resilience is ordinary magic

What is a teacher's main role in supporting resilience either in general or in one vulnerable group?

resilience

Of any teen, Harry Potter had the most reasons to give up. Looking past the everyday stress of wizard school, Harry had bullies, teachers out to get him, and a Dark Lord who made it his personal mission to kill him. But he stayed strong. He stayed strong because he had good friends, caring adults, and a positive self-concept (he was the Chosen One, afterall.) Harry Potter is resilient.

For my Muggle students, my role as a teacher is to be the caring adult that they need. As we discussed in class, a caring adult is the most important factor in helping adolescents develop resilience. Many of my students will have caring adults at home on whom they can depend, but for some, I will be the most stable, caring adult in their life. Yikes. I think it's important to not take that lightly; some of my students will really come to depend on me as the stable adult in their lives. So, above all, being present and there for my students will send a message that I am there for them, and there for more than just teaching a curriculum.

I found this small clip of JK Rowling at a commencement ceremony in which she discusses failure. She explores how her failures lead her to where she is today. She discusses how she would not be where she is today if not for her failures: "Rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." I want my students to know that they will fail. They will fail in school, in relationships, in life. It sounds harsh, but it is realistic. Once adolescents know that failing at some point in their lives is inevitable, it becomes easier to face any sort of failure, and understand and develop in spite of the setbacks.

The American Psychological Association has produced an entire guide on how to establish, encourage, and foster resiliency in adolescents. The one message I took from the article was to make a safe space for teens. I know I have already spoken to this, but I don't think I can stress it enough. I want a my classroom to be a sort of haven, where any students can escape the turmoils of homework, bullies, or general bad days. If a student has at least one place they can feel safe, they can use it as a failsafe as they discover and work on their own resiliencies.

I think everyone has seen this video, but I want to include it anyways. In this Ted Talk, Rita Pierson discusses the importance of a caring adult; the value and importance of human connection. She talks about how the teacher makes significant connections with his or her students and these connections are the basis for a caring relationship. In my opinion, a teacher is directly responsible for building the resiliency of students. Everyday a teacher has a choice to build up the resiliency of a student or to cut it down. Rita provides a good example of this when one her students got 2/20 on a test and instead of putting that grade, she put +2 with a big smiley face. Her student questioned her and she said that he was on a roll, he didn't get them all wrong. This is how I see Education, not to cut back and block students, but to give them the power to continue in the face of adversity. Indeed, every child deserves a champion, and I hope to fill that role for my students.

"every child deserves a champion" - Rita Pierson

"we must try not to sink beneath our anguish, but battle on" - JK Rowling

how does knowing about adolescent development help me teach?

I know understand the importance of resilience in students.

With the diversity of families today there is a good chance that I will be the positive, adult role model in the lives of some of my students. We have learned in class that the most important contributing factor to adolescent resilience is a caring adult. We learned that even children who have faced extreme deprivation and have suffered much adversity can overcome their challenges with the support of a caring adult. This is why the video of Rita stuck so much with me. She speaks from a place of real understanding; she knows what it means to be a teacher. It isn't all about teaching the curriculum, it's about being there for students and seeking to understand them. Above all, I need to be aware of this and be present and understand my students. It is my job to help build up their self-esteem and help them to develop resilience.

It is my goal that all of my students get to a point where they are thriving in my classroom. I won't define thriving as receiving the highest grades or making the prettiest poster, but rather by making sure my students are engaged and safe and respected in the classroom. If they feel safe enough to explore (and fail) then to me, they are thriving. Building on this will help them develop positive self-images, an important internal resource as they make their way through life. We learned in class that this is considered growing into resilience, that is, developing asset-based resiliency, that a teen can approproately deal with the challenges that they will inevitably come to face.

Effectively creating an environment where students feel respected and safe exploring new ideas will be the ultimate source of positive development for them. They can explore, learn, discover, and fail, all with a positive role model.

References

American Psychological Association. Resiliency Guide for Parents and Teachers. American Psychological Association.

I found this photo and I thought it really captured the essenses of what it means to be resilient. Resilience necessitates a healthy body, positive emotions, mental control, and spirituality. Looking at this diagram, I realized that each of these can be addressed in my classroom. I can encourage my students to make healthy decisions, I can teach them effective coping mechanisms, instill good mental habits, and encourage them to practice compassion and empathy.

Make connections ;
Help your child by having him or her help others ;
Maintain a daily routine ;
Take a break ;
Teach your child self-care ;
Move toward your goals ;
Nurture a positive self-view ;
Keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook ;
Look for opportunities for self-discovery ;
Accept that change is part of living.

Below is the list of 10 tips for building resiliency for teens, published by the American Psychological Association. I think they capture all the necessary internal and external resources we have seen. There are many options that be easily build into a teaching curriculum as well as be taught and internalized by students.