she asked. “Are you homesick?”
“No . . . well, not really. But are you all right?”
Tally’s inquiring face, tilted in concern, brought on another attack of weeping.
“Yes . . . yes. Of course. I’m not starving or being shot at, so of course I’m
all right.” Magda sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “You must go back to bed –
you’ll be so tired in the morning.”
But tally knew what one had to do when people were in trouble; her father
had told her often enough. One sat quietly beside them and waited. And indeed,
almost at once, Magda began to speak.
13. CONT. CONT.
“It’s just . . . when everything’s quiet, one can’t help remembering. You see,
I studied in Germany, in Weimar. It’s such a beautiful city, the old squares, the
gardens . . . so peaceful, so full of interesting people and everyone so well-
behaved. Scholars, professors . . . the lectures were remarkable. There was a
young professor there . . Heribert. I was going to go back to Germany to live
when I had finished my book, and I thought that we might get married. But not
now. Not with the Nazis marching about in jackboots spoiling everything – and
anyway, I have a Jewish grandmother. But for me,” said Magda, and her eyes
filled with tears again, “Weimar will always be home.”
“Yes, I see.” Tally put out a hand and laid it on Magda’s arm. I’m so sorry.”
She stayed for a while, and before she left Magda’s sobs had died down.
She even offered to make Tally another cup of cocoa.
Back in her bed, Tally found she was too tired to go on with her own
longings. She had expected anything except to go to a school where it was the
teachers who were homesick – and almost at once she fell asleep.
Ibbotson, pp. 43-45
14. WORKS CITED
Block, Peter. Community: The Structure of
Belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers, Inc., 2008.
Ibbotson, Eva. The Dragonfly Pool. New York:
Dutton, 2008.
