Please stay tuned as we feature retiring faculty (at least those were agreeable to our idea) in the coming weeks. A complete list of 2016 retirees concludes each article. The comment box is open below for those of you who wish to share greetings and memories with Pam.

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Pam Rutt has already moved on to a new 鈥減ost-retirement, winding-down-her-career鈥� position, as she describes it. She is working in a public elementary school in the Lancaster area as a sign language interpreter and 聽1:1 instructional support for a student who is deaf. The position, with summers off, will allow her to spend more time with her children and grandchildren, and catch up on work around the house.

鈥淪ummers are the busiest time鈥� for the Lancaster聽MA in Education program, says the former assistant director of the program.

The interpreter and support role also allows her to fulfill a long-time goal, she says. 鈥淩aising a daughter who is Deaf gave me the opportunity to learn sign language and to support our daughter in her education experience. It has been one of my dreams to be able to use my sign language skills, background in education and my experience as a parent to work with children who are Deaf and to encourage families of children who are Deaf.聽It is good to be聽back working with teachers and students in an elementary classroom and to have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of a little boy 鈥� to see his faraway expression fade and his eyes light up as he learns a language with which to understand his world and to communicate.鈥�

Additionally, Pam serves on the education committee for Lancaster Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and teaches GED and ESL classes to adult refugees who are Deaf at the Lancaster Literacy Council.

Pam earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in home economics education from 91短视频 in 1997 and a master鈥檚 in education in 2011. [Her husband Roger 鈥�76, her son Jason 鈥�06 and daughter-in-law Alexis Sauder Rutt, 鈥�06, MA (education) 鈥�11, are also graduates of 91短视频.]

Pam joined 91短视频 Lancaster as an office manager and administrative assistant in the MA in Education program before becoming assistant director.

Her favorite memories are linked to relationships with graduate students and the growth and expansion of 聽the Lancaster site:

• Celebrating with our master鈥檚 graduates each year at commencement in Virginia by hosting a brunch for graduates and their families and handing out carnations to our graduates as they received their diplomas and walked off the stage.
• Viewing action research presentations by our candidates and seeing their joy, satisfaction and relief at completing both their research and their masters degrees. When candidates brought their final research projects to me, we often did a little celebration whoop, ‘high five’ or dance in my office.聽It was great to celebrate their accomplishment and professional growth in their careers as teachers.聽
• Applying to the Pennsylvania Department of Education under the skilled leadership of Dr. Don Steiner and receiving state approval for 91短视频’s reading specialist and English as a Second Language certification programs
• Outgrowing space in the first location that contained one large classroom and three small offices and moving to a larger location with larger classrooms and additional office space.

Her parting wisdom is a quote from the poet Maya Angelou that hung in her office as a constant reminder in her work: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Other retiring faculty and staff

Also retiring are the following faculty and staff (position listed is most recent held): , administrative assistant for events, director of the Summer Institute for Spiritual Formation and of the Congregational Resource Center, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 27 years; Spencer Cowles, Department of Business, 27 years; Jan Gerber, Information Officer, 23 years; , Master鈥檚 in Counseling graduate program, 39 years; Ted Grimsrud, Department of Bible and Religion, 20 years; Betty Hertzler, mailroom, 41 years; , director of the physical plant, 28 years; Roman Miller, Master鈥檚 in Biomedicine graduate program, 31 years; and Jack Rutt, special projects support, 17 years.

Putting victims and offenders together would seemingly spark conflict: 鈥淚 have a real strong reaction to asking your victim to forgive,鈥� one angry woman tells a group of incarcerated men, 鈥渂ecause I think you have no right on the face of this earth to ever ask the person you鈥檝e harmed to forgive you.鈥�

But the opportunity also recognizes the desires of the offender to be restored to the community: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want my legacy to be just a murderer,鈥� says one inmate. 鈥淚 do have something to contribute.鈥�

91短视频 Lancaster鈥檚 joins the (CCP) to host a June 9 showing of the film at 7 p.m. at the Zoetropolis Art House and Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Small group discussions and a panel presentation of restorative justice (RJ) experts, including Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, will follow the film. Amstutz is RJ coordinator for and author of 鈥淭he Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools.鈥�

“This film is an excellent introduction to the principles of restorative justice, which started with victim-offender conferencing in prisons and correctional institutions several decades ago, and have been adapted and practiced in a growing number of school districts across the United States,鈥� said , assistant director of the . 鈥淲e are pleased at the opportunity to join CCP in discussing this film and restorative justice practices with teachers and other community stakeholders.”

CCP Executive Director Christopher Fitz commented that the film contributes to 鈥渁 deeper understanding of the complex challenges involved with both victims and offenders of violent crime. I hope it also inspires people to consider how they could be part of potentially healing responses to deep wounds in our community.鈥�

Both 91短视频 and CCP employ and educate practitioners of restorative justice. CCP works to build a culture of peace in the Lancaster area through a variety of strategies, some of which can be viewed in the documentary. The organization facilitates victim-offender conferencing, youth-parent communication courses, peacemaking circles to address conflict, and accountability circles for former offenders.

In 2014, 91短视频 became the housed within a graduate education program. One semester later, in January 2015, the program was started at 91短视频 Lancaster.

鈥淩estorative justice in the classroom looks at a holistic approach which includes not only the rules that have been broken, but the relationships that have been harmed and the underlying causes for misbehavior that may be linked to academic failures,鈥� said Assistant Professor of Education , who led the development of the program at 91短视频. 鈥淚t also looks at ways to create a safe classroom climate where students can own and understand their own needs and ask for the academic, emotional or social help that they need.”

The concept is being practiced with success in , , and in other districts across the country. In January 2014, the practices were endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education in a report, .

The restorative justice in education (RJE) coursework has been developed in conjunction with 91短视频鈥檚聽, the academic home of the renowned pioneer in the field of restorative justice, . (Zehr, in fact, reviews 鈥淐oncrete Steel & Paint鈥� as 鈥渁 great discussion tool for college classes, community groups and others interested in issues of justice, conflict resolution and socially engaged art.”)

The education department also offers a 15-hour graduate certificate in RJE for students who have already earned a master鈥檚 degree or are not currently pursuing a master鈥檚 degree.

The goal is to make the RJE programs broadly accessible, according to聽Rutt. Courses are offered in a variety of formats, including online, blended, and on-site with weekends or week-long intensive summer courses.

Like their counterparts in Virginia, Lancaster school leaders, counselors and teachers will be able to pursue an interdisciplinary concentration in by taking courses through the . A 15-hour graduate certificate in RJE may be earned by those who already hold, or who aren’t pursuing, a master鈥檚 degree.

鈥淩estorative justice offers a completely different model of addressing classroom discipline problems that focuses on building effective relationships both between teachers and students, and among students,鈥� said , PhD, an 聽professor who has led the development of the RJE programs.

鈥淲hile the theories of restorative justice were originally developed as an alternative approach to criminal justice, they have increasingly been embraced by teachers looking for more creative ways to address classroom behavior and create better learning environments鈥� said Evans.

The RJE coursework has been developed in conjunction with 91短视频鈥檚聽, the academic home of the renowned pioneer in the field of restorative justice, .

鈥淭his program recognizes that how we talk about both harmful and helpful life experiences in school shapes the academic and social growth of students as much as the experiences themselves and may matter more in shaping future behavior than any other single factor,” said , PhD, professor in the department at 91短视频. “Graduate education at 91短视频 is a conversation about alternatives to violence that build the common good.鈥�

The RJE graduate program offers different focus options for K-12 educators, administrators or other school leaders, community leaders, and social workers or school counselors. A variety of electives allows for focused study for each of these groups. Participants learn to:

• Promote positive student behavior and increase student achievement and attendance.
• Replace suspensions and expulsions with strategies that work.
• Improve relationships and school climate while increasing instructional time.

Fania Davis, executive director of , wrote in a , that 鈥渞estorative justice programs in some schools have been so successful at reducing suspension rates 鈥� by 74 percent in one case 鈥� that the school board has endorsed use of restorative justice throughout the city school system.鈥�

In January 2014, the federal departments of education and justice threw their weight behind restorative justice in the country鈥檚 schools. The agencies issued a joint letter calling on teachers and administrators to address the disproportionate rates at which minority and economically disadvantaged students are suspended. Among other initiatives, agencies suggested the use of restorative justice practices to address discipline problems and create healthy learning environments.

With that mandate will come even more opportunity for graduates of 91短视频鈥檚 new RJE concentration or certificate programs, said Evans.

Over the next several years, faculty from the MA in education program and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding will focus on developing new courses, with the goal of eventually creating a full graduate degree聽in RJE.

鈥淭he new programs in restorative justice in education are an excellent example of the mission of our graduate programs, which is to meet needs in the world with our unique combination of expertise, perspective, and values,鈥� said , vice president and dean of .

鈥淭his concentration is a result of two graduate programs working together to offer something that is unique to the field of education, and something 91短视频鈥檚 combination of expertise and values can provide to the world,鈥� he added.

The goal is to make the RJE programs broadly accessible, according to聽, assistant director of . Courses will be offered in a variety of formats, including online, blended, and on-site with weekends or week-long intensive summer courses.

Students may begin the program in spring 2015 by taking EDI 501 Circles Processes (on-site) or EDCC 531 Social & Ethical Issues (online) at 91短视频 Lancaster. Additional courses will be offered in summer 2015.

For more information on the new programs, contact Jim Cox at james.cox@emu.edu or Pamela Rutt at聽ruttpa@emu.edu.