Listen now on Apple Podcasts Circle Forum 

“Hiding the ball” is the way restorative approaches are introduced in schools, according to Anita Wadhwa, contributor to the book Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities. In her chapter “‘What do you want, reparations? Racial microaggressions and restorative justice” , she describes oppression as “behaviours, practices, laws, beliefs, systems that privilege some groups and demean and subjugate others physically, mentally, materially or otherwise.” Introducing restorative practices in schools is often promoted as a way to reduce suspensions (which it does) and improve school climate (which it also does). Wadhwa challenges readers to generate dialogue about the structures that support racism and white privilege.

Restorative practice suggestions:

1. Be open to correction in conversations about oppression.
2. Receive correction as a gift.
3. Listen closely to the stories you hear in a circle.
4. Restore yourself as a practitioner through regular reflection on your practice.

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities

Download the free practical tools and restorative resources for teachers on  this website under resources. restorative.ca

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Listen now on Apple Podcasts Circle Forum 

Whether it’s in a classroom circle or a conversation with parents, pay attention when participants are silent. In the book Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities, one of the contributors, Christina Parker, writes that “power and privilege act to silence divergent and alternative perspectives, with the result that these perspectives remain unexamined.” Steve tells a story about the teacher who didn’t think she was having a circle meeting since it was around a carpet square.

Restorative practice suggestions:

1. Learn restorative structures then adapt them to your classroom.
2. Know your group – class or staff – and know what they need.
3. Practice circle related skills.
4. Pay attention to the silences in circles and restorative conversations.

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities

Download the free practical tools and restorative resources for teachers under Resources on this website restorative.ca

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

It’s an understatement to say the pandemic has been stressful for everyone. This new research from the Rand Corp points out some very interesting findings (see below). Steve and Stan discuss these findings using a restorative lens.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Restorative practices offers the HOWTO of building and maintaining relationships in the stress filled pandemic.
• Be intentional about talking with principals regarding their stressors.
• Look for inequities in the structures and provide more support for those principals disadvantaged by gender, race or socioeconomics.

Key Findings of Rand Research Report

1. Four out of five secondary principals experienced frequent job-related stress during the 2020–2021 school year.
2. Secondary principals of color, female principals, principals serving high-poverty schools, and principals serving schools with high enrollment of students of color were especially likely to experience constant job-related stress.
3. Secondary principals’ top job-related stressors included supporting teachers’ well-being and students’ social and emotional learning, as well as navigating pandemic-related challenges.
4. Secondary principals whose schools provided fully remote instruction were more likely to experience constant job-related stress than principals whose schools provided hybrid or in-person instruction; sources of job-related stressors varied by mode of instruction.

Recommendations of Rand Research Report

1. Support the well-being and mental health of principals, especially principals from historically marginalized groups and principals who lead schools with large proportions of students of color and students living in poverty.
2. Help principals support and improve teachers’ and students’ well-being.
3. Provide guidance and resources to help principals manage the operational aspects of their jobs.

Read the full Rand Research Report The Well-Being of Secondary School Principals One Year into the COVID-19 pandemic

Visit CircleForum for more information about the HOWTO asking questions about well-being .

Free practical tools and restorative resources for teachers on restorative.ca

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

A restorative approach to students with special needs can help teachers get to know their students and their special needs. Our guest this week is Dane Ellis from the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board in Ontario. He persisted from September to February and was successful in having a reluctant student participate in daily community circles. Listen to this terrific story of great questions, listening and teacher persistence.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Know your students.
• It helps you as a teacher to understand the how and why of students behaviours.
• Persevere when implementing circles in your classroom.
• Never assume that students can’t do circles.
• Asking the same predictable questions helps de-escalate student behaviours.
• As the teacher and leader of a classroom circle, set the expectation that everyone participates.

Visit CircleForum for more information about the HOWTO of asking great questions .

Free practical tools and restorative resources for teachers on restorative.ca

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Whether you support the use of masks or not, conversations about masks in schools have been very polarized. In this podcast, Shelley, Steve and Stan start with what’s happening as schools transition away from mandatory masks and end up talking about RESPECT. How do we treat others who look different that we do because of a mask or not? How can we engage parents again in respectful conversations?

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Address the issue of wearing masks using a circle process in the classroom as you would any other topic.
• Know your students and the best approach to this topic.
• Prepare for conversations about masks with students and with the adults in your building.
• Use a fair process for the conversation which Engages, Explains and had Expectation clarity.

Visit CircleForum for more information about the HOWTO of asking great questions .

Free practical tools and restorative resources for teachers on restorative.ca

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

The title is a quote from Barbara Sherrod, one of the contributors to the book Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities. Sherrod’s writing prompted us to talk more about what it’s going to take to change the narrative of stories like “these parents don’t care” when referring to black or indigenous families. And Sherrod is exhausted with all the battles along the way to create safe spaces and places for conversations about educational structures that inhibit student engagement. You’ll want to hear Steve’s story too about how systems dealt with his dissenting opinion.

Restorative suggestions:

• Be intentional about inviting parents into circle conversations.
• Restorative facilitators and practicioners must check themselves for bias.
• Whites cannot be silent if the educational narrative is going to change in schools.

Visit CircleForum for more information about the HOWTO of inviting parents into conversation .

Download the free practical tools and restorative resources for teachers on restorative.ca

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

A new year and a new season of Circle Forum starts with our guest, Amina Abdulle , teacher consultant for equity and Co-Founder:Black Staff Equity Alliance with the Greater Essex County District School Board in Ontario. This season’s focus will be on structures that enhance or inhibit student engagement in our districts, schools and classrooms. Our discussion this week points out that rigid structures at any level inhibit student engagement. Transparency about values at every level is essential to students engaging.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Give yourself some grace when dealing with the hurt that comes with thinking about things differently.
• Care for you own mental health as a teacher.
• A culturally responsive approach needs to start not be debated.
• Value the identity of the students who show up and engage at school.

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Know your students and let them know you care. Sound advice whether it in-person or remote learning according to our guest this week, Cathy Abrahams, President of the Ontario Public School Board Association and Trustee with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. Language matters and can inhibit student engagement. Cathy share a story that has stuck with her about the impact of her teacher telling her “girls have a hard time doing math.” The Pandemic has impacted the mental health of students and teachers and that will inhibit student engagement.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Find a way to meet kids where they are at and talk with them.
• Use technology to connect with students on the margins.
• Take a step back and listen when confronted with the impact of our actions or words.
• Ask open ended questions in situations where someone’s been harmed or impacted by decisions.

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

In these traumatic and pandemic times, there are many conversations to be had with frustrated parents. How school leaders structure the conversations can make all the difference. A restorative mindset  allows leaders and school staff to prepare for the inevitable difficult conversations with parents, ask non-blaming questions during the conversation and follow up on any actions arising from the conversation.

Restorative practice suggestions:

1.As a school leader, give yourself the grace to see that you don’t have to have all the answers.

2.Know when to step back from a conversation with parents in order to manage your own stress levels.

3. Check in with staff to find out how they are coping.

4. Prepare for the conversations beforehand with the restorative questions.

5.Reflect on the conversations afterwards by asking yourself things like:

• How did that conversation go?
• What was I thinking at the time? And since then?
• How did that impact me and the parents?
• What was the hardest thing for me? For the parents?
• What do I think I need to do to have the most successful conversation possible?

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Our guest this week is Robert Brown, a researcher on the Canadian study Redefining Risk: Human rights and elementary school factors predicting post-secondary access. Look for these risk indicators early:A single year of elementary education with 10% absenteeism rate or higher. A suspension for an elementary student Attending an aggregated special needs classroom.

Restorative practices suggestions:Look at student absenteeism data as an indicator. The earlier you look at this data the better. Using the attendance data as an indicator, look into the story behind the data to address the reasons for absenteeism.

Redefining Risk: Human rights and elementary school factors predicting post-secondary access Brown, Robert and Kelly Gallagher-Mckay and Gillian Parekh Feb. 2020

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party