To define resilience ‘Resilience refers to an individual’s ability to prevent, minimize or overcome ability to overcome the damaging affects of trauma or adversity. It gives an individual the capacity to face adversity, and even be strengthened by the traumas in life that will inevitably face’. 3. (www.ebility.com).
Resilience can be learned and developed it is part of our emotional intelligence.
When faced with a problem, resilient people focus on finding a solution rather than getting depressed and feeling like victims. Resilience is another name to emotional strength. To overcome adversities, children and young people can draw from three sources of resilience they are: ‘I Have – people who want me to learn to do things on my own, I Am – willing to be responsible for what I do and I Can – find ways to solve problems that I face’. 4. (www.resilnet.u.uc.edu)
There are different role models that can help a child and young person to develop resilience they are; parent/s, carer, teacher, TA etc…. Parents and carers can provide specific opportunities and activities to promote resilience in their child. Here are some activities that parent/s and carers can provide to develop resilience in their child; ‘providing clear rules and routines and reforcing these rules. Make sure the limits and consequences of behaviour are understood. Use the removal of privileges and other forms of discipline that do not belittle, harm or reject the child. When rules have been broken help the child to understand what they did wrong offer reconciliation along with discipline and understanding, and praise your child for good behaviour and accomplishments’. 5. (www.ebility.com).
Teachers and TA’s are seen by children and young people not just a practioner, but also a confident and positive role model. In a study by Werner & Smith in 1989 they found that they frequently encountered positive role models for children outside their circle of family members, was a favourite teacher. Teachers and TA’s can influence and support children and young people by teaching them the risks and harm that they may encounter in or outside school. They are giving them the tools on how to cope by themselves and not to rely on other people and to hopefully make the right choices. However; some children and young people do find it difficult to develop their resilience I will now give you an example from my work placement.
There are two young people aged 12 yrs and both are in wheelchairs. As part of their physio which they must do everyday in school, they are taken out of their wheelchairs and strapped on to walkers (walkers are large walking frames). With the aid of walkers this helps their back and leg muscles to be flexible and to get them stronger, and also this help them to manoeuvre around the school. The other positive is it helps them to be independent without their wheelchairs. They both grumble when they have to use their walkers. However; one learners resilience is stronger compared to the other learner.
The reason being is that at home this learner’s parent gives her physio at home and she practices the exercises her physio sets out for her. As I mentioned before she does not enjoy going in her walker because the longer she stays in it the back of her legs begin to ache, but she knows she has to push herself as this will help in the long run. She can already sit on a chair and sit on the floor as her back has got stronger and she does not need any help to manoeuvre in her walker. The other learner unfortunately has to be helped so he can move in his walker and sometimes he has become distressed because he won’t push himself to stay longer in the walker. I have spoken to his TA why he is not at the same level as the other learner; his TA told me that at home he does not get the opportunity and is not encouraged enough to do his physio exercise. She continued that if he is pushed he would be able to do what the other learner can do such as, sit on a chair and floor (when the class do floor work) and he would be able to stay longer in a walker which will eventually help his muscles to get stronger. The TA gets anxious when he comes back from school holidays as he is behind on his exercise and physio and it’s like going back to square one.
We must consider some factors why his resilience is lower compared to the other learner, his parent/s may lead busy lives or he could rebel at home that he will not do any exercises or physio. To support this Barry Plummer, a clinical psychologist of the faculty of Brown University’s Medical school, who in practice works with adolescents, says that grown ups should ‘encourage a kid to master something even if he stinks at school – a sport, music, someplace he can go where he is of value. This can build up pocket of resilience’. 6. (www.time.com).
When I was at school I specifically remembered a lesson about anti-smoking. This lesson was to inform the class the risk and dangers of smoking. We watched a video that showed a man who was an ex-smoker and how smoking affected his health. Due to smoking he was diagnosed with lung cancer which resulted in having a tube inserted to a hole in his throat to help him breath. What the class witnessed was shocking and horrific; this actually frightened us all.
As a TA if I was to take a lesson about resilient strategies to help them make the right decision I would do a lesson about drugs. Drugs are rife everywhere and most of them will encounter this sometime in their life. I would ask them to name me any drugs and then I will answer the affects of each drug and show them a picture of what they look like. If they could not name me any I would explain about each drug. I would then show them a video and I may get a guest speaker maybe an ex-addict who will give them the realities of drug use. I would give the learners an opportunity for them to ask questions to the guest speaker. Another alternative is to let them see a performance by a Theatre in Education Company and from this they can do some role plays. I hope the learners will gain knowledge of the dangers of drug use and that there are choices and decisions they can make for themselves to stay safe and healthy. In reality there will be some who take it in and there will be some who quickly forget.
To conclude as I mentioned at the beginning of this analysis that resilience is firstly learned at home from parent/s or carers. This is continued at school with teachers and TA’s teaching them new challenges they may face. By teaching them resilience they can develop tools and skills how to cope with problems, transition and pressures of life.
This makes a child and young person self reliant and increase independence.
However; the reality is some children and young person will have resilience imbedded in them from a very young age, unfortunately others will not. This could stem from their background that they are not taught the tools and skills to be self resilient at a young age. When they reach school age sometimes this can be turned around by teachers and TA’s. But some will have low self esteem and confidence that leaves them vulnerable to peer pressure this may prove difficult for them to build on resilience. Reaching adolescent this is also a challenging time in a young person’s life they may rebel, they maybe going through a phase and just want to test the boundaries.
As a TA it is important to support and to empower resilience to each and every child and young person, you can help them to be an independent and responsible person which will eventually set them up for adulthood.
A Marinetto
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