I tend to equate our move through school/life much like progressing through a computer game. School (and life for that matter) is like a game and has different skills to master on each level we encounter before we can really successfully progress and conquer the challenges of the next level. The levels start easy and the complexity and difficulty gradually increases. The most important difference existing in this analogy is the that levels in life go on forever, we never seem to reach a point where we have total mastery. So I suppose the important thing is to continue progressing, and that means we must see the progress for what it is - a movement towards an end but never quite reaching it.
Attaining mastery each at each level doesn't equate to being a winner. Moving onto the challenges of the next level is probably a more accurate and better indicator! So the greater the degree of resilience, the more likely that you will have a better 'win-loss' record, and the more levels you will show mastery of.
Our role as a guide becomes critical at this time for if we are to help our children (or students) become winners, we must first help them develop resilience. But they must learn from each and every win AND loss along the way, as that will be their source of resilience. Our role is the help them cope effectively with every win and loss. The language we use from an early age must instil confidence without promoting the notion of a finish line. We must be genuine with rewards and constructive with our criticism & advice. Wins must be recognised and loses never ignored. Educationalists refer to this as creating a growth mindset.
If we instil the right sort of attitude in our children they will continue moving and gaining the skills that will make life a little more manageable. This will allow them to face the challenges that come along and realise that they have the skills to conquer many of them. A blog article by Evoke Learning will help you better understand resilience in a school context and offer a few strategies too.
I suppose that we need to ask ourselves
If we instil the right sort of attitude in our children they will continue moving and gaining the skills that will make life a little more manageable. This will allow them to face the challenges that come along and realise that they have the skills to conquer many of them. A blog article by Evoke Learning will help you better understand resilience in a school context and offer a few strategies too.
I suppose that we need to ask ourselves
- Am I assisting my child in gaining resilience?
- Am I acknowledging their success in a positive way?
- Am I assisting them with their learning from their losses?
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