In trauma-informed spaces, we talk a lot about student voice, yet we don’t always listen with more than an intent to respond. Openness isn’t just about allowing someone to speak before we respond; it's also about being receptive to their thoughts and ideas. It’s about what we do with what we hear. Openness is about how we listen, communicate, and involve students and families in the decisions that impact their daily lives. It’s about stepping back just enough to make room for perspectives we didn’t anticipate, for truths that might make us uncomfortable, and for ideas that weren’t ours.

We often associate openness with vulnerability, and that’s part of it; however, in a trauma-informed classroom, openness also encompasses transparency, collaboration, and shared power. It asks us to move from “Here’s the plan” to “Let’s shape this together.” It challenges us to stop assuming what’s best and start asking what’s needed. Openness doesn’t diminish our role as educators. It deepens it.