Restorative Practices at Schoolcraft Community Schools

Circle Questions

There are SOOOO many kinds of questions that can be great for a circle, it all depends on your goals and your group. Is it a quick check-in circle or a longer sharing circle? Do you have 5 people or 25? Are circles new to them or has this group been doing circles together for months? Are they 5th graders or 11th graders? Do you have a specific topic or issue that needs addressing? (If the purpose is to address a specific conflict, please contact Molly or Jill.) .

A great way to get students involved and invested in the circle process is to invite them to submit questions. Maybe have a box where they can drop questions any time. You'll want to give these a quick review to remove anything really inappropriate, but remember, silly can be great for building community. After some experience you can invite students to take a turn as Circle Keeper as well!

Check In

On a scale of 1 - 10 with one being your worst day (week) ever and 10 being your best day (week) ever, what number would you pick and why?
Share the highs and lows from your day.
If you could make a weather report that describes your day, what would it be?
Share your rose (best part of your day), thorn (worst part of your day) and bud (what you are excited about for tomorrow).
Choose a color that best describes how your day has gone. Explain why.
If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?
If you woke up tomorrow as an animal, what animal would you choose to be and why?
If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell the group about your choice.
What favorite color are you and how does being that color make you feel?
If you could choose an imaginary friend, who/what would you choose and why?
If you could sit on a bench in a beautiful woods, who would you like sitting next to you on the bench and why?
Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or night? Please share why you picked your time of day?
If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?
If you could be in the movie of your choice, what movie would you choose and what character would you play?
If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
If you were a city, which city would you choose to be and why?
What are your ten favorite foods?
If you were a candy bar, which candy bar would you be? Share why.
If you were to change your name, what name would you adopt going forward? Why?
Are you spring, summer, fall, or winter? Please share why.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?
Share a description of your favorite material object that you already own?
What item that you don't have already, would you most like to own?
If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why?
If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be? (Examples: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, we all die." "Bite off more than you can chew." " There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.")
Pick something out of your pocket or purse and share with the group why it's important to you.
If you awoke one day as a flower, what flower would you choose to be?

Getting Acquainted

Share a happy childhood memory
Share a funny story from your life.
If you could be a superhero, what superpowers would you choose and why?
How would your best friend describe you?
What would you not want to change about your life?
If you could talk to someone from your family who is no longer alive, who would it be and why?
If you had an unexpected free day, what would you like to do?
If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?
Name two things or people who always make you laugh.
I like to collect...
Name one male and one female who is a good role model for young people.
When was the last time you said "yes" and would have liked to say "no?" Why did you say "yes?"
If you could have a face to face conversation with someone here or passed who would it be and why?
Describe your ideal job.
Describe your favorite vacation.
If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
What is one skill or talent you have?
What are three "gifts" (attributes of yourself) that you bring to the circle?
If you were a reporter, what kind of stories would you like to write about?
Who are some of your heroes? Why are they your heroes?
What do you think other people see as your best quality? Why?
What is the silliest thing that ever happened to you?
What is the best thing that happened to you this past week? What was the most difficult or challenging thing that happened to you this week?

Storytelling from our lives

A time when you had to let go of control.
A time when you were outside your comfort zone.
An experience in your life when you "made lemonade out of lemons."
A difficult experience out of which you discovered a gift in your life.
An experience of causing harm to someone and then dealing with it in a way you felt good about.
An experience of letting go of anger or resentment.
A time when you acted on your core values even though others were not.
An experience where you discovered that someone was very different from the negative assumptions you first made about that person.
An experience of feeling that you did not fit in.
A time in your life when you experienced justice.
A time in your life when you experienced injustice.
An embarrassing moment that you can laugh at now.
Something that scares or scared you. How do/did you deal with it?
Something that mades/made you angry. How do/did you deal with it?
A time that was one of your most difficult challenges. How did you deal with it?

Taking Responsibility

How have we each contributed to this situation, and how can each of us, by taking responsibility, act differently now?
What is unspoken in the group that blocks good relationships or possible success?
Name one thing about yourself you would like to grow or improve in?
What do you think other people see as a quality that you need to work on?
What is the most important lesson in life you have ever learned? What made it so important?

Community

What change would you like to see in your community? What can you do to promote that change?
What is something you value about your community (culture, school, youth group, etc.)? Why?
You favorite place to go in your community and why?
The neighborhood that you grew up in. What are some of your earliest memories? What are some of your more recent memories?
Something that you like and something that you do not like about your neighborhood. Why?
What is one thing about your family (community, school, team, etc.) that you would change if you could?
If you could change or overhaul two things in our culture or society, what would they be?

Exploring Relationships

What is the most important quality to you in a relationship with someone else? How and why is it important to you?
Talk about a relationship between people you know that you admire. Why?
Who is someone in your life that you look up to?
Who is someone in your life that you have learned from? What did you learn from them?
Who is someone in your life that has helped you to grow? How have you grown? How did they help you to do so?
Who was a teacher who influenced you in positive ways? How?
How are you different from your father if you are male, or from your mother if you are female?
Tell us about a time when you felt like you really belonged.
Tell us about a time when you felt left out.
In what social setting or situation have you felt the least powerful? What was it that caused you to feel that way?
What person or persons in your life are your greatest challenge?
What do you remember that your father (mother) or father (mother) figure often said to you?
What have you learned about sex, relationships and responsibility?
Complete this sentence: Let me introduce you to my father; he's the kind of man who ... (do the same with mother).
What person or people know you the best, and how well do you feel they really know you?
What do others want from you?
What do you want from others?
What is a quality that you've seen in the opposite sex that you'd like to have or have more of in yourself?
What do you most appreciate about someone who is important to you in your life?

Hopes and Dreams

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
Close your eyes and imagine your self ten years from now - where are you? What are you doing? Who/What is one person or thing that stands out to you? Describe them. (you can also do this for your family, community, school, neighborhood.)
What is it that you do that gives you the most pleasure?
What is it that you do that gives you the most satisfaction?
What is one skill or talent you wish you had?
If you could do anything that you wished in the world, what would that one thing be?
What did you dream about when you were a young child?
What do you dream about now?
What are three things you would do if you could change the world?
What is a goal you have for yourself? How will you celebrate yourself when you accomplish it?
What is one obstacle that gets in the way of your reaching your goals? What is your plan to overcome this obstacle?
If you were totally free, what would that mean? What would it look like?
What brings you the most joy?
What are you honestly looking for in your life right now?
What are you really trying to learn at this point in your life?

Celebrating Each Other and Ourselves

Who do you appreciate in this circle and why?
What do you want to celebrate about the person sitting to your right?
What is one experience you have had this year for which you are grateful?
What is one gift you have brought to our group this year?

Toward The End of a Circle

Is there anything you came with that you would like to learve behind?
What are you taking from this circle that supports your healing?
Where do you see yourself moving forward?
What have you learned?
What can you take away that is useful to you?
How will these insights help you in the next two weeks?
If you were to give a name to this circle (group) what would you name it?

Exploring Values

When you are being human, at your best, what are you? (in a word or short phrase)
Imagine you are in conflict with a person who is important in your life. What values do you want to guide your conduct as you try to work out that conflict?
What value would you like to offer for our space together?
What is your passion?
What do you keep returning to in your life?
What touches your heart?
What gives you hope?
What demonstrates respect?
What is something you value about your family? Why?
What is something you value about yourself? Why?
What is something that you are thankful for? Why?
Talk about something that you want and something that you need. what is the difference?
What have you learned about power? What does it mean to you?
What have you learned about work? What does it mean to you?
What have you learned about money? What does it mean to you?
In your experience, what supports healing?
What sustains you during difficult times?

Just for Fun

Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon?
Would you rather meet your travel back in time to meet your ancestors or to the future to meet your descendants?
Would you rather lose all of your money or all of your pictures?
Would you rather have invisibility or flight?
Would you rather live where it only snows or the temperature never falls below 100 degrees?
Would you rather always be slightly late or super early?
Would you rather give up your smartphone or your computer?
Would you rather live without heat and AC or live without social media?
Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?
Would you rather be able to run at 100 miles per hour or fly at 10 miles per hour?
The zombie apocalypse is coming, who are 3 people you want on your team?
What is your most used emoji?
Who was your childhood actor/actress crush?
If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?
Have you ever been told you look like someone famous, who was it?
You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest?
If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
You have to sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
What was your least favorite food as a child? Do you still hate it or do you love it now?
If you had to eat one meal everyday for the rest of your life what would it be?
If you were left on a deserted island with either your worst enemy or no one, which would you choose? Why?
If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go? Why?
What’s your favorite sandwich and why?
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?
What is your favorite item you’ve bought this year?
What would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable?
What is your absolute dream job?
What would your talent be if you were Miss or Mister World?
What would the title of your autobiography be?
Say you’re independently wealthy and don’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?
What is your favorite magical or mythological animal?
What does your favorite shirt look like?
Who is your favorite Disney hero or heroine? Would you trade places with them?
What would your dream house be like?
If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore who would it be; why?
You’re going sail around the world, what’s the name of your boat?
What fictional family would you be a member of?
What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
Who is the better businessman or business woman and why? (Example: Justin Timberlake or Justin Bieber?)
What was the worst job you ever had?
You can have anyone fictional as your imaginary friend, who do you choose and why?
What would your superpower be and why?
Which band / artist – dead or alive would play at your funeral?
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What’s your favorite tradition or holiday?
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
What is your favorite breakfast food?
What is your favorite time of the day and why?
Coffee or tea?
Teleportation or flying?
What is your favorite TV show?
What book, movie read/seen recently you would recommend and why?
What breed of dog would you be?
If you had a time machine, would go back in time or into the future?
Do you think you could live without your smartphone (or other technology item) for 24 hours?
What is your favorite dessert?
What was your favorite game to play as a child?
Are you a traveler or a homebody?
What’s one career you wish you could have?
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
What’s your favorite place of all the places you’ve travelled?
Have you ever met your idol or someone you revere greatly?
Have you ever completed anything on your “bucket list”?
Do you have a favorite plant?
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
What’s is one thing we don’t know about you?
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done?
What is your cellphone wallpaper?
You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it? Sushi? Scotch Tape?
What’s your best scar story?
Would you go with aliens if they beamed down to Earth?
Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or nighttime? Why?
What season would you be?
Are you a good dancer?
What fruit or vegetable would you most want to be?
If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?
If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
If you could commit any crime and get away with it what would you choose and why?
If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?
If you could see one movie again for the first time, what would it be and why?
If you could bring back any fashion trend what would it be?
If you could live in any country, where would you live?
If you could choose any two famous people to have dinner with who would they be?
If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you choose to be?
If you could do anything in the world as your career, what would you do?
If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?
If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
If you could rename yourself, what name would you pick?
If you could have someone follow you around all the time, like a personal assistant, what would you have them do?
If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
If you could be guaranteed one thing in life (besides money), what would it be?
If you had to teach a class on one thing, what would you teach?
If you could magically become fluent in any language, what would it be?
If you could be immortal, what age would you choose to stop aging at and why?
If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose and why?
If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?
If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
If you could go to Mars, would you? Why or why not?
If you could have the power of teleportation right now, where would you go and why?

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