If you have ever found yourself writing a case scenario to support a learning objective, you know it can be a complex task. You want to develop a story that captures a real-life experience and feels relatable, but does not violate confidentiality. You want to provide a level of detail that will enable students to engage with the learning objective, but avoid over-complicating the story. Writing a case scenario that effectively meets these criteria is an art and science all in itself.
We (Kathleen and Lindsey) have been developing case scenarios together for over ten years. Looking back we laugh (and cringe) at how simplistic our scenario characters were in the early years (i.e. “Jake loves to skateboard and hopes to be a video game designer in the future.”). We have done our best to evolve our writing to meet the growth edge of the restorative field, and recognize a new level of nuance and detail is required.
At the June 2025 Restorative Teaching Tools training retreat in Colorado, participants initiated a dynamic conversation about the need to include demographic details of case scenario characters, so that learners can engage with characters’ identities and the power differentials that are affecting their choices and experiences. We recognized that we had fallen behind by not intentionally naming specific attributes of characters’ identities, in particular historically marginalized identities perpetuated by structural and systemic inequities. We are on our own growth journeys as white cisgender women doing restorative justice work in Colorado, and we are constantly navigating our own assumptions, blind spots, and mistakes stemming from these privileged identities. We are grateful to the retreat participants for the rich dialogue around this issue and the inspiration and clarity it provided for us.
Moving forward, we will include an “About the Characters” section in each case scenario. By explicitly describing the characters’ identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, background, and reference to socioeconomic class, we are asking learners to grapple with questions of equity, bias, and access. We hope to evoke important conversations in learning environments that will positively affect the way practitioners relate to community members, and challenge practitioners to hone skills for creating inclusive environments.
