Every student walks into school with intrinsic power, the power to feel, to choose, to connect, to heal, and to grow. It is not distributed by ability, behavior, background, or compliance. It’s inherent, because they are human. Yet, too often, the systems around them are built on power-over models. Rules without voice. Consequences without context. Instruction without relevance. Compliance mistaken for character. In these systems, students may learn to behave, but not to believe in their capacity. They may learn to obey, but not to own. The work of trauma-responsive education is to shift from managing students to equipping them, to move from controlling behavior to cultivating belief.