Testimonials
The following testimonials have been offered by people who have worked with, or directly witnessed Ms. Tinari at work with educators, students, families, and community members. (To add your own testimonial, use the ‘Contact Me’ page).
SCHOOLS
Ms. Tinari, I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you once more for an educational and inspirational weekend. This one professional development experience provided me with a better sense of purpose, and motivated me to take more action to positively affect my classroom, my school, and my personal life in a peaceful way. I also enjoyed connecting with other individuals who are striving to make those same changes in their schools and communities. ~ Chemagne Doyen, middle school teacher, Somerset School, NJ
The powerful relationship between social-emotional learning and school success has been repeatedly demonstrated by research in our schools. Christa Tinari has a unique, strong understanding of this critical relationship. We have seen Ms. Tinari empower teachers and students with the strategies essential to strengthening this relationship and to creating safe, productive learning environments that benefit whole school communities. ~ Drs. Warren and Roberta Heydenberk, authors of A Powerful Peace: The Integrative Thinking Classroom, Allyn & Bacon, 2000
I would give anything to work with Christa again. She was an incredible team teacher with a wide and diverse body of knowledge…adaptable and creative as well as focused and deliberate. It was a wonderful experience to have Christa teach with me this semester. ~ Mary Finn, Geography teacher, Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.
I attended a workshop which The Peace Center offered last summer. Of the hundreds of seminars and workshops I have attended, none has impacted my teaching and my life as much as that one. And for that I give total credit to Christa Tinari who developed and led the workshop. I certainly received many wonderful strategies, games and resources which I have integrated into my teaching. But the most valuable experience was to watch as Christa drew us together as a group and drew us out as individuals. She created that perfect atmosphere that every educator strives for- a setting in which the student feels so accepted for who they are that they are able to take risks in order to grow and learn. This unconditional acceptance can’t be faked- Christa has it. So with all of the useful strategies I took away from that summer workshop, none can compare with the experience of just being in Christa’s group for a few days. If I can enable even just one student to have a similar learning experience, I will feel blessed. Thank you, Christa! ~ Pat Rafter, 5th grade teacher, Riverside Elementary School, Riverside, NJ
I was so impressed with Christa’s capabilities during the Summer Educator’s Institute, that I encouraged my Principal to invite Christa to my school to present. After talking with many who attended the workshop, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who were touched by Christa’s ability to listen to each person’s concerns while creating an interesting and informative seminar. I find Christa to be a vast resource of information and experience I can continually learn from. I recommend to you Christa Tinari, a positive, creative, and highly knowledgeable leader in her profession of peace education. ~ Jennifer R. Schneider, middle school teacher, Christopher Columbus Charter School, Philadelphia, PA
I have had the opportunity to work with Ms. Tinari and have been illuminated by her knowledge in conflict resolution and education. Her contribution, commitment, articulation, character and presence in the field will be impacting educators for years to come. She is an alchemist who will change your school and your community through her uncompromising integrity, compassion, and love for this work. ~ Catrina Cuevas, Committee for Children Trainer
Christa came to our school for a Peace Awareness Day. She spent the day interacting with the faculty and children and in the evening she gave a follow-up presentation on Bullying Prevention to the parents of the Home and School Association. The day provided many wonderful experiences for the children and encouraged them to continue their quest for being Peacemakers. Christa’s very presence exudes a spirit of peace and we all benefited from her programs. ~ Sister Barbara Ann Browne, Principal, Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School, Bensalem, PA
I would like to thank you so much for the wonderful job you did training our Peer Mediators. They really enjoyed the two days and thought it was great fun, but most importantly, they learned many new skills. We have already had students who requested mediation and our mediators felt well-prepared and able to assist. They have also walked away with knowledge that is helpful in their personal lives. Thank you for providing such a wonderful opportunity for our students. ~ Nancy Pontier, Guidance Counselor, Palisades Middle School, Kintnersville, PA
There were so many wonderful comments from the students regarding Peer Mediation training. They all really enjoyed your training and thought you were a dynamic presenter. Many of the students who had previously received other training felt that they learned so much more from you. Thanks again for coming to our high school! ~ Lisa Schmidt, Peer Mediation Coordinator, Neshaminy High School, Langhorne, PA
Thank you so much for training our Peer Mediators. I wanted to let you know how awesome the students felt your training was. They learned A LOT and had FUN in the process! ~ Renee Devlin, Peer Mediation Coordinator, Council Rock High School South, Holland, PA
Ms. Tinari enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and she was efficient and really did a fantastic job training our Peer Mediators. ~ Cynthia Greenfield, Guidance Counselor, Elizabeth Avenue School, Somerset, NJ
SEE THE PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INSTITUTE WEBPAGE FOR MORE RAVE REVIEWS FROM 2007 PARTICIPANTS.
COMMUNITIES
‘Building Bridges to Peace’, a new program for middle school students, focuses on their personal and communal responsibility to foster peace and practice non-violent conflict resolution. The program has been an immediate success due mainly to the efforts of Christa Tinari, the program’s advisor. Christa trained the staff, modeled peacemaking and teambuilding activities with students, and is always on call for support and continuing consultation and training. We truly value her expertise and creativity in developing relevant programming for youth. ~ Richard L. Byrnes, former Principal, Coordinator of Building Bridges to Peace, The Shrine of St. Joseph, Stirling, NJ
I was very pleased to attend Christa’s informative class on bullying. I truly appreciated the whole presentation: the literature she shared with us with so much information, the interaction we had through the exercises, and the positive, very important discussions we had about all kinds of bullying situations, and how to help both the victims of bullying, as well as the bullies themselves. She also provided a meaningful class on positive discipline. We can not stress enough how important it is that we- educators and child care providers- do discuss issues relating to proactive, positive discipline, and the real differences between discipline and punishment. There is so much for all of us to learn. Thanks for the great classes! ~ Quiteria Cloutman, Site Director, YMCA After School Program, Hampton Elementary School, NJ
I worked very closely with Christa for several years. She is articulate, with unwavering integrity, practicality, commitment and natural leadership. She has the unique capability of reaching people with varied perspectives and personalities through her warmth, humor and authenticity. I recommend her without reservation. ~ Barbara Cole-Kiernan, Licensed Social Worker, Lambertville, NJ
Watching Christa work with children is an inspiration. She possesses an unparalleled level of engaged consciousness and patience. Her optimism and enthusiasm, together with her creativity, make her an ideal educator. She knows just how to ask questions and prompt inquiry to stimulate the imaginations of children. ~ Susan Albrecht, parent, Brooklyn, NY
I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Christa Tinari on organizing a number of grassroots events for the Lambertville Peace and Justice group. All facets of leadership skills seem to come naturally to her, whether its public speaking, facilitating discussions, or remaining positive and relaxed when handling difficult situations. However, its Christa’s compassion for others and her dedication to peace and non-violence that has been most inspirational to me. ~ Shaun Ellis, Lambertville Coalition for Peace, Lambertville, NJ
Christa Tinari listens- and listens deeply. She engages with those with whom she works. For her, there is no teacher-learner dichotomy, or superiority: all are working together in the same learning process. ~ The Rev. Al Krass, Coordinator, Coalition for Peace Action-Bucks and Montgomery counties, PA
Christa’s wealth of knowledge on social justice and grassroots organizing will help any organization who would like to work on any peace initiatives in their community. ~ Dr. Tulsi R. Maharjan, Chair, Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition, NJ
For the past four years, Christa Tinari has been instrumental in helping our Buddhist temple design, manage and run an annual family sleepover camp. She is wonderfully experienced in planning and carrying out events and activities for both children and adults that encourage self-reflection and deepening. It is a joy to work with her. The staff, parents, and children alike love and respect her. She is extremely capable, flexible, friendly, strong, and resourceful. Her skills and personality are an important part of making our annual camp a fun and meaningful experience for everyone. ~ Reverend Ani Kunga Chodron, Secretary Treasurer, Tsechen Kunchab Ling Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion, Walden, NY
THANK YOU!
With deep gratitude to all of the educators, students, parents, and colleagues who have supported me, contributed to Peace Praxis, and given of themselves in countless ways in order to foster safe, caring, and affirming schools and communities.
~ Christa M. Tinari