Thoughts from the first week back

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.  

The questions we ask are the crucial way of supporting our children in their development and, more importantly in this case, the locus of control. Rather than intervening when help appears to be needed, it is important that we give a child the opportunity to say no. ‘Would you like some help?’ rather than ‘Let me help’ changes the dynamic to the child being in control. The younger the child, the more apparent this is, however the principle remains no matter the age of the student. Working with very young children gives real insight into how they learn and grow. When experiencing anything for the first time, many children will look to their adult to find out how to respond. For example, when seeing a pond or swimming pool for the first time, a child will often look to see if it is something to be explored or to be afraid of. Demonstrating curiosity and interest is crucial and again, the adult has a very powerful influence on the child’s development. If a child feels in control of a situation, they are more likely to persevere and develop that resilience, although that is not to say that feeling out of control is always detrimental to learning and can also be a powerful learning experience; finding a balance is key.

Each and every one of us here at BISS Puxi is committed to supporting our students in their educational journeys and we all look forward to the rest of the academic year with interest and excitement.