As I discussed two weeks ago, my co-workers and I are reading, and subsequently discussing, a book called The Resilience Revolution. We like to call this fancy time together a book club. But we do it at work, so there’s no wine.
Let me begin my discussion of this chapter by stating that I’m really enjoying the book so far. I find that things such as Professional Development days and reading books on education inspire me and breath new life into me. Reading this makes me want to be a better teacher.
The first chapter talked primarily about the effects of pain on the brain, in particular on the brain of children and teens. This chapter delves more into what resilience is and how to develop it.
Basically, all people are taught to be resilient when they are faced with problems and can bounce back from them to succeed. As we grow up, we naturally become resilient. However, if a person faces too many difficult obstacles or is not given to opportunity to overcome problems, resiliency is deterred. Thus, a youth facing a home life in which problems abound or a youth who is given everything they want, will naturally have a more difficult time naturally developing resiliency.
Indeed, in this chapter, I found myself thinking a lot about elementary versus high school education. As someone who has taught both, I can attest to the fact that there is a huge difference between how most teachers (myself included) treat high school vs. elementary aged students. At the elementary age we tend to spend more time with our students, have much smaller classes, and often have a better ability to instil changes. Additionally, they presumably have faced less hardships in their lives and may not be quite as resistant to help or guidance as a teen.
This makes me feel both very lucky and very powerful as a new-found elementary teacher. I have far less students than I did as a high school teacher and I spend 6 hours a day with them rather than 60 minutes. It’s a big burden, but one that most teachers decided to agree to when picking their major. It’s a heavy, but rewarding, burden to bear.
The book discusses factors which create a resilient child and discusses how we can implement these into our classrooms, teaching practices, and interactions with children.
Almost time for chapter three!
If you want to want to buy the book, here’s the link to it on Amazon.
katieisateacher.com 