Resiliency…
This is a quote from one of my favorite books I have read recently. I love the book, ‘The Body Keeps the Score”, by Bessel Van Der Kolk, and I think it is one of the most important and influential books I have ever read. This sentence has struck me particularly hard this “season” because I have a friend who is struggling… they do not have the ultimate faith in themselves they can “rise up”… they do not (yet) recognize how resilient they actually are and have been throughout their life.
“Resilience is the product of agency: knowing that what you do can make a difference.”
I think this is one of the most powerful and beautiful sentences I have ever read. I love it! But I would like to change it just a bit. For me personally, in dealing with my friend, I desperately want her to realize that what she does and who she is makes a POSITIVE difference. I am not sure if she realizes this or not, but I think this makes all the difference…
This afternoon I stopped at Barnes & Noble to purchase this book, specifically on your advice, in addition to a training I went to last month where it was referenced. I was going to use my B&N gift card that I received from one of my students…and then realized that I forgot the gift card. 😔 I WILL be returning and WILL be purchasing. I look forward to reading this over break and look forward to discussing!
A VERY powerful sentence that you referenced.
I think RESILIENCY and GRIT are two characteristics that are missing from many young adults’ repertoire these days. I hope to find ways to instill these traits in my students’ day-to-day lives in the near future.
Betsy, I will give you my book! You need not buy another version if you don’t wish. However, I will say if you do buy it I do not think you will be disappointed. As to resiliency and grit, I can not agree with you more! I hope BOTH you and I can find ways to instill these vital traits in our own students and possibly many more. In my mind, there are FEWER THINGS more valuable we could ever teach. I wish us both the best in this pursuit!