From Creative Expression to Student Advocacy
Kelli Krieger is a high school English teacher at Union-Endicott High School in central New York state. She is a mentor, club advisor, and student advocate. She strives to combine art, literature, self-expression, and creativity with restorative practices in methods and principles to create a classroom culture rooted in mutual respect and kindness.
Q: What brought you to the IIRP?
A: I came to the IIRP out of curiosity and a strong desire to learn more about restorative justice, so that I could, in turn, do better for my students and my community. I discovered the IIRP right before the COVID-19 pandemic began. My first listening circle occurred after students came back to in-person learning. That circle centered on the changes that came with their two-year disruption in learning.
Q: Please tell us about your professional work now and what makes you passionate about it.
A: As a high school teacher, I work on building relationships every day. I accomplish this goal through storytelling, letter writing, and community circle holding. I strive to create lesson plans that encourage students to see the best in themselves and others. Additionally, I hold weekly restorative lunch sessions with students, where we eat a meal together and talk about whatever is on the students’ minds. I often use affective questions and other conversation-starting techniques that I have learned through my graduate degree courses at the IIRP. Recently, I have started intermingling the principles of restorative practices into yoga sessions. I have also incorporated restorative methods in our work with students and shelter dogs. Another initiative I shepherded was a Taylor Swift-themed “SWIFTIE” lunch that had more than 50 students and parents in attendance. The community of Taylor Swift fans has a tradition of making bracelets to pass out at her concerts, and our goal was to make those friendship bracelets and build new connections. I am proud of the work I have accomplished while being a student at the IIRP. I was honored to present a poster session at the 2023 IIRP World Conference in Detroit; in the Spring of 2024, I worked with Professor Frida Rundell and several talented IIRP students on a webinar series, “Stepping Stones to Reaching Youth,” where I got to flex my specialty in reaching teenagers through graphic novels; and I am on track to earn my master’s degree in the of Fall 2024.
Q: How would you like to see restorative practices evolve in the future?
A: I would like to see restorative justice and practices gain more ground in juvenile justice. I see what happens to adolescents when they feel disconnected from their families and communities. Purely punitive systems don’t work. We need to find ways to help our children and our communities repair harm, reintegrate, and move forward in positive ways. Restorative justice is a significant investment of time and resources, but our children are worth it.
