Trying to Build Classroom Community Alone? Start a Student Led Council Instead

Still stuck playing classroom referee, solving every issue yourself, and wishing your students would step up?

In this episode, I sit down with my colleague and veteran Montessori educator/ adolescent expert Meg Broz, who shares the single structure that transformed her classroom into a thriving student-led community: weekly student-run councils.

Meg outlines how a simple shift—from teacher-driven management to peer-led community circles—created more ownership, accountability, and connection among her students than any behavior chart or classroom contract ever could.

You'll learn:

• What a student-run council looks like—and why it's so much more than a glorified circle time
• A step-by-step structure you can embed into advisory, homeroom, or morning meeting
• How weekly councils support executive functioning, self-regulation, and community-building
• Tips for training student leaders to take the reins (and what to do when issues arise)
• Why this approach aligns with restorative practices, student voice, and real-world leadership

Whether you're teaching in an IB, PYP, or project-based setting, this episode offers a powerful, transferable model for giving students shared responsibility—without chaos or loss of control.

👣 Ready to shift from manager to mentor? Start small, start now—with your own version of student-led council.

Get the 12 Shifts Book: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Teacher-Kyle-Wagner/dp/1032484713/

Take the 12 Shifts Scorecard and identify areas for growth: https://transformschool.com/12shiftsscorecard/

Meg's Bio: Meg is the Humanities Adolescent Guide for the inaugural International Montessori School of Hong Kong, and an experienced middle school educator with a certificate in Montessori Adolescent Education. She has a passion for history, writing, and social justice, and imparts these loves on to my students. In her 15+ years as an educator, she has gotten deeply involved in DEI work, presented at multiple Montessori education conferences, and co-directed a conference in Chicago. Meg recently completed a Graduate Certificate, and Masters of Science degree is in progress from the International Institute of Restorative Practices. Meg brings restorative practices and student led councils into spaces to help people better communicate and understand each other, to restore harms, and to find a way to move forward compassionately and equitably.

In her current role as Humanities Guide and past role as Junior High Coordinator, Meg uses her organizational skills to keep the program running smoothly, including G-Suite skills, communication, and project planning.Additionally, Meg has a past life as a theater technician, including carpentry, welding, painting, sewing, and stage management. I'm also 1/3 of the doo-wop rock band Midnight Moxie. These experiences make their way into her work in creative ways.