Restorative Communication

Six C’s of Restorative Communication

Slow it down, Connect, get Curious, and listen.

Calmness ONE BREATH

★ With the inhale check in to see if you are feeling dysregulated.

★ With the exhale let go of what you think is happening and your assumptions about the students, looking for implicit bias at play. Try to remember, all humans want to be in good relationships and have goodness in their core. Your tone matters!

★ If the student is dysregulated you must support him/her/them to become regulated before you ask questions.

Connection/Empathy

Hey [student name], I am noticing… I see you are struggling (off task, upset, look annoyed, seem sad etc)...

I sometimes struggle too… (Acknowledge, Reveal, Encourage)

Curiosity/Never assume intention

What's going on for you today? What were you hoping for? What led up to this? What were you thinking or feeling at the time? What have you been thinking about since?

Compassion/Community

It must be hard to... Who else might this be hard for…?

How were you affected? Who else might have been affected?

Collaboration & Create Plan with Clear Expectations

I think we can work together to make this right, what are your thoughts...?

What do you think needs to happen…?

What can you or we do to avoid this next time…? What support do you need?

In school, I need/want/would like/would appreciate you to _______ because ________

Celebration

I appreciate…(you talking to me, you working things out, how we can work together, you taking your time to help me understand etc) Celebrate even small gains!

**If behavior continues,consider the supports a student might need. Social skills,self regulation, academic support.etc