RESILIENCE IS BLACK HISTORY
February 14, 2023
Students today live in a fast track society filled with fast food, fast technology and fast choices. Everything comes at them so quickly. However, success often comes slowly after multiple attempts and frequent repeats. As educators we have the awesome opportunity to demonstrate to our students how to be resilient. We can teach our students how to be durable, strong and forbearing. We have the remarkable privilege to put an imprint on our student’s lives of what endurance looks like –the endurance to keep on keeping at something. We can show our students the determination to work at the same goal multiple ways, for long lengths of time until the desirable outcome is obtained. This is being resilient.
There were many in history that were resilient in spite of having frequent disappointments. These are some of the people we speak about and teach about during Black History Month which is America’s History because of the impact their contributions made on All of America. These "clouds of witnesses" cheer us on because they experienced what it is like to be durable, strong, and resilient against insurmountable odds. They knew how to continue moving forward, resisting all kinds of obstacles and opposition. They were resilient and resistant to the hurdles thrown at them and they found creative ways to navigate around, through, and beyond until they overcame. And now we can gain encouragement from our history in order to teach this life skill to our students.
Here is how: When we are resistant to low performance, we are being resilient. When we are resistant to labels, we are resilient. When we do not allow labels to define us or limit us then we are being resilient. We will resist discouragement. We will resist fatigue. We will model for our students how to be resilient, how to forbear, how to be steadfast and always abound and how to be durable. We will continually seek to differentiate ways to teach all our students until they reach the desirable outcome of becoming lifelong learners. WE ARE RESILIENT AS EDUCATORS!
WE ARE WHO ARE STUDENTS NEED!
Shelia Burlock, Educator
Quote for the minute: “Do not judge me by my successes. Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela
