Building Resilience in Students – Part 2 of a series on bullying
Lark S. EscobarIn my first article, I discussed how bullying impacts students and how to stop the cycle of bullying in the classroom. Part of stopping the cycle of bullying is to build resilience and bolster confidence of our students. Resilience helps all students reduce stress and develop skills required to be successful in society. According to Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg*, there are 7 C’s that help educators build resilience in learners (2011).
- Competence– the ability to handle stressful or emotional situations effectively, including communication skills.
- Confidence– a solid belief in one’s own problem-solving skills and abilities.
- Connection- a solid sense of security from maintaining positive relationships.
- Character- a clear sense of right and wrong behavior, orientation towards problem-solving instead of problem-creating
- Contribution- finding a way to make the world a better place, a clear sense of purpose.
- Coping- effective strategies for avoiding harmful stress and managing emotions positively.
- Control- the realization that individuals control their choices/actions and thus the consequences of their choices and behaviors.
By establishing expectations for these 7 C’s of resilient behavior in the classroom, students can strengthen weaknesses and capitalize on their strengths. These 7 ideas are highly interrelated and when one is suffering, deficits in others may develop as well. While not everything that happens in our classroom is within our control, we are responsible as educators for helping students develop the skills and abilities required to be successful. Mitigating bullying by building resilience for all learners helps ensure a peaceful, inclusive learning environment.
*Ginsburg, K (2011). Building resilience in children and teens: Giving kids roots and wings (2nd ed.). Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.