Dr. Aurora Loufek, assistant principal at Edison High School, recently obtained her doctorate at Carson-Newman University. Looking to expand her education, Loufek successfully defended her thesis to the committee and achieved this milestone.

Starting her dissertation process in 2021, Loufek wrote about restorative practices in the classroom environment, the studies of how to improve the relationships between people and communities. The application of activities like circle practice and talking pieces in the classroom community was a common theme in her writing as she took inspiration from the classroom post-quarantine.

“I saw post-pandemic that students were disconnected from school, and it was a global issue,” said Loufek.

With her degree, she hopes to apply the learnings of her dissertation to Edison High and become a restorative practitioner, a teaching professional who helps build relationships and resolve conflicts. She also wants to pursue educational consulting outside of Edison.

As with any worthwhile journey, Loufek’s path to a PhD was full of challenges. She spent around four to six hours on her dissertation every day, and as many as sixteen to twenty hours during weekends. Specifically, writing the last two chapters of her 143-page dissertation was the most challenging, as she simultaneously managed to balance work, school, and family time.

“Ultimately, it was a lot of work and there were points where I was stressed, but I knew the work I was doing would be rewarding,” said Loufek.

Loufek’s advice to those who are pursuing a doctorate is to manage your time effectively. Without having a passion for restorative practices and using her free time wisely, she believes that she wouldn’t have finished her dissertation in a timely manner.

“Seeing the change that was happening when using restorative practices—to me, that was the reward,” said Loufek.