Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 22/02) - J.H. Sissons school is taking a different approach to student discipline.

Through a program called restitution, which works similarly to restorative justice, students learn to take responsibility for their actions.

"Restitution is a process that helps us understand and think about what we want to be as human beings," said Lynn Taylor, co-ordinator of the restitution project."

"When we make a mistake it gives us a procedure to make things better and fix relationships with others."

The program is different than the usual reward and punishment system where students who break the rules are subject to detention, or expulsion.

"We give children the tools to fix their mistakes and learn problem solving skills," said Taylor.

The advantage, Taylor added, is students become more self disciplined instead of having discipline imposed externally.

The program is not just useful in school, said Taylor. The training is also offered to adults.

"We're trying to involve as many people as possible it's a process that can be used in many different forums. It can be used in schools or at work, it is about respect," said Taylor.

J.H. Sissons is the only school in Yellowknife that uses restitution school wide.

They also recently finished another unique project that is giving students and educators around North America a chance to see the success of the program.

The school developed to videos telling the story of how restitution works at the school.

The videos, one on an adult perspective, the other on a children's perspective, interviewed students and educators about the successes of restitution.

The videos also have a little Northern flavour, said Taylor.

To date the videos have made their way across Canada and south of the border to a variety of U.S. cities.

"Our restitution trainers, there are about 20 in the world, have been showing them in schools in the U.S.," said Taylor.

It took about a year to put the videos together and Taylor said the process was a lot of fun.

The videos were made possible through a number of outside funding and in kind donations.