Every Wednesday afternoon, eighth-graders in Martha Quimby’s class move the tables to the sides of the classroom and create a circle of chairs in the middle.

Sitting in the chairs, the Messalonskee middle-schoolers pass around a stuffed toy lobster and, one by one, give their opinions on a variety of topics: what they think about school rules, who their role models are, what they like about the fall.

They’re called “community circles,” and Quimby said they create trust and comfort among the students.

The kids agree.

“They’re a good way to say something you wouldn’t normally have the guts to say,” said 13-year-old Libby Matthews.

The circle concept is the cornerstone of a philosophy, called the restorative approach, that some middle schools are adopting as a way to resolve conflicts, administer punishments and create a sense of community.

When a conflict arises, the students and teachers involved sit down in a circle and each have a chance to give their version of what happened and how they feel about it.

Detention circles are used as an alternative to having students who get in trouble sit in a room silently. Instead, they have to confront the person they hurt, apologize and come up with an appropriate punishment on their own.

For suspended students, re-entry circles allow them and their teachers to air their feelings about what happened before they come back to school.

The idea is that schools are communities, and social conflicts and misbehavior disturb those communities. The circles are a way to restore peace, which is why the method is called the “restorative approach.”

In the past few years, Winslow and Waterville junior high schools have joined Messalon-skee Middle School in using the method.

“I think it’s fabulous,” said Tara Schmitt, the mother of a Winslow seventh-grader. “I wish they had it when I was that age.”

Last year, Schmitt’s daughter was being teased by one of her friends. The problem escalated over a couple months, until the other girl’s mother called Schmitt. It was clear that the girls were relaying different stories to their parents, and that it was time to sit down for a circle.

“I don’t think their friendship will ever be restored back to where it was, but they can function with each other,” said Schmitt. “They understand each other now.”