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 into school conflict.

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,

part of bigger society restorative work

wisdom in quiet voices

healing

part of community,

having a voice

making things right 

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

Visit CircleForum for more information about the HOW and the WHAT of restorative practices.

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 these same questions can help adults in difficult conversations about how adult behaviour is triggering students.

Restorative practices suggestions:

1. Restorative questions are effective with students who have special needs.
2. “Seek first to understand then to be understood.” (Stephen Covey)
3. Modify the basic restorative questions in order to promote understanding to and from students on the autism spectrum.

See www.circleforum.ca for live online restorative practices awareness sessions.

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 us this week as Shelley, Steve and Stan talk about building relationships by walking around.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Building positive supportive relationships with the adults in the school benefits students too.
• Ask open-ended questions like “what’s happening for you?” In stressful times at school.
• Make the check-ins short and simple.
• Build relationships with staff and students during breaks by walking around and being present.

See www.circleforum.ca for live online restorative practices awareness sessions.

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

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 able to present projects in classroom circles. Prior to this, there was a lot of anxiety about standing up in front of class.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Get a restorative coach or someone who can model circles with you in class.
• Get the restorative questions and resources from www.restorative.ca T
• ake the next step and try circles in your classroom.

See www.circleforum.ca for live online trainings in using circles.

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

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. It’s the second of 3 parts of our conversation with Brooke.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• restorative practice helps with classroom management with techniques using talking pieces.
• Start restorative circles at any time of the school year.
• Start small steps with circles in September every Monday morning and every Friday afternoon for starters.

See www.circleforum.ca for live online trainings in using circles.

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

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 starting with restorative circles late in the school year this April. It’s doable and she has some great insights into how to get started.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Get a coach or someone to model circles in the classroom.
• Try out restorative practices
• Be explicit and teach the language and procedures of circles to students and adults.

See www.circleforum.ca for live online trainings in using circles.

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

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 to conflict who resolve the issues with the involvement of a community member. Schools have set up many structural barriers to community members getting involved in restorative circles.

Restorative practice suggestions:

• Seek to break down the barriers and structures in schools which prevent community involvement in restorative circles.
• Challenge the idea that “we can’t do that here” with restorative alternatives.
• Educate the community about restorative practices.
• Be invitational in order to reduce individual isolation and to reduce the isolation of schools from their communities.

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities

See www.circleforum.ca for live online trainings in using circles.

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

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 of action to undo the harm. Valandra asks what’s blocking settlers from recognizing how the harm is perpetuated. It’s a powerful chapter which goes to the heart of repairing harm in our practice restorative justice or restorative practices.

Restorative practices suggestion:

• Use a talking piece with a handful of earth and the inscription “The land on which you stand rightfully belongs to (INSERT NAME OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES).”

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities

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

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  Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities. Shelley, Steve and Stan talk about the Social Discipline Window as seen through the experiences of black and brown boys in schools. It’s a powerful chapter which highlights the passive violence of NOT caring (neglectful box), the trauma inducing control of the TO box (authoritarian) and how educators cripple motivation and drive in students by doing things FOR students(permissive). A restorative approach WITH students is intentional in teaching the language of affect and emotion while recognizing that behaviours are a form of expression.

Restorative practices suggestions:

• Revisit the Social Discipline Window in order to reflect on your practice.
• Student connections or the lack of connections can be clarified using the Social Discipline Window.
• Look at the experiences and voices of black and brown boys through the Social Discipline Window.

Social Discipline Window as pdf

Social Discipline Window explained (5 min video)

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing our Realities

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