Vol. 4(14)
Dr. Karlene Richardson, CEO, Educators Bridging The Gap, BSHCA, MSHSA, DHA
Educator | CEO/Educators Bridging The Gap Inc. | Trauma-Informed Teaching Practitioner | AVID Trained | Certification Candidate in Trauma-Informed Teaching, University of Michigan
Over the weekend, during one of my lectures at the University of Michigan, where I am completing my Certification in Trauma-Informed Teaching, my lecturer, Dr. Simona Goldin, and professor, Dr. Debi Khasnabis, posed a powerful question:
“What can we do to support teachers to see the limits to their own imagination, and then to push past those boundaries?”
This question lingers with me because it strikes at the heart of what it means to be an educator, especially in trauma-informed spaces. Teaching is not just about delivering content; it is about envisioning what is possible for not one student, not some students, but every student, even when the systems around us feel restrictive.
Yet, our imaginations as teachers are often shaped, and sometimes confined, by our own experiences, biases, and institutional expectations.
To help teachers see and move beyond those limits, we must first create spaces for critical reflection and vulnerability. Educators need time and structured dialogue to examine how trauma, bias, and privilege shape their expectations of students. Professional learning communities grounded in inquiry and mutual trust can foster the kind of courageous conversations that expand perspective.
Secondly, teachers need models of possibility, examples of classrooms where healing-centered engagement, equity, restorative practices, and student voice are central. When teachers see what’s possible, they begin to re-imagine what they can create. This can come through peer observation, mentorship, or exposure to new pedagogical frameworks that emphasize empathy-based teaching, relationship-building, and restorative practices in the classroom.
Finally, supporting teachers to push past their imaginative limits requires a shift in school culture. Administrators and colleagues must normalize experimentation, reflection, and even failure as essential parts of professional growth. When teachers feel safe to take risks, they are more likely to imagine new ways of teaching, connecting, and empowering students.
In trauma-informed teaching, imagination is an act of care, it allows us to see beyond a student’s behavior to their humanity, and beyond our own comfort zones to the transformative possibilities of education. The challenge posed by Dr. Goldin and Dr. Khasnabis reminds us that expanding our imagination is not optional, it is the very work of becoming the educators our students deserve.
Reference
Goldin, S., & Khasnabis, D. (n.d.). Lecture. University of Michigan, Ann Harbor, Michigan.
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