Norms and Consequences

Cultivating and maintaining positive community is one of our most important tasks. We start from the assumption that all middle schoolers will make bad choices at some point and that our job is to create opportunities for repair, redemption and growth. This means that when students test limits or violate norms, our main focus is on repairing the harm done to individuals and to the community. This includes approaching the perpetrator of harm with compassion and always looking for avenues for self-reflection and improvement. Creating a set of structures to support this is a main focus of our professional development efforts.

We also recognize that implicit bias informs our responses to students and are committed to taking active steps to acknowledge and mitigate these biases. For example, looking critically at whose behavior we notice and whose we don’t, or being careful not to assume that the person who is in tears is necessarily the victim.

In general, if a student’s behavior merits more than simple redirection, speak to their advisor. As an advisor, you might have a conversation with your advisee, or facilitate a conversation between several students to come to an appropriate resolution. If you have more than a passing conversation with a student about their behavior, it is important to let both the teaching team and their parents know. If you are unsure of the appropriate steps to take for a given situation, consult Margaret or Nathan.

Some situations should go straight to Margaret or Nathan regardless, including:

A student physically harming another out of anger;
The use of slurs or an attack on identity;
A student vaping, smoking, drinking or using drugs;
Anything involving online behavior that is considered harassing, degrading, dangerous or threatening;
Any mention of self-harm.