Both Teachers and Students Need Support Circles.
Women's circle gatherings are for educators seeking connection and relief from the challenges of teaching.
Educators need help. We need support and we need it now. Burnout is at an all time high. It is well known that the teaching profession is a high-stress job. What do we do about it? Teachers need to take a page from our own book and use restorative circles for peer-support and connection.
Around the country, educators are practicing the use of restorative circles in their classrooms. Educators are using restorative circles to create a classroom climate that feels safe and trusting. Restorative circles are powerful tools. Our kids are in good hands. But what about the teachers? We need restorative circles, too.
What are restorative circles?
Restorative practices come from an emerging social science. The main goal is to strengthen relationships in our school community. It emphasizes connection and belonging. When students feel that they belong, they feel a greater sense of safety and security. As a result, we see a decrease in student behaviors and an increase in cooperation and collaboration. It starts with a mutual understanding of respect and accountability. Sometimes, this involves a contract that each student signs. They agree to abide by the classroom norms that they all created together. This ensures mutual respect and understanding.
Restorative circles are a type of restorative practice. Proactively, they act like a morning meeting. Teachers put the students into a circle. They can talk about their weekend or their favorite color. The more impactful circles dig a little deeper. Students can share what’s on their mind and heart, or if something is bothering them. These important and genuine conversations build community and belonging.
Restorative Circles can also be used in resolving conflict. Circling can be extremely effective when there’s been a breach in trust or when wrongdoing has happened. It offers an alternative to how discipline has traditionally been handled. In the past (and even today in some schools), discipline has been punitive and exclusionary. When a child acts out, it is handled by taking away recess, sitting out of class activities and even suspension. In restorative justice, the focus is on taking responsibility and acknowledging impact. This is where restorative circles really shine.
Ideally, positive relationships have already been established in the classroom. When that’s the case, a restorative circle can be much more effective. In a restorative circle, the teacher acts as a facilitator and all parties impacted are present. The victim and the offender each have an opportunity to speak, offering their perspective and insight into the situation. At that point, both parties must agree on how to repair the harm. An additional step may involve the community and how others can best support the recovery process. Finally, the victim and offender are reintegrated with the supports they need to ensure they avoid future conflict.
Restorative justice has implications in criminal justice and in the workplace as well.
Educators are using restorative practices and circles around the country to build strong classroom communities and it’s working. “In California, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) began using the program at a failing middle school in 2006. Within three years, the pilot school saw an 87% decrease in suspensions, with a corresponding decrease in violence. The practice was so successful that by 2011 OUSD made restorative justice the new model for handling disciplinary problems.”
Educators also need support
Educators often put the needs of their students above their own. It isn’t uncommon for teachers to experience burnout because we are working too hard to meet the needs of our students. We put in long hours for low pay. We use our own resources to give to our students. We sacrifice our wellbeing for the good of the school community. The demands on an educator are impossible to meet. We are required to keep up with professional development and maintain a high level of training while trying to manage our students. It’s no wonder we’re burning out at high rates.
8% of teachers quit their jobs each year. In 2023, a Pew survey found that 77% of teachers said their job is frequently stressful, and 68% called it overwhelming. A RAND Corp. study found that teachers are almost twice as likely as other working adults to have difficulty coping with job-related stress, and 10% more likely to experience burnout. Female teachers are also more likely to experience burnout than male teachers, with 55% of female teachers reporting burnout compared to 44% of male teachers.
The truth is teachers need help. We need peer-support. We need the love and belonging that we give to our students. We need connection. We need a greater sense of safety. WE need restorative circles. So I created a Sharing Circle for Educators, a place to gather online for all this and more.
What would a Sharing Circle for Educators look like?
Educators need a place to share what’s on their mind. We need a safe place to come to vent. We need an opportunity to unburden ourselves in a group of like-minded folks who will understand our point of view. We need a place to find solidarity. We deserve a place to celebrate the joys of teaching and a place to share the real challenges of being in a classroom.
In my sharing circle, we usually begin with introductions to get to know one another. We then go over agreements, not dissimilar to the ones we might make with our students in the classroom.
Confidentiality. What is shared in the circle stays in the circle.
Be present.
No responses, feedback or advice when others are sharing. We listen without judgment.
Once that is established, we open it up for sharing. Those who choose to speak can share any challenges they’re facing or share some good news- whatever is on their mind and heart at the time of circle. There will be others who choose not to speak and to just listen. Those people will hear themselves in someone else’s story.
After everyone has had a chance to share, we close the circle. We all leave with a sense of solidarity and validation. We’re not alone in this experience. There are others who are going through the same things. We feel a sense of relief, like a weight has been lifted from our shoulders.
Sharing Circles for Educators are held monthly. It’s a time to come together, to feel a sense of belonging in a group who understands and sympathizes.
Children deserve restorative practices and educators do, too. Teachers deserve a safe and loving community. We deserve a space that will allow us to speak freely without judgment. To prevent burnout, we need a support system around us to bear witness to our experience and hold us up when needed. Educators need to circle up!
