Resilient
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12 v1
Definition: The ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
Key Words: Perseverance, absorption, concentration, perceptiveness, endurance, faithfulness, determination, hope.
Biblical Example: The Old Testament story of Ruth’s refusal to leave Naomi illustrates great faithfulness and resilience. More familiar will be Jesus’ determination to carry on his ministry towards the cross, despite the warnings of those around him of the consequences of his choice.
The Bible is rich with exhortations and warnings to remain faithful to God and to our word once we have spoken. Our faithfulness and resilience is to be seen in response to God’s enduring love for his people:
Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49 v15)
In The Classroom: Resilience is developed through appropriately levelled challenge and learning to deal with frustrations and distractions. If work is easy it does not take determination to complete, if too complex it leads to frustration and lack of engagement. Well pitched work develops focus, so appropriate differentiation is key to developing resilience.
If resilience is, at least in part, about recovering from difficulties, there must be opportunities to fail and to reflect on this experience. A classroom where every activity is completed and every choice turns out well, is probably not going to develop resilience or other Rs that we seek as part of student formation at Wren.
Around the Academy: Resilience is developed through challenge and the process of overcoming difficultly. When students face difficult situations or experiences these can be the seedbed from which resilience grows. The way we allow students to face pain and disappointment, supporting them through difficult times, is a key way resilience is developed.
We work through PSHE and throughout the curriculum to help students develop a positive self-image and belief that they are both valued and able. Intrinsic to this is a deeply Christian understanding of grace. We are not loved because of what we do, own or achieve, but because we are made in God’s image. Developing a sense of self that is not defined in comparison to others or based on external measures of success, is part of growth to maturity, resilience and mental wellbeing.