R E STOR AT IVE PRAC TICE S IN EL EM ENTARY S C H O O L
Continued from page 27
been thinking about since? Who do you think
was affected? What do you need to do to make
things right? (White, 2012). Many schools look
into restorative practices as a way of meet-
ing their behavioral needs through tier II in-
terventions, but they realize that those tier
II interventions will be meaningless without
the tier I connection and community build-
ing. Students who do not feel connected to
their community are not motivated to repair
any harm they cause. Schools that have im-
plemented restorative practices realize “the
significance of interconnected relationships”
(Evans, 2016, p. 6).
The earlier the brains of children with devel-
opmental trauma begin to heal, the more
likely it is that their brains will be able to
fully heal. We can help these children con-
nect through restorative practices like circles
and restorative communication. Restorative
practices also benefit children who have
not experienced trauma by helping them to
connect with those who have, and nurturing
them to become more accepting people.
Most who have experienced developmental
trauma have not learned how to empathize.
By connecting with people in the commu-
nity, children can learn that connection is
not a threat, but rather a means of survival.
“...our attachment bonds are our greatest
protection against threat,” when it comes to
survival (van der Kolk, 2014, p. 212). As hu-
mans, our brains feel less threatened when
there is someone nearby who is a safety net.
In order to help children who have experi-
enced trauma, especially developmental
trauma, their neural pathways need to be
Page 28 Winter 2019
“The most important aspect
of restorative practices when
it comes to building relation-
ships is that the connections
cannot be broken based on
actions. There must be an
unconditional love within a
connected community.”
rewired, so we must connect with them in
repetitive, small, low-risk ways. Community
building restorative circles are a natural place
for these low-risk connections to occur. One
facilitation tool I use to help create a low-
risk environment is to project the question
rounds, which serves to decrease student
anxiety about having to remember the ques-
tions and to increase their ability to listen to
each other.
The most important aspect of restorative
practices when it comes to building rela-
tionships is that the connections cannot
be broken based on actions. There must be
an unconditional love within a connected
community. People who have experienced
trauma need to have adults in their lives
who are willing to build a relationship with
them. Often times, children who have expe-
rienced trauma are looking for adults to re-
act in a way that is reflective of the trauma
they experienced because that is what they
know to be true in relationships. It is essen-
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