Ronnie Moehrke

For my encore, I am about to begin taking the training necessary to become a “trainer” in Restorative Practices. I have a long history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It started with severe trauma at age three that I could not recall because the PTSD was so severe for me. I was 78 years old before it finally began to loosen its hold.

I want to teach children through Restorative Practices how to communicate in a manner that will instill trust in themselves and others…as I was unable to until recently.

According to the website of the International Institute of Restorative Practices, “the use of restorative practices in schools has been shown to reliably reduce misbehavior, bullying, violence and crime among students and improve the overall climate for learning.” (Here’€™s an article about how restorative practices helped in Baltimore schools after the protests over the death of a young black man, Freddie Gray.)

It gives me a reason to live – to feel good about myself and hopefully will assist those who suffer from the seemingly inability to share who they are. We older workers who choose to serve, in one way or another, should be allowed to do so.