Margaret had a long career in teaching. She first began using Circles in classrooms in the early 90’s when questioning the traditional behaviour management policies in schools. In her search for other ways, she discovered the magic of Circle meetings. The democratic thinking behind those early Circles, and their results completely convinced her of the profound impact that they had to transform ordinary classrooms into places where kids cared for one another and collectively solved their problems. Her career took a turn when introduced to restorative practices by Margaret Thorsborne and the effective restorative conversations also occurring in Circles, and then to Kay Pranis and the powerful concept of Peacemaking Circles. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2004 to study restorative practices in schools internationally. She was a founding member of both the Victorian Association for Restorative Justice (now AARJ) and Restorative Practices International (RPI). She worked as a private consultant for many years, working in schools, classrooms and organizations wishing to implement restorative practices, or Circles generally. This took her into many classrooms and staff rooms and the privilege of working with many skilled and dedicated teachers. She is now happily retired.
