FOSTERING STUDENT RESILIENCY
Resiliency "...can be defined as the capability to spring back, rebound, successfully
adapt in the fact of adversity and develop social and academic competence despite
exposure to severe stress...or simply the stress of today's world."
--from Resiliency in Schools: Making It Happen for Students and Educators
by Nan Henderson and Mike Milstein
While resiliency won't directly make young people read, write or multiply better,
it will foster their ability to handle the problems or issues that interfere with
their learning and their ability to be present, to learn and to succeed.
Nan Henderson developed the Resiliency Wheel which shows the six most important
factors in building resiliency in young people. The Student Assistance Team can
intentionally build these six factors into the action plan for a young person:
- Care and support through positive relationships with adults and peers
- High expectations of success
- Meaningful involvement through fun, meaningful and/or altruistic activities
- Positive social bonding through real-life opportunities to develop social skills
- Clear and consistent boundaries
- Development of life skills, such as problem solving, organizing, knowing when
and where to get help and taking charge