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Resilience isn’t just a single trait that someone either has or doesn’t have. It’s more like a well-stocked toolbox filled with various tools that can be used in different situations.
Emotional Awareness & Regulation
The first tool in our resilience toolbox is emotional awareness and regulation. This involves understanding one’s emotions, recognising how they influence behaviour and learning to manage both positive and negative feelings effectively. For SEN students, this could mean learning to cope with frustration when faced with difficult tasks or managing anxiety during tests.
Positive Relationships
Next up are positive relationships – these act as the supportive scaffolding around an individual aiding their bounce-back ability. These relationships can be between peers, teachers and family members alike; each playing a unique role in fostering resilience by providing emotional support, encouragement or even practical help when needed.
Problem-Solving Skills
Then we have problem-solving skills – another crucial component of resilience. Being able to face challenges head-on (rather than avoiding them) and finding solutions boosts self-confidence while also reducing feelings of helplessness amidst adversity.
Future Orientation
Last but certainly not least is future orientation – having goals for the future provides direction which aids motivation during tough times because there’s something worthwhile waiting at the end!
Together these components make up what we call ‘resilience’. However it’s important to remember that building these skills takes time – much like perfecting your cuppa tea!
Decline In Resilience: A Growing Concern
Despite its importance, there’s been a worrying dip in resilience levels within educational settings. It seems that while we’ve been busy perfecting our tea brewing techniques, resilience has quietly slipped off the radar.
Increased Academic Pressure
One of the key factors contributing to this decline is increased academic pressure. With an ever-growing emphasis on grades and performance metrics, students (and staff) often feel overwhelmed leading to heightened stress and anxiety – two big enemies of resilience.
Social Media Influence
Next up is social media influence – it’s no secret that today’s digital natives spend a significant amount of time online. However, constant exposure to others’ ‘highlight reels’ can lead to negative self-comparison which undermines self-esteem and consequently dampens resilience.
Lack Of Physical Activity
Then we have reduced physical activity – with more screen time comes less playtime outdoors. Regular exercise not only boosts physical health but mental wellbeing too by reducing stress levels; thereby fostering greater resilience.
Reduced Face-To-Face Interaction
Lastly, there’s reduced face-to-face interaction due in part again to increased screen time plus recent global events like pandemics forcing us all indoors for extended periods. Interpersonal skills developed through direct human interactions are crucial for building resilient relationships yet these opportunities are increasingly becoming rarer than hen’s teeth!
Addressing these issues isn’t just important; it’s essential if we want our next generation of SEN students as well as their educators to be equipped with robust resiliency toolboxes capable of handling whatever life throws at them (and let’s face it – sometimes life has quite an arm!).