Catherine Cranston
Circle Experience and Services
• Worked with the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice Program from 2008 to 2016.
• Circle keeper for underage consumption circles thought the University of WI/River Falls.
• Circle keeper for the safe teen driving circles through the city of River Falls.
• Facilitated Victim Impact Panels for St. Croix County. (DUI offenders).
• Circle keeper for many groups through SCVRJP. (Dependency groups, church groups, community groups)
• Co-trained (Circle Training for teachers) with the director Kris Miner for five years. (Hudson schools, Stillwater-Lake Elmo Elementary, St. Paul City School)
• Trained educators in circle process in N. St. Paul school school district. I am currently a teacher with this district and conduct circles daily in my own classroom, problem solving circles on demand throughout the district, and train educators on a yearly basis district wide.
• I also have a contract with several school districts in MI where I train their social workers in Restorative Practices. Their teachers in Circle process, and their school psychologist in Restorative Language.
• Recently trained social workers, behavior specialist, and administrators in Fridley Minnesota.
I have experience in the community with restorative conferences, Victim Impact panels, and circle keeping a wide variety of groups. From confirmation classes to fire departments.
I have experience with the school system circle keeping my own classroom, school wide problem solving circles, and district wide problem solving circles.
I have done circle work with the following organizations:
• St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice Program (former director Kris Miner)
• North St. Paul Dist 622
• Many community groups throughout St. Croix county and the University of WI River Falls
• St. Clair County Regional Educational Coop, • Marysville, MI (Middle School & High School circle)
Areas of Interest and Service
I train staff involved in education.
I offer training in:
- Classroom community building circles (Tier I intervention)
- Restorative Chat/Social Conferencing Tier I intervention)
- Problem Solving Circle Training (Tier II intervention)
- Restorative Language (Tier I intervention) appropriate for all adults who work with children.
Bio
I have taught Middle School, Alternative Education and Elementary School since 1988. I hold a BA in Education and a MA in Educational Leadership.
I started teaching in a rural district 20 years ago where building community came easily. EVERYONE KNEW EACH OTHER.
Eventually I made the move to an urban setting. Within five years my urban school moved from 30% poverty and diversity to 90% and we are now labeled a ”high needs” school. I needed to change the way I taught. I was very intentional in changing my teaching strategies to meet the needs of my new group of students and their families. The biggest and most positive change in my classroom has been the use of Restorative Teaching Strategies. Restorative language and Restorative thinking has changed the way I see the world, my students, and their families. My principal calls it magic…I call it CIRCLES.
- Listing ID: 1936