Creating Safe Classrooms: Trauma-Informed and Restorative Practices with Margaret Thorsborne & Joe Brummer

In today’s educational landscape, understanding student behavior through a trauma-informed lens is more than a trend, it’s a necessity. In a compelling episode of the Equipping ELLs podcast, host Beth Vaucher interviews Marg Thorsborne, a veteran in restorative practices, and Joe Brummer, an international peacebuilder and trauma survivor. Together, they unpack what it truly means to create trauma-informed classrooms and challenge outdated discipline models still used in many schools today.

At the heart of their message is a call to move away from behaviorism — the belief that behavior is a simple matter of choice — and toward an understanding grounded in neuroscience. Joe Brummer explains that trauma changes how children perceive the world. “Many students walk into school each day in survival mode,” he says. “They’re not concerned with math. They’re trying to feel safe.”

Marg Thorsborne echoes this sentiment, adding that punishment doesn’t teach empathy or self-regulation. Instead, she advocates for restorative approaches that hold students accountable while maintaining their dignity. “You can’t punish compassion into a child,” she notes.

The conversation emphasizes the importance of adult self-regulation. Educators must first befriend their own nervous systems if they are to help students do the same. Joe reminds listeners, “Nervous systems are contagious. If the teacher isn’t calm, the students won’t be either.”

Marg and Joe propose a three-part journey for becoming a trauma-informed educator: personal healing, professional development, and engaging with the social justice aspects of education systems. This model urges teachers to reflect on their own upbringing and disciplinary habits — many of which, research shows, default to how they were raised.

Throughout the episode, the guests dismantle the myth that restorative practices are merely a soft replacement for discipline. In reality, these practices are structured, accountability-driven, and deeply humanizing. The goal is not to excuse behavior, but to understand and respond in a way that heals rather than harms.

One poignant story involves a new ESL student in a boarding school who unintentionally stares at a classmate’s mouth while trying to understand English. The classmate perceives this as a threat, and a fight ensues. “That student didn’t need punishment — she needed regulation and connection,” says Marg. This story highlights how cultural misunderstandings, trauma, and dysregulation can quickly escalate without a safe, supportive system in place.

The takeaway? Trauma-informed restorative education isn’t a curriculum — it’s a lens. It requires curiosity, compassion, and a school-wide commitment to wellness and regulation.

As we approach the summer, educators are encouraged to reflect, rest, and begin this critical internal work. A great starting point is Marg and Joe’s book, Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator, which provides practical tools and profound insights for transforming classroom culture.

Links and Resources:

Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator

Connect with Marg:

www.thorsborne.com.au
X: @ThorsborneMarg
Bluesky: Margie Thorsborne
LinkedIn: Margaret Thorsborne
FB: Margaret Thorsborne and Associates

Connect with Joe:

joebrummer.com

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More about Equipping ELLs:

We all know that teaching isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be this hard. Equipping ELLs is a podcast for both ESL specialists and homeroom teachers who are looking for effective and engaging ways to support their English Language Learners without adding to their endless to-do list. Tune in each week to hear tips, strategies, and inspirational stories that will empower you to better reach your ELL students, equip them with life-long skills, and strengthen relationships with colleagues and parents.

Your host, Beth Vaucher, is the founder of Inspiring Young Learners. She is an ESL certified homeroom teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching in the US and internationally. Her background of M.Ed in ESL and Curriculum and Instruction combined with her experience has led her to develop a bestselling newcomer curriculum that has sold in over 90 countries around the globe. She brings a different perspective to teaching ELLs from her years teaching and living abroad and working with ELLs from around the world. You will walk away from each episode with the ideas and tools you need to transform your experience as a teacher and cultivate a thriving and welcoming environment for your ELL students.