Amplify RJ (Restorative Justice)
Restorative Justice is often framed as an alternative to punishment in criminal legal and education settings, and but that’s only part of the story. Join host David Ryan Barcega Castro-Harris to learn how to apply Restorative Justice philosophy, practices, and values in your everyday life.
Amplify RJ (Restorative Justice)
I Spent 24 Hours Helping Teachers Run Classroom Circles—Here’s What I Learned
Last week, I spent 24 hours supporting teachers in running restorative justice classroom circles, and the impact was powerful. In this episode, I’m sharing what I witnessed—the challenges, the breakthroughs, and the small but meaningful shifts that happen when teachers commit to building relationships, not just managing behavior.
🔹 How teachers are integrating circles into their classrooms
🔹 The impact on student relationships, behavior & learning
🔹 Why rituals for “softness” matter in schools
🔹 Lessons on patience, trust & shifting school culture
Whether you’re an educator, school leader, or RJ practitioner, this episode will give you practical insights on how to make restorative practices sustainable in classrooms.
🔗 Resources & Next Steps:
✨ Join the free Amplify RJ community & access the other courses & membership resources: https://community.amplifyrj.com/communities/groups/arjcommunity/home?invite=67dc711150ec55e8a8a03a1b
✨ Download my Classroom Connection Prompts (Pay What You Can!): https://amplifyrj.com/questions-for-connected-classrooms
✨ Want training for your school? Let’s talk! Email: info@amplifyrj.com
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Last week I spent 24 hours supporting teachers develop their restorative justice circle-keeping practice, and this is what I learned. But first, if you're new here, my name is David Ryan, barsega, castro-harris all five names for all the ancestors and I'm here to support you, build and strengthen relationships rooted in equity and trust, as well as repair relationships when conflict and harm occurs in your everyday life, using frameworks, philosophies, practices and values of restorative justice. I've been privileged enough to support people doing this work in so many different settings, including schools, organizations and even community and family-based situations. Today I want to share some insights from this particular school that I've been working with for the last couple years. A little bit of background about them. Their principal reached out to me because COVID had really messed with some of the community dynamics that had existed. So many of the structures that they had for supporting each other had gone away and bringing them back had been a struggle. This led to a lot of miscommunication and a lot of behavior challenges, and shout out to her for identifying restorative justice philosophy, practices and values as a way forward philosophy, practices and values as a way forward.
Speaker 1:In our first year together, we spent the bulk of our time teaching people the foundations of restorative justice practices, philosophy and values in opposition to white supremacy, culture, challenging ideas of urgency, one right way of doing things, perfectionism, and so many different things. You can learn more about the foundations of restorative justice in videos linked below, but this year we're building on that knowledge and really focusing on the skills that it takes to facilitate restorative spaces, whether that's a restorative circle or conference, or a restorative conversation or community building spaces. Sitting in a circle and asking restorative questions is one thing. Creating the container for vulnerable sharing is another, and so that's what our focus was on this year. Earlier in the year, I took them through facilitation frameworks, the role of a circle keeper, the structure of a circle, and so when I came back last week, we spent half a day all together in a training and role playing setting, and then the rest of the time I was working directly with grade level teams, contextualizing what I've taught to their practices, celebrating their wins and refining their practice to continue to build their capacity to strengthen and repair relationships within their classroom context.
Speaker 1:A lot of people use the word circle to refer to a lot of different things and for the purposes of this conversation, I wanted to find those terms. I was brought up in this work using a indigenous peacemaking circle framework but because of the constraints of working within a public school, that's not what I was teaching them or asking them to do. Holding space on that level takes a lot more spiritual inner work than, from my perspective, what is reasonable to ask people who are doing this for the terms of their employment. So what I focused on instead were some necessary structures to facilitate that vulnerable space and communication skills to make sure that people feel seen, heard and a sense of belonging in that space. That structure is still in general, getting acquainted, building trust, addressing issues and closing. And while the elements of a peacemaking circle are there, I'm not asking or expect these folks that I'm working with in this framework to build in those ceremonial aspects.
Speaker 1:A culturally and spiritually rooted practice can take this work to much deeper levels, but this framework, as I've introduced it to them, has already had some wonderful results, as I talked through the tangible goals of this work with their principal. Wonderful results. As I talked through the tangible goals of this work with their principal, we decided that the invitation for the teachers was to use what I taught to create a ritual for softness in their classroom, so there was a lot of flexibility for the teachers as they were developing ways to integrate this practice. Some of them use it in morning meetings to start the day. Some of them use it as a midday check-in. Some of them use them as closing circles for the day. They're not always sitting on the floor together in circle, they're not always passing a talking piece, but even without a uniform structure that is practiced across the school, their dedication to creating this ritual and consistently practicing it has already brought some amazing results. So many of the staff that I was working with were so excited to share that they've noticed so many more connections between students because of these circles.
Speaker 1:When students are given daily opportunities to share about their lives and get to know each other, they find more things in common and so are able to connect in different ways. Finding out things you didn't know about your classmates invites you or gives you an entryway into having conversations with them on the playground or while you're doing seat work. Having daily check-ins lets you know how their classmates are doing, and so they treat them accordingly, knowing that somebody might have had a rougher day or someone's really excited. So the students have been able to make connections with each other and have conversations around things that are talked about in circle. Some of the staff even noticed that at recess they see their kids not the whole group, but maybe a group of 10 of them sitting around in a circle and talking, not necessarily passing a talking piece, but they're seeing different manifestations of these behaviors since they started this ritual. Not only are the students more connected, the staff has more insight into what's going on with the kids, and that's another foundation for building deeper relationships.
Speaker 1:So many times, staff-to-student interactions within the context of a classroom or a school are limited to instruction and behavior management. But building in this structure where students are sharing and adults are sharing allows both to get to know each other on a more human-to-human level, and that gives them a foundation for deeper conversations and more of a relationship to be able to have harder conversations. Adults feel more of a capacity to challenge students when the solid relationship is there, because the student sees them as human and not just as the teacher who's always telling me to be quiet and keep working or you can do it work harder. It goes back to that adage of people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care, and using these rituals for soft start or sharing in these vulnerable spaces has given them so many more opportunities to connect on that level Across the grade levels, kindergarten through fifth grade.
Speaker 1:Staff also notice their students developing their listening skills and their patience when you're sitting in a circle, or Staff also notice their students developing their listening skills and their patience right when you're sitting in a circle or sitting listening intently to the person who's holding the talking piece or the person who's speaking. That gives you a lot of practice in active listening. When they set up these rituals, they have explicit conversations about what it means to be a good participant in these circles, and that's not to say that there aren't students that get distracted. It's developmentally appropriate for five to even 12-year-olds in these circles, and that's not to say that there aren't students that get distracted. It's developmentally appropriate for five to even 12 year olds in that space, and there are varying degrees of active listening being engaged in by all of those students. But having this practice has helped so many students both develop their capacity to sit and listen, but also to more confidently speak when they know that everyone is giving them attention in a non-judgmental space.
Speaker 1:One thing that I never thought about when it comes to talking circles is how it can be so beneficial for second language development. Like many schools across the country, many of these classrooms have students who are learning English, and one of the most insightful things that I heard from my conversations with the teachers this week was about how a student who came into this school year not speaking English has developed so much more confidence in circle because of, one, the repetition. Two, the non-judgmental vibes and three, the affirmation and attention and positive reinforcement that they get from their teacher and their peers when they are able to share, and positive reinforcement that they get from their teacher and their peers when they are able to share and celebrate. In that context, the repetitive nature of Circle and the ability to intently listen to one speaker at a time was so helpful for the students' vocabulary development and interpretation skills. So those are just a few of the benefits that we celebrated from their circle practice, and I'm curious if you're someone who practices talking circles in the context of a classroom or these intentional spaces for community building and sharing, what have the benefits been for you?
Speaker 1:After we celebrated, we spent time refining their practice and, because I'm not observing in their classroom. I had them share with me in painstaking detail what happens from the moment they say time for circle till the close. We analyzed everything, from the way they called folks' attention to how they generated questions for circle, to the logistical space they were sitting in and utilizing, the way that they were reminding people of the values and guidelines and norms. It was really helpful for me to get understanding of what they were doing, and it was also a really helpful moment for them to intently reflect on what they were doing on a day-to-day basis. As an aside, part of me knows that there's a lot that I bring to the table in that space as far as knowledge and experience, but I was also struck by the fact that they knew how to shift and adjust their structures based off of their lived experience, but they hadn't had dedicated time to talk about this and, without going on a whole nother tangent, I know one of the biggest barriers to doing restorative justice in schools well, or any kind of work, is the time that it takes. So my encouragement to you, wherever you are in your restorative justice practitioner journey, is that, yes, it's important to learn, yes, it's important to practice, but it's also really important to set aside time for intentional reflection, even using those restorative questions, of what happened, what was the impact and what must be addressed in order to make things right or better. Moving forward can be a really simple but helpful framing for deeper learning and better practice.
Speaker 1:Across the grade levels, we spent the most of our time thinking about the beginning of those rituals, the closing of those rituals and the intention behind the prompts and questions. The closing of those rituals and the intention behind the prompts and questions. There's a lot that's happening within the context of a school day, and all within very rigid time boundaries. Kids are being pulled out of the class for testing and additional support, there are very regimented breaks for recess and lunch and specials or extracurricular activities, and so finding the time to create these rituals and not rush through them is really important. The staff at the school and I had talked about that in our previous learning sessions, and so most of them had carved out these times at the beginning or end of the day. But even with that carved out time, that space can feel rushed, and so starting it in a good way and ending it in a good way to remove urgency, to give intentional focus, is really important, remembering that the invitation was to invite softness into the space. Abrupt approaches hey, everybody, time to get on the rug, it's circle time, or at the end, all right, thanks for sharing.
Speaker 1:Now on to math Aren't really the most conducive towards building that soft, vulnerableness, vulnerable, courageous container? Many of the teams were using visual timers along with music, and those things can certainly be helpful, but the way that you invite and set intention for the space when people are sitting down is also really important. Reminding people of the purpose, of why you're sitting together, reminding them that it's an invitation into softness, to more connection, to more community, to more belonging, is important Because, as Samuel Johnson is credited for sharing, people need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed. So those invitations as reminders can be so helpful for setting the tone and making sure people know what's expected of them. It doesn't mean that they won't still need reminders throughout the circle, especially with the younger ones, but that invitation is very important. Similarly, the closing is important.
Speaker 1:When you're building these containers for softness, for vulnerability, for sharing, you need to be intentional about transitioning into the rhythm of the rest of the day. It's not always the case that students are sharing the deepest, vulnerable things, but when their sharing is not acknowledged or affirmed in reflection during a checkout or closing process, it can be a really abrupt transition. Going back into academics, so making sure that, after everyone has shared, someone is acknowledging the beauty of the practice that they just engaged in, thanking people for sharing, maybe highlighting some things that were shared across the room or maybe even making connections to other things that are going on in the classroom, can really ease the transition. So that was openings and closings and everyone came to their own frameworks for doing it. But then we transitioned to a conversation about what it means to share ownership of these spaces with students. There's an inherent hierarchical dynamic to what happens within the context of a classroom, to where adults, teachers or assistants in the room are seen as in charge and students are just supposed to follow directions With restorative justice practices in mind, building and strengthening relationships rooted in equity and trust. Everyone has their roles, but everyone has ownership of the communal space and so having ownership into this ritual is really important. So for these rituals for softness, it's really important that, to the extent possible, they're giving roles for facilitation to students, for facilitation to students.
Speaker 1:In our time together we reviewed the parts of the circle, from the invitation to the welcome, to the check-in, to deciding the questions, to asking the questions, reminding people of the norms and doing that reflection and closing, and all of those things can be done by students. It's gonna take teaching and preparation and accompaniment and practice, but it is so doable. We spent the bulk of the rest of our time strategizing and planning what sharing ownership with students could look like and how they could logistically make that happen. Of course, it looks different from kindergarten to fifth grade. In fifth grade, students were already stepping into those leadership roles. One of the classes has a model where they're doing two circles simultaneously and one of the adults had to step out of the room and a student stepped up and started to organically facilitate. When the adult came back, the students in that circle looked to him for him to take over, but he had seen what was going on and said no, no, your friends got it, let's keep going. If these rituals and practices are consistent in your classroom, there's a lot that students will just pick up from your modeling and there's some practical things that need to be coached and finding the time and space to do that, in addition to choosing which students are going to participate or figuring out ways where everyone can equitably participate took a lot of intention in planning. Again, it looked different in every classroom, from pulling the popsicle sticks to utilizing their internal infrastructure for star student or student of the week or just asking for volunteers, but the discussion in that space was a really beautiful opportunity to make sure that students who wanted to actively participate in co-facilitation had the opportunity and that they were supported in making sure that they had the skills to do it. They were supported in making sure that they had the skills to do it.
Speaker 1:One of the things that I appreciate the most about this partnership that I have with the school is the amount of time that I've been given to support staff directly. Time is so precious in schools and it's not lost on me that this principal paid for subs, so whole grade level teams could spend half a day with me to reflect, celebrate, learn, but then also have planning time to act on the things that we just talked about. Because we had so much time, I dedicated the last hour of each of my sessions with the grade level teams to them just being able to plan, and both they and I really appreciated that our time together wasn't just full of talking and theorizing and reflecting, but actually being able to plan, to put some things in motion. I was with them Monday, wednesday, thursday and Friday of last week and I'm recording this on Monday and already I've received so much feedback from the things that they were able to implement immediately Primarily, a lot more enthusiasm and student participation in circles, but also follow ups from the little things in the context of our conversations. So shout out to the students and leadership of this school. If you're watching this, you know who you are.
Speaker 1:And before I close this video, there are two more things that I want to cover. First, I hope that some of this inside look into how I supported the school has been helpful for you, and if you want to deepen your restorative justice practice on a school or organization level, feel free to reach out info at amplifyrjcom. But if you want to deepen your practice and get connected with folks doing this work on an individual level, there's the Amplify RJ online community that will hopefully support your needs. There's a free level where you can just get connected and tap into some of the resources. There's a $9 a month level where, once a month, we get together in vulnerable space not quite a circle but share how things have been going and what problems of practice we've been experiencing and really encouraging each other to continue in this work and the Amplify RJ all access membership gets you but my full library of courses and weekly support calls so you can troubleshoot, get thought partnership or any other support. You need Links to all that below, of course.
Speaker 1:But because building and strengthening relationships does not take formal restorative justice frameworks, I also developed this resource for building classroom connection. These are prompts that can be used in morning meetings, daily check-in, check-out circles. They can even be used as journaling. There are prompts to varying depth. Some are just get to know you, some are about friendship and community building. Some are about conflict resolution. Some are about storytelling, building empathy. So if you just want to start with giving you and your students opportunities for connection, check out that resource below. Pay what you can. Finally, to close, I want to share a couple of reflections on the impact of my practice engaging with them in this work.
Speaker 1:I was reminded again over this last week for the necessity of slowness and moving at the speed of trust and moving at the speed of relationships. People don't just change behavior overnight, after they've been socialized into another way of doing things, in this case, traditional methods of schooling that are rooted in compliance and punishment. Because I've been with this school for multiple years now, it's been a really beautiful journey to see their development as someone who thinks about these ideas all the time. Some of the connections that they're making or needing to be reminded of had me in the place of, of course, why aren't you doing this? But then I'm always reminding myself that that energy isn't necessarily helpful. Meeting people where they're at and reminding them of these values and inviting them to continued practice has brought me so much joy. Building a relationship with them, not just as a consultant, but as a human who also struggles with this work, especially as I'm growing as a parent, has been so beautiful. I also know that it's allowed me to speak in ways that I can be heard where I wouldn't if I had just showed up as an instructor.
Speaker 1:And the last piece that I want to share for today is how we closed all of our team meetings. I asked them to share how they're feeling and to affirm to give an affirmation or appreciation to the person sitting to their left as they pass the talking piece, so I'll share and invite you to do the same as we close. I'm feeling grateful that you made it to the end of this video. Please like and subscribe, share, comment, all the things. Just by making it here. I know you're my people and I would love to get connected in whatever ways feel right.
Speaker 1:Again, everything is linked below Grateful, challenged, because doing a video like this is a new practice for me, and so whatever you see in this edited version is something that I could live with, but I'm hopeful and challenged to do more and do better, moving forward. And then, finally, just gratitude to you for your attention right now and your dedication to doing this work. The world needs it if we're all going to get free together. So until next time, may you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and may you continue to do the work to make that a reality for everyone. Peace.
