About Shari

In my work I am proud to have trained and mentored hundreds of teachers, administrators and school staff in Restorative Justice Practices nationwide. I have provided consulting services to district administration teams to support strategic planning for systemic Restorative Justice Practices implementation in schools, addressing issues of high rates of suspension, expulsion, and disproportionality of discipline for students of color and students with disabilities. I have also engaged hundreds of youth and adults in restorative processes to strengthen relationships and build community, and to repair those relationships when wrongdoing has occurred. I am qualified to help communities, schools and school districts in all stages of training, mentoring and implementation.
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“It was inspiring to see you be vulnerable and show that this work will only continue as long as we can be real. Deep learning takes great leadership. The depth of our learning says a lot about who you are.”

I bring a unique set of skills to this work as I have twenty-five years of experience as a classroom teacher, and three years of experience as a Restorative Justice Conference facilitator in the criminal justice and school settings. I hold a Master’s of Science in Restorative Practices from the International Institute For Restorative Practices (IIRP) and am retained by the IIRP as an independent consultant, instructor and coach. I also bring extensive personal experience in Circle-work having been a founding member of a consensus-based women’s Circle for over 30 years, and having raised my now grown children in a community dedicated to building and affirming our relationships through Circle processes. I continue to be an active member of this community today.

This work gives me hope, especially for the at risk populations I have always served. Restorative Justice Practices provides an explicit framework for what I had always done intuitively with my students when I was a teacher.

“Shari is Circle.  In the work we do daily within our system, Shari brings the wisdom of restorative practices, the presence and care of a restorative practitioner, and the passion and positivity of a restorative educator.  She resonates the power of circle and embodies trust in the process. Shari inspires us to see what is and believe in what can be. ”

In a restorative classroom, as in a school-wide restorative culture, we focus on nurturing positive relationships and build communities based on mutual respect. All members of the school community, students and adults alike, are given ‘voice’ in inclusive decision-making processes, and are provided with the skills and opportunities needed to develop innate relational abilities, and to learn from and manage conflict when it occurs. In this environment we are supported to actualize our full potential.

I have a particular interest in developing the intersections between Restorative Justice Practices and social justice and equity, trauma informed practices, social emotional learning and Mindfulness Education in schools. As a musician, music and dance instructor, and educator of young children, I have a passion for integrating the community building power of music, movement and play into my trainings.

I am part of a collective of wonderfully supportive, independent restorative practitioners, the Community Circlekeepers Collective, who support our community through training, mentoring and engagement in restorative justice practices.