Hi my name is Erin Weaver, my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a white-passing Indigenous educator with 15 years of education experience. As a white-passing individual, it has taken me over 30 years to truly understand and claim my identity. I have been shamed and silenced into thinking that since I embody white skin, I’m not able to claim my Indigenous roots. I have also been encouraged and supported to proudly and boldly step into my identity. I acknowledge that I hold white privilege merely by inhabiting a white body, and at the same time I also want to honor who I am, where I came from, and my cultural practices.
I am excited to be in community with you today and grateful that you’ve decided to learn more about Restorative Teaching. Restorative Teaching has been in the works for many years. As a child, I was fortunate to visit my ancestral land of the Blackfeet tribe with my elders. Seeing community in a vastly different way than what I was used to back home in Portland, was eye-opening and confirmed that Indigenous practices need to be honored and celebrated.
I have two children and have intentionally parented them using Restorative Justice practices. We have circles every night to talk about our day. We circle up when we need to discuss an issue. We hold space for the easy, hard, good, and bad together as a family community.
In 2015, I had the privilege of working for the biggest school district in Oregon to develop, train, and lead (with an amazing crew!) culturally responsive systems and supports for schools and Restorative Justice practices through a racial equity lens. This work was soul-affirming and I truly lived my purpose every day. However, once new district leadership came in, our department was dismantled. This meant that I was fortunate enough to bring Restorative Justice into my Vietnamese dual language immersion class.
Restorative Teaching utilizes Restorative Justice practices with a racial equity lens to create and honor diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities where all students feel seen, heard, cared for, and understood. Restorative Teaching breaks the hierarchy of traditional schooling and centers relationships, rather than individuals.
Our framework is a four-ringed approach to engage in this work. The first ring is “start with self.” This means we need to look internally at how we interact with others and our community. Oftentimes, it’s easier to look at how others behave and blame them for conflicts. However, this does little to change things. If we start with self, then we can really dig deep, learn, and grow to become the fullest expression of ourselves.
The second ring is to “move slow.” Restorative Teaching is all about moving slowly for a few reasons. First, we want to honor the deep work of moving through this process. This process is a commitment to learning and unlearning. I want you to have time to learn, practice, stumble, and try again with the safety of my support. Secondly, I want to counter the sense of urgency white supremacy culture upholds.
The third ring is “deep connections with self and others.” If we continue cultivating our relationships, we can meet ourselves and others where we are. Having deep connections allows us to identify how we show up in a space. It also gives us the ability to move to our growth’s edge.
The fourth ring is “build, maintain and restore relationships .” Restorative Teaching is ongoing. Like a muscle, the stronger it is the better it works. We recognize that no one is perfect and allow for imperfections. We know that mistakes help us grow. The beauty of Restorative Teaching is that we can repair and restore our relationships through circling.
Let’s build a stronger community, one circle at a time!
In solidarity and with gratitude,
Erin
This post was created on the Oregon Tribal Lands of the Cowlitz, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Clackamas, and many other tribes who made their home along the Columbia River.
I take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land, and my elders on my ancestral land of the Blackfoot tribe.