Actively choosing love: Preservice teachers and restorative classroom communities

Abstract

There is a continued need to center justice-oriented teacher preparation in content domains and also in preparing PTs to build inclusive, responsive, and transformative classroom communities. While preparation programs increasingly take justice-oriented stances in content instruction, often preparation with classroom management does not match this perspective. This case-study explores how one group of PTs explored and enacted pedagogies of love in place of status quo classroom management. Findings demonstrate how PTs theorized critical love as a way of being for building restorative classrooms. Findings highlight possibilities for PTs to engage in critical approaches to community building and advocate for justice.