Inquiry Snack: Restorative Circle

​Restorative Circle has changed my practice.  My last school district began implementing it in 2017 and I was quite skeptical at first.  I thought it was another Social-Emotional Learning program that would add time to my already crunched schedule.  Little did I know it would completely change the relationships between me and my learners. 

There are several components to Restorative Circles, but the main ideas are: 

• Speak from the heart
• Listen from the heart
• Trust that you will know what to say
• Say just enough

I'll let you quickly watch the video for an overview and then I'll share some additional things to consider. 

​There is usually a tool that sets the tone for the discussion, but that is too much for me.  I just ask high-interest and low-risk prompts that I know my learners feel comfortable answering.  Here are some examples. 

• What is your favorite thing to do on your free time?
• If you could eat your favorite dessert everyday, what would it be?  Why do you love it so much? 
• What place is simply magical to you?  Who do you think about in that place?

As our relationship grows, I ask deeper questions.

• Who is the one person in the world that you can count on the most?
• What is something that you own that you can never replace and it would make you cry if you lost it?
  
• What is something that makes you afraid? 
  

We all need to know that someone cares for us.  When I began running it each week, I didn't realize how much my learners needed it.  I was often reminded by my learners that we needed to hold the meeting no matter what.  It became part of my schedule each Friday morning. 

One question that I eventually began to ask, "What is an obstacle to your learning this week?"  This was the last question every week.  It became a habit. 

On Febuary 10, 2018, my mom passed away.  I remember returning to school that week in a haze.  I was preparing for a long leave to help my dad sort out funeral arrangements, personal effects, and keeping him company for several weeks.  

By Monday afternoon, my learners called a special circle meeting.  One of my learners asked me, "Ms. Gerlach, what is an obstacle to your teaching this week, because you are not the same?"  I'll never forget that moment.  I began crying sharing with my learners about my heartbreak and the feeling of being lost.  The response was immediate.  I was flooded with hugs and tears.  The shift went from, "What is wrong?" to "How can we help?".  Those darlings were so kind and helped me through one of the toughest times in my own life. This would not have happened if I had not established the circle meeting as a weekly habit. 

If you are going to use Restorative Circles, you need to go all in.  You can't miss.  It may be the one time of the week where your learners feel safe enough to be vulnerable.  

Here is a guide I found that may help you to get started.