Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

Bringing Shalom Into Classroom Management

Meghan Leuschner
Calvin College

Abstract/Summary:

Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

Shalom is what God calls all of His people to bring to the broken world that is filled with chaos.
It is the Hebrew word for peace that calls for us to restore the world to the place where God intended it
living in harmony and community. One specific place where chaos has taken root is in the
management of schools. Zero tolerance policy was first created because the U.S. Congress passed a law
that no child could bring a firearm to school. The schools created the zero tolerance policy so that they
could enforce the law, however it quickly evolved further (Harris, 2005). Soon any item that could be
perceived as a weapon would be held to the new zero tolerance discipline (Harris, 2005). Later, drugs
and alcohol were also added to the rule (Harris, 2005). The strict rule evolved even further in many
states that allowed the school to use the zero tolerance policy if a student was disrupting class or
defying authority (Harris, 2005). Instead of keeping the students safe, the rule was now being used as a
weapon to scare the students into behaving well (Harris, 2005).
The rules and policies of schools do not always bring shalom to the classroom or allow kids to
grow. In fact, such policies such as zero tolerance seem to create more chaos in many situations. The
policy that doesn't take each case individually and always dictates a severe punishment, such as
suspension or expulsion, ends up stabbing the school in the back. Through research, it has been found
that instead of being a tool for classroom management, zero tolerance creates a power struggle,
unwanted psychological outcomes, and doesn't offer any management relief after a student is
suspended from the classroom (Noguera, 2003). Other options must be brought to the table before the
zero tolerance policy is able to move any further. Options such as restorative justice fills in the gaps
that zero tolerance fails to satisfy (Glanzer, 2005). It is the duty of all teachers, especially Christian
educators, to address such forms of chaos in classroom management and restore shalom where God has
placed them.
Bringing Shalom Into Classroom Management
Shalom is the community and world the way God intended them to interactin peace. The
Hebrew word shalom is defined as peace. God has called His people to bring this peace to the chaos

Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

of this world. As teachers, God has called us to bring shalom to the classroom and learning. In doing
so, the class becomes a communitythe way God intended humans to live and learn. However, living
in a sinful world allows chaos to creep into all classrooms (IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013).
One specific area of chaos that has been a particular problem over the past few years is
classroom managementspecifically with zero tolerance policy now becoming a very common tool
used among schools. The zero tolerance policy is a management policy where the student, after
breaking certain rules, will automatically be given a suspension or expulsion, most of the time without
any further steps to look into the problem (IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013). In the article
Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices, the
author, Noguera, even goes further to claim that a school is like a miniature societal structure,
consistent with the way we approach crime in society, the assumption is that safety and order can be
achieved by removing 'bad' individuals and keeping them away from others who are presumed to be
'good' and law abiding (Noguera, 2003). There is a time and place where zero tolerance needs to take
an effect; however, this removal policy has many holes that as shalom bringers, need to be
accounted for, including the actual effectiveness, psychology behind it, and a deeper truth that the
policy seems to be covering up.
During Societal Structures and discussions led by Ashanti Byrain, many students named
instances from their own experiences attending school to describe how, when a trouble maker gets
removed from a classroom, another rises to take their place (IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct.
2013). A story of a school deciding to put all of their misbehaving students, known as bad apples,
was illustrated by Noguera in the article Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment:
Rethinking Disciplinary Practices, (Noguera, 2003). Not only did that not help the students who were
removed and put into a separate special classroom, but the teachers reported that it didn't make a
difference when their bad apples were removed (Noguera, 2003). They only saw another rise up and
take their place (Noguera, 2003). Most students who are acting up do not have a strong support at home

Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

(IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013). If they are being sent home where they will not be
learning or receiving the support that they need, neither the teacher nor the student will be benefiting
(IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013).
Then why have this policy at all? Schools needed a policy to go with the new Gun Free Schools
Act of 1994 and the zero tolerance policy was their answer. In most cases, bringing a gun, or drugs of
any kind to school, should be treated with zero tolerance; however, not looking into each case before
suspending or expelling a student without a second thought creates major problems. One of these
problems is psychological. Because the policy has often gone too far, students are being sent away for
major or minor offenses without being heard. Some example of the extreme and power hungry school
systems that remove children without looking into cases are the following, coming from the article
The Limited Character Education of Zero Tolerance Policies: An alternative moral vision for
discipline:
In one instance, A 6-year-old boy in western Pennsylvania was suspended for having a plastic
axe attached to his first grade fireman's costume. Another instance: In Palm Beach, Florida, a 14year-old disabled student was referred to the principals' office for allegedly stealing $2 from another
student. The principal referred the child to the police, where he was charged with strong-armed robbery,
and held for 6 weeks in an adult jail, for this, his first arrest. There was also a case reported where a
boy scout forgot to take out his pocket knife from his backpack from a camping trip and was expelled,
even though the boy scout manager backed him up. His family went to court and won; however, he had
already missed 8 months of school (Glanzer, 2005).
This only creates mistrust between the students and the school. Mistrust and the assumption that
the teacher doesnt care about them are some of the highest reasons for thinking that an education is not
worth it (Noguera, 2003). This leads to major drop out rates because students don't think that their
teacher cares about them or believes in them (Noguera, 2003). It starts a spiraling cycle that leads to the
principle in the article, Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking

Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

Disciplinary Practices, claiming that the child in the principal's office will end up in jail just like his
relatives (Noguera, 2003).
It also seems that zero tolerance hides racial profiling and feeds the segregation in schools
(Harris, 2005). The Department of Education states that African-American children made up only
17% of public enrollment nationwide in 1998-99, but 32% of suspensions. White students made up
63% of enrollment and represented only 50% of suspensions and 50% of expulsions (Harris, 2005). If
teachers and school boards started looking at each situation and students as individuals and brothers
and sisters in Christ, the racial profiling would be abolished, the students would feel like they are cared
about, and teachers would be able to attack the root of the problem, not just react to it. The truth is that
many students struggle in their family life and need role models and people who believe in them. If
teacher would take the time to get to know their students, they will be able to fill the gap or help point
them to an area where that gap can be attended to instead of getting angry when their students needs
aren't being met. In this way, schools need to adjust to the students needs, not the students to the
school's policy that is trying to scare them into submission.
Other options are available! One solution that was brought up both in class and also in the
article The Limited Character Education of Zero Tolerance Policies: An alternative moral vision for
discipline, is restorative justice. This gives the students an alternative to a policy that has brought
destruction. This time around they will not only have a chance to be heard, but also have a chance to
give back to the community which they disrupted (Glanzer, 2005). The act of service has actually been
shown to affect character, so giving the option to restore the community has a strong impact on the
student who was causing trouble (Glanzer, 2005). It also pacifies the victim who had their community
broken and attempts to restore what was lost (Glanzer, 2005). Some examples may be the perpetrator
asking for forgiveness and then paying the victim back for something they destroyed, or a public
apology and finding a way to make it up to the victim, depending on the circumstance (IDIS 205,
classroom discussion, Oct. 2013). Teachers are finding that they are more aware of the deeper roots of

Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

issues in their classroom and they can handle the problems when they listen to the students and restore
shalom to the community (IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013). This opens up options of
forgiveness for both parties and brings back the peace that a classroom is supposed to create for the
learning environment (IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013).
The just creator of the world has called his people to bring shalom to chaos, and as teachers, we
are supposed to bring harmony into the classroom to make a community where learning can flourish.
One specific trouble area is classroom management. Such approaches that remove problematic students
from a classroom, especially when they are not being heard, creates numerous issues. It doesn't help the
teacher control the classroom, it doesn't help the student learn, it doesn't stop racial profiling, and it
doesn't help restore the victim or the community that fell into disarray. Restorative justice is a key
solution that does help the teacher manage the classroom, does help create a learning environment for
the students, does force the teacher to look deeply at the issues not just racial profiling, and does restore
peace to the victim. It is the duty of schools to find better solutions such as restorative justice, so that
shalom can return to the classroom.

References
Glanzer, P. L. (2005). THE LIMITED CHARACTER EDUCATION OF ZERO TOLERANCE
POLICIES: An alternative moral vision for discipline. Journal of Research in Character
Education, 3(2), 97-107. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231713452?
Accountid=9844
Harris, C. K. (2005). THE IMPACT OF ZERO TOLERANCE AND RACIAL PROFILING AS IT

Running head: AGENTS OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT

RELATES TO UNITED STATES PUBLIC EDUCATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN

STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Allied Academies
International Conference.Academy of Educational Leadership.Proceedings, 10(2), 55-58.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/192406635?accountid=9844
Noguera, P. A. (2003). Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking
Disciplinary Practices. Theory Into Practice, 42(4), 341-350.
IDIS 205, classroom discussion, Oct. 2013