• “What harm has been caused?” or “What happened?”
• “How does this harm impact relationships with one another?”
• “Who among the people involved can help repair the harm?”
• What are the needs and obligations that have arisen from the harm?”

• Acknowledges that relationships are central to building community
• Builds systems that address misbehavior and harm in a way which strengthens relationships.
• Focuses on the harm done rather than only on rule-breaking.
• Gives voice to the person harmed.
• Engages in collaborative problem solving.
• Empowers change and growth.
• Enhances responsibility.

• School and rules violated
• Justice focuses on establishing guilt
• Accountability = punishment
• Justice directed at offender, victim ignored
• Rules ad intent outweigh whether outcome is positive/negative
• No opportunity for remorse or amends

• People and relationships violated
• Justice identifies needs and obligations
• Accountability = understanding impact, repairing harm
• Offender, victim and school all have direct roles in justice process
• Offender is responsible for harmful behavior, repairing harm and working toward positive outcomes
• Opportunity given for amends and expression of remorse

• How do I teach the best behavior to my child? What is the correct behavior consistent with what my student is learning in school?
  • Start with teaching these positive behavior expectations that are also termed Pittsburg USD School-Wide Rules: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.
• When your child violates one of the Behavior Expectations also termed School-Wide Rules (Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible do the following:
  • Ask child what expectation he violated that caused him/her to make a behavior mistake. Child should be able to select Be Safe, or Be Respectful, or Be Responsible.  If she/he cannot answer the question, assist child with answer.
  • Remain calm when talking to your child. Your goal is to teach correct behavior and support your child so that the mistake will not continue.
  • Ask child how he/she was not safe or respectful or responsible and why.
  • Guide child to give you correct answer if he/she cannot answer.
  • Have child demonstrate the correct behavior.
  • Give child choices on how to correct the problem and accept consequences of the behavior.
    • Example: If child left room or house area uncleaned, request that child to clean room or house area, and give an additional house area to clean within reasonable time.
  • Consequences should relate to the child’s behavior mistake.
  • Lastly describe a positive trait about your child and tell her/him that you have confidence that they will keep their room clean in the future.

Seeing ourselves as trauma stewards is an opportunity to change our way of experiencing our day-to-day lives while we also enhance the impact we have on others in our school communities.  It’s a viewpoint without a focus on our struggle.  Instead, we focus on our well-being and our daily interactions; how we approach, navigate and travel through challenges.  “It’s imperative for our emotional well-being that we acknowledge and recognize the effect of secondary trauma in our daily work and scholars’ daily life experiences.  We accumulate and carry the stories of trauma, including images, sounds and resonant details we have heard which then come to inform our world view” (Joyful Heart Foundation, 2014a).  Secondary trauma, vicarious trauma and burnout are terms used to describe our experience of being overwhelmed by the challenges faced by those in our care.  By remaining self-aware, or mindful, “we improve the capacity to regulate emotion, to combat emotional dysfunction, to improve patterns of thinking, and then reduce negative mindsets” (Siegel, 2007).  We must “stay fully present in our experience no matter how difficult” (van Dernoot Lipsky & Burk, 2009).  So what we can do to attain this balance in our lives and our interactions with students?  Take the time to take deep breaths and to stretch during day.  Strive to take outdoor breaks throughout the day.  Notice what is beautiful around you.  Check in with colleagues or friends.  Quietly listen and attune to them while they speak and then it’s your turn (van Dernoot Lipsky & Burk, 2009).  By the Journal of Safe Management of Disruptive and Assaultive Behavior Fall 2014