Restoration Hall offered Bonham Academy Middle School students a series of meditative self-awareness practices, culturally relevant narratives, and cognitive behavioral journalling to improve academic focus and achievement, personal stress management, emotional health and wellbeing, and empathetic awareness and responses to themselves and others. It was conceived as a restorative alternative to other disciplinary actions and consequences, when teacher approved.
The Field Journals served as a communication tool for students to process and record privately their reflections following each session. The journaling time encouraged students to work through unresolved events from the day through drawing or writing, naming and listing the feelings they experienced, and thinking of new or better ways to approach a similar experience in the future. Students reported feeling empowered to use the breathing exercises in school settings, home, extracurricular activities and sports to calmly reset and focus on what outcomes were within their control.
Restoration Hall collaborators included Veronica Ramirez with San Antonio Metro Health and Nellie Springston of Calmakids.org.