Author's posts
Jul 12
Feuding Families Fuel School Fights – July 5/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum Summer Shorts, our new season of podcasts, are just that, short and for the summer. Each podcast has a story with a difference! The story is about mistakes we made with restorative practices and how it changed our practice. This week Stan talks about a family feud that spilled over …
Jul 12
The WHY of our restorative practices – June 28/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum At the end of our Season 3 Podcast on Student Engagement, we go back to our very first podcast in May 2021 and our discussion of our WHY with restorative practices. Our WHY informs HOW we do things and WHAT we do. You’ll hear phrases like : seen it work, …
Jul 12
Changing lenses to see students with special needs – June 21/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum Changing the lens of how we see students with special needs can lead to different responses to the behaviours. Students on the autism spectrum benefit from the predictability and consistency of the restorative questions. We are often called on as adults to translate and simplify the questions for students. Varying …
Jun 16
Ending the school year well with restorative leadership. June 14/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum he end of the school year is filled with the stresses of wrapping up the year and gearing up for September. Restorative leadership can address staff concerns like next year’s teaching assignment, room assignments and class lists. Stan shares an example where a conversation did not go so well. Join …
Jun 16
Start classroom circles when needed and keep at it! June 7/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum Integrating restorative practices into the curriculum can actually save time with stories from the recent experiences of Brooke Monks, a grade 6 teacher with the York Region District School Board in Ontario. She just started with circles in April of this school year and already she’s noticed that students were …
Jun 16
Circles give voice to silent students. May 31/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum Quiet students need to have talking space according to our guest this week, Brooke Monks, a grade 6 teacher with the York Region District School Board in Ontario. She speaks from the experiences of her students when they answered her question about how they felt when someone talks over them. …
Jun 16
Teacher started with Circles this April: Learnings and Challenges. May 24/22
Listen now on I-Tunes Circle Forum Every teacher needs to try restorative practices in class according to our guest this week, Brooke Monks, a grade 6 teacher with the York Region District School Board in Ontario. Brooke had Steve as someone who could model circles in the classroom and coach her. Brooke reflects this week on …
Jun 15
School structures inhibit community involvement in restorative circles May 17/22
Listen now on Apple Podcasts Circle Forum Community involvement and participation in restorative circles can positively impact all people involved according to Belinda Dulin in her chapter “Restorative Practices in Community” in the book Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities. Shelley, Steve and Stan discuss a terrific story about 2 families at risk of eviction due …
May 13
“The land on which you stand rightfully belongs to (INSERT NAME OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES)” May 10/22
Listen now on Apple Podcasts Circle Forum Intentional use of a talking piece in restorative circles can begin to undo what Edward Valandra calls “the First Harm” in his chapter “Undoing the First Harm: Settlers in Restorative Justice” in the book Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities. Land acknowledgments are good and require a next step …
May 13
Black and brown boys describe adults in school as not caring about them May9/22
Listen now on Apple Podcasts Circle Forum Student voices from black and brown boys describe adults as not caring and having the attitude that “you’re not worth it!” This is the powerful and helpful language from Abdul-Malik Muhammad in his chapter contribution “The Cipher, Circle and Restorative Practices with Black and Brown Boys” in the book …