Restorative Practices—Planting Xinachtli

By Erika Landa Sarmiento, Dean of Student Culture

Piyalli! Hello! I identify as an Indigenous Xicana Educator meaning that I present myself entirely, and carry myself through, my ancestors. My mission here is to plant a xinachtli, to plant a seed. To plant a xinachtli of understanding, of compassion, of respect, of accountability, and of

Indigenous knowledge.

Restorative Practices have been a part of my educational experience in the Los Angeles School District, but also as a way of life. To be an educator who implements Restorative Justice practices means to be in constant learning of the day-to-day factors of a student’s life—and to value students’ cultural and community wealth through having conversations and holding space for them. At the core of this also sits the ability to empathize and to be constantly aware of one’s biases. It comes with the knowledge that we are bound to make mistakes, but we must work on restoring the damage that comes with those mistakes.

Restorative Practices are rooted in Indigenous epistemology and have been implemented into the educational system in the past several years as a means to decrease the rate of the “schoolto-prison pipeline.”* For decades our educational systems in the United States have seen the continuing systemic inequity between our white students and our students of color. This is due to an educational system that was historically created to serve the more wealthy white population. This has led to the creation of educational policies that do not best serve students of color.

Restorative Practices in schools allow space for evaluating what is working and not working for our students of color. The implementation of Restorative Practices must go hand-inhand with accountability and communication with students, parents, and staff in order for it to be a successful transition. The idea behind working in a restorative environment is to work in partnership with the entire community, to create space for the entire community to be heard.

It’s important to note that implementing restorative practices does not equal “no punishment,” but rather, it calls for accountability. Students must learn that there are consequences to one’s actions. Positive language along with accountability will lead to good outcomes in the long-run and will allow us to build relationships with our students.

Reciprocity and reflection of myself through my students sits at the center of my work here. I pray for the little xinachtli to grow and bloom one day, but also to spread other xinachtli in the future. A xinachtli of understanding, of compassion, of respect, of accountability, and of Indigenous knowledge.

* Restorative Justice Ending the School to Prison Pipeline. Ted Talk