By Cameron Glover
What do we do when a student misbehaves? Traditional methods of discipline — like reprimanding, detention, or suspension — may not actually solve the problem. Those approaches usually fail to produce long-term solutions, making it more likely for students to disengage or drop out altogether.
Restorative justice is becoming a more recognized approach, particularly in education. In schools, it’s leading to more engaged, passionate, and community-focused students. But what exactly is restorative justice? In short, it’s a collaborative alternative. “Restorative” here means putting more focus on repairing the harm caused by an incident than on punishing the guilty parties.
Schools are beginning to use this method to empower students as self-advocates and problem-solvers. One school committed to this transformative approach is XQ Vista High School in Vista, California. Vista High has taken steps to employ restorative justice in its educational framework and has seen a real improvement in its student body.
[quote position="full" is_quote="true"]Incorporating this approach to handle missteps and behaviors helps to bring self-awareness, ownership, and self-responsibility to students.[/quote]
Vista High puts focus on the students’ abilities to self-improve and advocate for themselves by relying on cooperative problem-solving. It might be in the form of peer mediation, restorative circles (where a student that has harmed others sits in a circle, hearing the voices of those they have harmed), or group discussions. Doing things this way aims to encourage students to do better without relying on the shame of their past actions to eclipse their chances for retribution.
Craig Gastauer, curriculum and instruction lead at Vista High School, spoke about what led to the school’s switch from traditional techniques to a restorative justice model. “Students do not always understand how to communicate their discomfort, stress, or anxiety and, as a result, cannot focus as intently on their learning when these factors are in the forefront of their minds,” he explains.
“Restorative practice is about building relationships and developing a community to help ensure that every student knows they are an important part of a caring community,” he adds.
By pivoting to a community-based approach, students feel more invested in both their education and their peers. “Students understand that their actions impact the community and the relationships around them,” Gastauer says. “Restorative practices build healthy communities, increase social capital, reduce the impact of crime, decrease antisocial behavior, repair harm, and restore relationships.”
The results haven’t just affected students; the environment has been better for educators, too. As one teacher at Vista describes it, “it feels like family in the classroom.” This increased sense of safety and trust promotes empathy from teachers — a key component of student success. This, along with an emphasis on collaboration, encourages everyone to build on their strengths in order to uplift the community rather than just the individual.
[quote position="full" is_quote="true"] When we see restorative justice in the classroom, success becomes a collective endeavor.[/quote]
“The essence of restorative practices is simple: Human beings are happier, more productive, and more likely to make positive changes in their behavior when those in positions of authority do things with them rather than to them or for them,” Gastauer says.
Though it may be a new term for some, restorative justice’s potential for engaging and energizing students, particularly those who are struggling, is promising to say the least. After all, when students — like those at Vista — are given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, a real transformation can happen. For students’ positive growth as well as their transition into the broader community, restorative justice may have a place in education for years to come.
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.