Peacebuilding Pedagogies Racial Justice, Dialogue, and Belonging in the Classroom

Introduction

Part I: Groundwork for Transformative Schooling

1. Why Peacebuilding Pedagogies Matter Now

2. Restorative Justice Meets Antiracism

Part II: Instructional Practice: Building Brave, Caring Classrooms

3. Seeing the Water: White Supremacy, Privilege, and Intersectionality in Schools

4. From Compliance to Community: Centering Relationships with Circles and Care

5. Conflict Within the Curriculum: Turning Disputes Into Dialogue Through Literacy

Part III: Beyond Your Classroom: Whole-School and Community Action

6. From Bystanders to Change Makers: Teaching Empathy, Agency, and Justice in a Complex World

7. Stepping In, Stepping Out: Parents as Co-Architects of School Peacebuilding

Part IV: Sustaining the Work

8. Sustaining the Work: Peacebuilding for Wellness, Joy, and Collective Accountability

Biography

Dr. Crystena Parker-Shandal is an Associate Professor in Social Development Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo. For more on her work, visit www.drparkershandal.com.

“Peacebuilding Pedagogies is a love letter to teachers, students, families, and restorative practitioners committed to schooling for liberation. It is an invitation to reframe peace not as an absence of conflict, but as an opportunity to practice a decolonized restorative justice. Parker-Shandal illuminates the nuances of classroom and circle conflict through poetry, student voices, case studies, practical activities, reflections, and critical theory - making this a book to savor, not consume. Lyrical, accessible, and practical, it offers a map for educators who are leading with love, failing forward, and seeking inspiration.”

Dr. Anita Wadhwa, Executive Director, Restorative Houston

“Peacebuilding Pedagogies inspires educators to skillfully facilitate conflict dialogue with concrete restorative practices that tackle injustice and build meaningful relationships in schools, fiercely centered in joy, love and a commitment to universal dignity.”

Emily Chan, Teacher, Toronto District School Board

“A page-turner for any educator, leader, or parent eager to understand the nuances for engaging in authentic relationships in schools with youth or colleagues about what really matters in life. Parker-Shandal masterfully weaves insights regarding peacebuilding in the face of injustice with stories, guidance, and practical activities to deepen our understanding of topics with which we are most uncomfortable.  Her encouragement for readers to practice living into authentic relationships in the face of global and local upheaval rather than reach for a façade of perfection is exactly what is needed for the transformation of education at this time in history. Readers who know that education must be a catalyst for change will feel seen, challenged and empowered.”

dr. dorothy vaandering, Professor, Faculty of Education, Memorial University & Director, Relationships First Newfoundland

“Crystena shows us, in practical ways, how to apply the mindset I discovered in circle process to every interaction in a school setting. Her discussion of the critical importance of a power analysis in the use of restorative practices is a game-changer in the work of creating schools that promote a culture of peace and teach us how to live together well. This book offers concrete examples and detailed guidance for creating schools where everyone learns and practices the habits of living together well, laying a foundation for the larger society to learn the same habits. Throughout the book, Crystena emphasizes power analysis, examines the implications of neutrality, recognizes behavior as a product of habits and normalizes the process of learning through trial and error. Her unwavering focus on dignity for everyone holds the work together.”

Kay Pranis, circle trainer, author of Circle Forward, Heart of Hope, The Little Book of Circle Processes: A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking, Peacemaking Circles: From Crime to Community, and Doing Democracy with Circles