How to Manage Miscommunication: Intent/Action/Effect
“I’m sure he knew what I meant.” “She knows I was kidding!” Sometimes, even when we have the best intentions, our words and actions hurt people. Maybe someone says something…
Celebrating Five Years of Peacemaking
In 2016, our small team of peace practitioners, educators and facilitators joined together to envision and plant new seeds of peace education for youth in Ontario. Over the past five…
Managing Polarized Positions with Children and Youth
Have you ever been in conflict with someone where it seems like there is no solution because your views on a topic are so opposite? Have you ever felt like…
Books to Build Your Conflict Toolkit
I love conflict.* *I love what healthy conflict can teach us about ourselves and the people around us, but even with years of training and experience, I still get anxious…
Gottman’s 4 Horsemen, and What We Can Try Instead
When having conflict conversations, it can be easy to engage in behaviours that aren’t actually helpful to the situation. I know it happens to me sometimes, and it can happen…
3 Peaceful Ways for Educators to Rest this Summer
I smiled and waved at the screen, thanked the class for their great participation and wished them well for the rest of their quadmester. There were seconds of silence, the…
Celebrating Pride: Book List for Children and Youth
June is Pride Month! While we at TREE affirm and celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community all year round, this is a special opportunity for us to celebrate and affirm the importance…
Transforming Classrooms: The Impact of Peace Education
“Make sure you have strategies to maintain authority in the classroom.”“You can’t let your students walk all over you.”“You’re their teacher, not their friend.” As a Teachers College student, these…
Six Conflict Conversation Starters
I can count the number of times I’ve sat in silence with someone, building up the courage to begin a tough conversation. It takes me a few minutes to commit…
Engaging Mindfully Outdoors: Activities and Strategies for Kids
With greater amounts of screen time and indoor time these days, it’s more important than ever to cultivate healthy habits that get us outside to connect with our natural environment.…