The TREE Blog: Ripples of Knowledge

Black woman with coffee near dog standing in kitchen.

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 “bloop-bloop” MS Teams log-out sound, and an anticlimactic rising in me. “Thud,” is the sound that would come after closing

Read More »
Acrylic abstract painting of rainbow colours across the canvas from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink.

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 of recognizing queer identities. We are committed to supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in our community! This non-exhaustive book list has been

Read More »
cheerful multiethnic little girls doing homework together

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 are phrases I’ve heard from various educators. I’ve received several assignments focusing on how to establish classroom expectations on the

Read More »
Ethnic mother talking to daughter with gardening tools

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 to the conversation, knowing I want to share how I’m feeling and ask them what’s going on for them. In

Read More »
Black youth and adult in a conflict situation

Four Steps to Interrupting Conflict Patterns with Youth

Can you recall an experience when you gave your child a request, like starting chores or meeting curfew, and you were met with the same predictable reaction? It may have been a groan, an elaborate resistance speech, or withdrawal from the conversation. I can remember certain reactions I gave as

Read More »