In my classroom we use circles on a weekly basis.  My students really enjoy them for the same reasons that these students do.  It’s a chance for them to connect with each other and talk about things that are important to them.  This video prompted me to reflect on my own practice with circles and there are a few things I’d like to incorporate this coming year.  I like the idea of having an icebreaker before beginning the circle.  I think this will loosen up some of my shyer students and encourage their participation.  I also love the idea of students facilitating the circle.  This year, my co-teacher and I facilitated the circles but I think that towards the middle and end of the year there were several students that would have been capable of facilitating.  I want to push my students and help them develop their leadership skills, this is one way I could do that.  

 

I would incorporate the same practice as the teacher in the video where she made herself the model they needed to see. She was open with her students and vulnerable which allowed them to be vulnerable too. Working with 1^st graders it is easy to build those relationships because they want to love you however the older they get the more you have to earn their love and that is something I am not familiar with. I hope to learn how to build those relationships when I transition to teaching older students and I hope we can build a community as open as the one in this video. 

In my own classroom I am so excited to implement this practice. Since its first mention in prior readings I have been trying to think of ways to use this method of community building and seeing it in action was inspiring. When implementing this in my classroom I think I would like to begin and end the week with a community circle. For the first couple of weeks I may take the reins as far as facilitating the discussion, but once I feel like my students have found their voice and have developed their comfort opening up, I would love to pass that responsibility onto my students. Each week allowing a different student or pair of students to lead and guide the discussion. I think allowing students to bring forth their own ideas and topics will be helpful for me to know what is important to them and to watch them grow as leaders and as a community. 

I would very much want to incorporate this positive activity into my own classroom. Firstly, I would incorporate it in September where students are getting to know their peers and a way to open up to one another to build new friendships.  This can be an on-going activity that I can implement throughout the year for students to communicate and respect their classmates. I believe this impact would greatly effect the students because it is something different and it doesn’t rely on CCLS or the content.  This positive activity encourages all students to be accepting and understanding of the diversity of the classroom. 

  

 

I think it is very important to incorporate restorative practices, and in particular, establish a building circle in my classroom. I believe that by incorporating a time period to consistently meet as a community and reflect, it will help the students trust each other which could positively impact their academic, social, and emotional states. Also, as the teacher, I think such circles could provide me opportunities to better connect with the students. This would help the students feel comfortable trusting me with their dilemmas and would put me in a better position to be able to help them. I plan on incorporating some of the teacher’s activities where the students share reasons they appreciate other students. This activity could have a tremendous impact on classroom climate by instilling feelings of love, respect, and hope into the classroom. 

 

 I would incorporate this in my practice by starting the class with a small icebreaker. A great icebreaker that I have used in the past is, have a roll of toilet paper and tell the students ‘”take as much as u think you will need”, after all the students take as much toilet paper that they think they will need. Tell them now to count how many sheets of toilet paper you have. For every sheet say something about yourself. This is a fun ice breaker that I have noticed many teens like. This breaks the ice for the first day of class and it’s also away for the students and the teacher to learn more about the student. 

I can begin incorporating restorative circles in my classroom by having a 15-minute segment on Fridays, at the end of class, where we reflect on our week. Just like the video, I would have a different student lead the circle every week. The video states that there should be an alternating tone of happy and sad in the circle, in order to avoid creating a sad atmosphere. Therefore, I would have students come together to discuss the obstacles they encountered during the week as well as the things that made them happy or optimistic. Although the circle will be student-led, I would also like to be a part of it, so that students would be more willing to share their emotions. I think restorative circles are a great source of preventive intervention, creating positive classroom culture, and in turn strong relationships with the students. 

I can use this in my classroom by making sure, as the teacher, the proper tone is set for the circle.  A circle is meaningless if students are not willing to share their true feelings and be open to honesty, and it is on me as the teacher to help my students understand that.  These circles which I would use would help the class grow closer together as a unit as well as help each individual student in the class grow as well. In doing so, would result in the classroom being a more safe and positive environment for students to learn.  

This example served as a paradigm shift for me as my attention before rested on a punitive approach rather than a restorative approach for dealing with behavior in the classroom. 

Studies discovered that students in restorative circles gain enhanced ability to understand peers, manage emotions, greater empathy, improve home environment, and maintain positive relationships with peers. I believe that the peer sharing and meeting process exemplifies a process for communities to discuss and solve problems, reflect on successes, share ideas, opinions and experiences, to learn from and with others to have ways of managing difference and conflict. Thus students would learn social life skills, and sustainable conflict management skills.