This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
The Notebook is not the only group asking for responses to a quick survey on its website this week. Once you’ve filled that one out, take a look at the Teacher Action Group‘s brief survey on conflict in the classroom.
The TAG survey, aimed at local classroom teachers, will be up till next Monday. Here is a letter introducing the survey:
Dear Colleagues,
We are members of the Teacher Action Group (TAG) Restorative Justice Committee, a group organized by Philadelphia school teachers that seeks to promote at the classroom, school, and district level practices that build mutual trust, respect and cooperation between all members of the school community.
As teachers we have found in our schools and our classrooms that many of the disciplinary tactics available are not effective in creating good classroom environments or fostering education. We have been exploring using more restorative justice practices such as peer mediation in our own work and bringing together other teachers to share success stories, struggles, and skills. At the same time we are advocating real holistic approaches to address the root causes of school violence. We believe that public school teachers, students, and parents/guardians are the most qualified to name and address the issues facing our schools and that our voices must be a part of the conversation about school reform in Philadelphia.
Therefore, we have created this short survey to help us identify the particular issues and concerns regarding conflict in the classroom for Philadelphia school teachers. With this information we hope to compile resources and organize trainings that will be readily available to help teachers. In addition, we hope to advocate for changes on a district level that will help teachers reduce conflict in their classrooms and schools.
The link to “Conflict in the Classroom” survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LJFLCZ9.
Please complete it by November 15, 2010. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey!
TAG Restorative Justice Committee
tagrestorativejustice@gmail.com
724.759.4308