Author's posts
Jan 02
Reflecting on WHY propels purpose and meaning every day – Nov.22/22
Listen now to recent podcasts on Circle Forum “Knowing your WHY makes your HOW more impactful as you work in your purpose”Michael Jr. With the busyness of day to day work in schools, educators seldom take much time to consider and reflect on their WHY. Knowing your WHY fits well into a restorative mindset. 2:58 …
Nov 16
Being known and knowing others amplifies school safety – Nov. 15/22
Listen now to the podcast now on Circle Forum Connections between students and the adults at school has a big impact on school safety particularly on the trust levels needed to report a concern. Safety also depends on the adult to adult trust in the building. 2:35Create a community culture of caring 3:08Kids can build empathy …
Nov 16
White educators developing listening skills essential to indigenous student attendance – Nov. 8/22
Listen now to the podcast now on Circle Forum A settler bias and a colonial attitude are so much a part of white educators’ lives that even the questions asked can illustrate the ongoing nature of colonialism. It’s important for us as white educators to think through or be reminded of how our language can impact …
Nov 16
Opportunities to fail leads learning and enjoyment – Nov.1/22
Listen now to the podcast now on Circle Forum Leaders can learn from staff or students who miss the mark and fail at a new endeavour. Seeing the patterns of behaviour creates the opportunity to ask great questions and listen for staff and student strengths. Awareness of something not working right is a restorative moment and …
Nov 16
Leverage both ears and propel conversations – Oct 25/22
Listen now to the podcast now on Circle Forum Leaders are regularly involved in resolving conflicts and neglect the connected social justice aspects. Each situation presents leaders with the opportunity to listen for understanding and the opportunity to deal with a structure or policy that is unfair or unjust. It’s not easy yet it starts with …
Sep 12
Close the revolving door on staffing shortages – Sept. 13/22
Listen now on Circle Forum If staffing is a revolving door at your workplace, consider this week’s podcast on how to keep staff engaged with restorative leadership. We reflect on the research recommendation from the Rand Corporation: ”Leaders who have not made adult relationships a priority could consider transferring the strategies they use to build …
Sep 12
Burnout due to unfair treatment at work leaving schools staggeringly short staffed – Sept.6/22
Listen now on Circle Forum The biggest source of burnout in the workplace is, according to Gallup, “unfair treatment at work.” Schools are no exception and staff are leaving in droves. In our new season, we will be focusing on restorative leadership and engagement…of adults. This week’s podcast features a story from Shelley where the …
Sep 12
Every change in schools requires symmetry for kids and grownups. Sept.2/22
Listen on Circle Forum Here’s another episode of Summer Shorts on CircleForum where we’re telling stories about situations where things did not go well or things weren’t working right. In a conversation earlier this year with Perry Smith from Abbotsford Schools in BC, we talk about what it takes to make a change in schools. …
Sep 12
First time fears for teacher fall when coached through circle. August 31/22
Listen now. Circle Forum Summer Shorts on CircleForum are stories where things did not go well and how that changed our practice. In this podcast, we go back to a story we heard earlier this year from Brooke Monks, an experienced teacher who was very apprehensive about doing her first circle until…Steve coached her through …
Aug 12
Students needed help to process the traumatic impact caused by car accident. Aug.16/22
Listen now on Circle Forum Restorative practices is not therapy yet here’s a story about how the two can work together. ummer Short on Circle Forum are stories where our practice changed because something restorative did not work out well. This eeek Stan tells a story about how he had to call in an expert …