One resilience practice that resonated with me is helping people immerse themselves in stories of recovery. The quote “Believe my pain is real and believe in me” really stood out because we don’t necessarily have to fix our students, we just have to be there for them. I appreciated the note that educators themselves also have stories of resilience. This year I was blown away by how so many of my colleagues were faced with heartbreak and despair in their private lives, yet continued to dedicate themselves to being the best teacher for their students. I was inspired by the resilience of so many of them that it truly helped me believe that if they could overcome what they were facing, so can I.
Reaching out to colleagues is the second practice that resonated with me. The isolation many of us felt in the 2020-2021 school year is what I believe added onto our fatigue. Our colleagues share in our fears and recognize our successes. Our relationships with our colleagues allow us to have an opportunity to release any doubts and concerns we have kept internally and have a safe and supportive environment to brainstorm how we can overcome them. A new colleague of mine this year was our school social worker. Her relationship with the students is entirely different from the one I form with them in the classroom and being able to have her as an ally helped me find confidence in what I was doing. She also provided me with an additional support system on those days where I felt so powerless in my ability to help certain students.
Reaching out to colleagues is the second practice that resonated with me. The isolation many of us felt in the 2020-2021 school year is what I believe added onto our fatigue. Our colleagues share in our fears and recognize our successes. Our relationships with our colleagues allow us to have an opportunity to release any doubts and concerns we have kept internally and have a safe and supportive environment to brainstorm how we can overcome them. A new colleague of mine this year was our school social worker. Her relationship with the students is entirely different from the one I form with them in the classroom and being able to have her as an ally helped me find confidence in what I was doing. She also provided me with an additional support system on those days where I felt so powerless in my ability to help certain students.