Building Voice and Agency Through Community Circles

By DEIB Director Leslie Sinsay

If we think of our school community as a living structure brought to life by our mission, vision, and values, two beliefs we hold strongly are developing student voice and agency. We begin in Early Childhood, encouraging students to express their needs and thoughts to friends and teachers. Voice and agency grow from these early experiences through ongoing social interactions and the choices students make as individuals. At Capitol Hill Day School, children learn and practice these skills in many ways, through Morning Meeting in Early Childhood and the Elementary Grades, Upper Grades Advisory, Buddy Pairings, Affinity Groups, and even during regular classroom time.

At Capitol Hill Day School, we know that daily classroom practices help students develop voice and agency. We see this progress through the sharing of ideas, both in class discussions and in collaboration with peers. However, students are often reticent to share feelings and open up during times of conflict, which is understandable. To give students more opportunities to practice voice and agency during challenging conversations, not just in academic discussions, we are beginning to implement Community Circles.

Research shows that the practice of Community Circles originated thousands of years ago in indigenous communities worldwide. The Circle brought folks together to address community problems, celebrate together, and deliver community messages. These Circles had routines like talking pieces to center the focus on the speaker, reflective comments to ensure the speaker was not misunderstood, and value sharing. In many schools across the country, Community Circles have become a common and trusted practice. 

How will Community Circles enhance the voice and agency work we currently do? Unlike our other forms of gathering, where there may be curriculum or another focus, no other work is done in the Circle except work that is focused on the words, emotions, and intentions of those who are part of the Circle. The Circle contains only the thoughts, values, curiosity, and most importantly, the voice of the people there. The formality and semi-ritual nature of a Circle practice provides consistency and predictability that allows students to slow down, engage, and have conversations that deepen their understanding of each other and the community as a whole. The contemporary thought is that Circles are equitable, with no one having more power than anyone else. What makes the Circle different is that it is a separate place unto itself. 

Just as students sit and focus on math or social studies, during Community Circle, students will concentrate on community building and basic ways of being together. The hope is that the more we practice listening and understanding how to be together during a time specifically set aside for that work, when times of conflict arise (and they will), students will draw upon the Circle elements to render a conflict manageable and find a solution.