“To Build Small Children . . .”

Over two years ago the Michigan legislature unanimously passed a series of bills requiring schools to consider restorative justice practices when faced with suspending a student. The bills eliminated most of the offenses that had triggered zero tolerance discipline for the past decades, replacing them with a presumption that students SHOULD be in school as […]

Shape a Brighter Future for Students and Your Community

HOW WILL YOU TOUCH THE FUTURE? Your school discipline policies and culture directly impact the futures of every child in your learning community. When students are suspended or expelled, the likelihood that they will repeat a grade, not graduate, and/or become involved in the juvenile justice system increases significantly.—Breaking School Rules Report, 2011 Minority students, […]

RJ Integration: Learning From the Masters

I have always celebrated snow days. This winter, however, eleven of my thirteen scheduled trainings were postponed because of snow days. So, I had to get creative to find a reason to celebrate. During my unexpected free time, I studied restorative justice integration into school cultures. Specifically, I went through RJ integration manuals from the […]

RJ Works for Adults Too!

This week I went to a school to provide the first part of my Restorative Justice 101 professional development to the faculty. With the chairs set in circle, PowerPoint displayed on the screen and handouts ready to go, my best-laid plans changed the instant the assistant principal entered the room. He outlined the situation as […]

RJ for Very Young Children

I often get questions from elementary educators about how RJ works with very young students. When the language and techniques are adapted to the age and abilities of the children, it works beautifully. This YouTube video of a restorative circle in Ms. Healy’s first grade classroom, illustrates that point. These wonderful little people make me […]

Shining a Restorative Spotlight on Sexual Aggression

Regardless of where you come down on the Supreme Court nomination hearings, you have probably noticed that they have laid bare a problem in American society. Countless survivors and witnesses to sexual aggression watched the proceedings with a mixture of anger, fear and nascent hope. Countless others wonder where the line will eventually be drawn […]

So Many Reasons to Incorporate Circles Into Learning Communities!

Editor’s Note: This post is much longer and wonkier than most, but it offers a strong scientific case for classroom circles. April 24, 2018 Education Week features a commentary by Jim Shelton titled The Brain Science Is In: Students’ Emotional Needs Matter. In it, he distills two 2018 meta-analyses of new studies on the science […]

Michigan’s Teacher of the Year on How to Inspire Students to WANT to Learn

Michigan’s 2017-18 Teacher of the Year knows a thing or two about inspiring students to want to learn. He shares his thoughts in this June 6, 2017 blog posting which was also published in Bridge Magazine April 17, 2018. Luke Wilcox teaches math at East Kentwood High School and mentors other teachers to help them […]

The Numbers Don’t Lie. Our Trainings ROCK!

It’s been a busy few months for restorative justice trainings in Michigan schools! Over the past year, Schertzing Communications, LLC has conducted 37 training sessions, engaging about 1,000 educators in learning about restorative justice. With 11 of those sessions hosted by intermediate or multi-school districts, we’ve easily engaged over 75 districts and more than 100 […]

You Might Be an RJ User If . . .

Apologies to comedian Jeff Foxworthy for this riff on his Redneck series, but his jokes are a great way to highlight something I often hear from people I’ve trained over the years. When I follow up, they tell me they’re not using restorative justice. “We don’t always seat kids in a circle,” they’ll say. Or, […]