Park Hill teachers, students describe restorative circles as daily community-building practice

Teachers and students at Park Hill described restorative-practices circle time as a daily classroom routine that they say builds community, helps students name emotions and reduces behavior problems.

"Restorative practices is really about, at its core, building a strong community where all members of the community have a sense of belonging," Teacher (unnamed 1), a teacher at Park Hill, said. Teacher (unnamed 2), also a Park Hill teacher, described the practice as a daily start-of-class routine: "we start together in a circle, and the students get an opportunity to share, to answer questions, to talk about the things that are important to them."

Students said the circles give them a chance to share personal details and to connect. "I like how we just, like, get to, like, share, like, what we did, like, like, over the weekend and stuff and, like, how we feel," a student identified in the record as Student (unnamed 1) said. Another student said the circles teach skills for polite disagreement and communication.

Middle-school staff said restorative circles can be particularly valuable when teachers see students only briefly. "At the middle school level, restorative practices has helped us to get to know our students better," Teacher (unnamed 3) said, adding that students in circles often share more deeply than they would in other settings. Staff members said circles help teachers identify and head off potential behavior issues by giving students language to describe feelings and by fostering empathy among classmates.

Speakers described several classroom effects: closer peer relationships among students who participate in circles, improved group work, and a calmer classroom environment after morning meetings. One Park Hill teacher summarized the classroom impact: "Our goal is to really help the kids, feel included, find their place, and as they transition from elementary to middle school, to really find that they fit in in this environment, but also to reduce behavior problems."

The remarks in the record were descriptive; there was no formal motion, vote, policy change or directive recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The discussion occurred in the form of staff and student statements about classroom practice rather than as an agenda item with board action.