(soft uplifting music)
- Can anyone tell me, rather quickly,
when we did the rounds, just now,
what were we really doing,
besides bringing in the values in our experiences?
What else were we doing in this space?
- Making connections.
- Understanding why you're worthy.
- I think it builds feelings of positivity too,
around the whole group,
It's positive to hear everybody's proudest things.
- I think we were sharing, actually, parts of ourselves.
- Building community.
- I think it helps us to identify with each other.
- If we said this as an adult,
everybody here got to tell a story.
So, everybody's voice is in this circle, everybody.
There isn't anybody that was left out.
In a circle with students, or anyone else,
there is a time, if the person is not emotionally ready
to tell anything or can't tell anything,
and sometimes students don't have a word
to articulate what their feeling.
Even though they're high school students,
sometimes they cannot articulate
what it is they want to say.
And as a circle keeper, I can't prompt them.
Notice I didn't prompt anyone.
You didn't have to be prompted because you're adult.
But what if a student said, well, it's like,
well, I'm thinking it's kind of like,
now one of the other community people
can help her or him, but I can't,
because I'm not there to put words in anybody's mouth.
And so, if you did this, you can't do it either.
And as the circle keeper, you notice,
I was leaned over looking at every single one of you.
You had my undivided attention.
And that's what you have to give everybody in that circle.
That much respect.
Because their voices are coming to the circle to be heard.
And you must hear them.
Now that said,
this is not a process that can be used just with students.
I do it at Texas Southern university with Dr. Bailey.
She has substituted for me several times,
which sometimes she said, Dr. Lang,
these circles are something.
I say, I know they are (laughing)
I said, but it takes work to develop those relationships.
It's not easy.
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
It takes passion and heart to do this work.
Otherwise it's not for you, because it's not a program.
It's not something we can take off the shelf,
read the book and we're done.
This is a process that you must experience.
You can't read it in a book and make it happen.
You are the happening, you're it.
And you give yourself, when you do circles.
And that's why they're so powerful,
because we just gave some of ourselves in this circle,
right here.
So, for those of you who do not work with children
in any form or fashion,
but you work with adults somehow in what you do,
I'm going to pass the talking piece this time
and ask you how you perceive yourself using this tool.
Because this is a tool.
If you have a tool belt,
this is just another tool that you could use.
How would you use this in your line of work?
(soft uplifting music) (group speaking faintly)
I'm glad you all found other ways to use it.
This is not just for bad kids, by the way.
This is for anybody.
As you can tell, you're not bad kids,
but you're sitting in here and you're getting information.
We do it with students that have discipline problems first,
because that takes up the most time in a school.
But if I wanted to, I can do a celebration circle.
For instance, what's your name again?
- Barbara. - Barbara.
You were one of my students,
and all of us are in the same class together.
And you finally, for a whole six weeks, came to school.
We would get in a circle and tell you how great it was
having you back in this circle.
It's a celebration.
So, the circle can be used in a lot of ways.
It can be used to discuss issues at home.
Like I tell you, I had Thanksgiving with my family.
That was my beginning circle and circles do go wrong
when you first start, just as an FYI.
And so, we didn't have a great circle that time,
and several of us left angry.
(laughing)
So, that was my first circle.
I said, oh, boy, I didn't do good.
So, at Christmas I brought them back
and I did a little bit better, okay, just saying.
It takes about 30 of these circles to become proficient.
30.
You have just experienced one.
Every circle you do will get better, and better,
and better, and better.
And you're more comfortable with it.
This is my circle guideline sheet.
It's step-by-step of what I just did.
And then that way, if you want to do it yourself,
you could, okay.
Also, if you don't do that,
Texas education agency will have these sample lesson plans
on their website and you don't even have to do that.
So, nevermind that, I just remember, we're gonna have it.
So, we'll have this circle and the template for doing it.
(soft uplifting music)