By Elizabeth Westwood, Head of Primary
If I had to pick one character trait which I think is vitally important to a child’s development and which underpins all of their learning experiences both academic and social, it would be resilience; the ability to ‘bounce back’ after experiencing difficulty. This week, each and every one of our children has displayed resilience, especially those who are brand new to BISS or returning for the first time since January and that is something of which everyone can be proud.
Developing resilience is not easy either for the individual, or for the educator. Indeed, as an educator, one of the most difficult things to do is to watch while a child struggles, whether it is to open a snack, tie their shoelaces or to answer a question and, while the struggles may change with a child’s age or stage, the feeling of needing to help does not. However, allowing a child to struggle is an essential aspect of their development of resilience and, in turn, their educational journey. Without overcoming challenges, a child will never learn to strive and this will limit their ability to achieve success and be the best they can be. In addition to this, learning that not getting things right first time is actually part of the process.