Theme#4 My Root-Our Root: RJ Bounded in Critical Theory and

“Human behaviour flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge” …. (Plato, nd)

As a participant in the study, I would like to begin by drawing from my experience as described in my autoethnography. I have been a lover of philosophy but never in a way that could change my life. Before now, philosophy had never gone beyond influencing my knowledge, terminology and logic. In the RJ classroom, I began to see a brand of philosophy that is beyond episteme and rooted in human essence and relationship. I also experienced a ‘change philosophy’ that is real and complements spirituality, if not trumps

it. As a Christian, I have never thought of humanity and relationship as seriously as I did during and after my RJ experience, even though my faith is not lacking in the spiritual message of humanity and relationship (Neighborliness). This experience, as my autoethnography reveals, was caused by the philosophical foundation upon which the course ED 6936 was built. When I said: “It was a self-revealing space for self-interrogation and healing”, it was because the philosophy in which RJ is rooted gave us the motivation to continually examine and interrogate our socially constructed values. My highlight in the course was a conversation on critical relational theory, as it gave me the liberty to critically examine my place in global, social and moral dynamics. The course encouraged self- inquiry and a search for knowledge. “Aside from the instructional materials that made significant impact on me, the class was also filled with so much knowledge which was instructor driven” (My autoethnography). This led me to find related philosophies that are rooted in ‘being human’ and relational. In my search, I discovered Emmanuel Levinas’ ethics. Levinas’ (1961) philosophy is rooted in ‘Otherness.’ That is, seeing yourself in others and others in you. I believe this philosophy complements RJ philosophy. The philosophical foundation of the course helped to broaden and extend my knowledge. More importantly, ED 6936, which was grounded in philosophy, provided me with critical relational thinking to interrogate my existing paradigms through the lens of relationship and humanity. To corroborate how the philosophical foundation of the course impacted me as a participant and to make sense of my thoughts on its need in RJ education, I said this in my autoethnography:

Notwithstanding that the message of RJ belongs to all, for a meaningful shift to take place, I believe that ideologues of RJE must be knowledgeable in the theories and principle of RJ philosophy. Memorial University has one of the renowned and leading researchers in restorative justice education; a researcher with boundless knowledge and passion for RJ education.

Because of the philosophical foundation of the course, participant A now sees RJ as “a new brand of knowledge and concept”. He claimed that this knowledge was experientially expressed. While narrating his new passion for RJ, participant A attributed his inspiration in part to the sound [knowledge] of the professor who facilitated the course. According to him: “Apart from having a sound professor that understands the course, her leadership quality inspired me so much that I did not miss a class.” In the view of participant B, this knowledge “triggered prompt and retrospective reflection”. In my autoethnography, I mentioned how class members appreciated the philosophical foundation of the course, which triggered them to self-interrogate and reflect on their social and cultural habitus.

Some of my classmates expressed how deeply they appreciated the space which the circle provided and most especially, the knowledge and philosophical foundation of the course which enabled them to interrogate their social and cultural experiences. This philosophical foundation helped me and other students to analyze the world through a new window. This window we loved to call; a window of

relationships.

RJ philosophy is embodied in both theory and practice. They cannot be separated. When participants referred to their experiences, they referred to what happened in their heads and hearts, the ethos of respect, dignity, care, empathy, and forgiveness are a constitution of both episteme and praxis. When participant C emphasized the role of active listening in RJ, she meant that RJ is knowledge that speaks to the heart. According to her:

The more that they can listen to each other, the more they can talk to each other, the more they can understand each person as a person, they have more of a chance of believing in the person, and showing value in the person and respecting what they do.

Participant D further emphasized the relevance of the philosophical foundations of ED 6936 when she narrated how experiential knowledge of RJ provided her with a road map for how to move forward in her life.

The RJ experience impacted my life while studying because it gave me hope for how I could move forward with the rest of my life

When explaining her new lens, she said “the same could be said for the lens I have now………” She was referring to a new life driven by RJ philosophy and paradigms. Her philosophy, driven by experiential knowledge, was supported by what I said in my autoethnography:

space for re-creation of a new philosophy, and a new self in my mode of thinking about life and relating with others, this space gave me the opportunity to re-direct my policy approach to how the business of education should be conducted and re-think what it truly means to be educated.

Referring to philosophy and knowledge-based pedagogy in ED 6936, participant E captured the learning process as a revelation which came to her in a profound way. Although she used the word “revelation”, other statements revealed that her ED 6936 experience provided her with a new lens she had never before imagined. According to her: “through my understanding of RJ, I was able to see myself, my colleagues, my students, as well as other important people in my life, through a different lens.” She claimed that this lens gave her an extended breadth of knowledge to look at the big picture when addressing students’ behavior issues.

Now I can see the whole picture, a picture of a child who is just trying his best to hold it together. This revelation has been the most profound for me. It has caused me to create deeper relationships with my students, and has allowed me to reach them in a way I could have never done before.

As a participant in this study, I can say without hesitation that relationship based on “Ubuntu” is the ‘truth’ I discovered in this course. This was made possible by the critical and philosophical foundations of the course. Philosophy and critical pedagogy enabled me

to examine myself in relation to my way of being in the world and humanity. I see philosophy as a substratum of RJE. For significant transformation to take place in RJ education, pedagogy must be rooted in philosophy as findings reveal in this study.