Developing practical strategies to build resilience at the individual, school, and community levels to mitigate the effects of ACE:
- Trauma-sensitive environment: A teacher can provide a quiet corner in the classroom (or a relaxation room in the school) where children can rest/relax when they feel overwhelmed, giving them space to calm down and refocus.
- Building strong relationships: The teacher regularly spends individual time with each child, asks about their interests, and shows them that their thoughts and feelings matter, thereby building trust.
- Supporting emotional regulation: When a child becomes upset, the teacher can suggest techniques like deep breathing or exercises to manage stress, helping the child regulate their emotions without negative outbursts.
- Individualized approach: For a child struggling to complete tasks, the teacher can break the tasks into smaller steps, making it easier for the child to manage without losing motivation.
- Fostering resilience: The teacher can encourage a child who has overcome a difficult situation (such as completing a challenging project) and praise their effort and ability to overcome obstacles.
- Collaboration with experts: The teacher works with the school psychologist and counseling center to create an individual plan for a child with ACE, incorporating specialized strategies to manage stress and support learning.
Environmental factors and school atmosphere play an important part in resilience
Adapted from: https://www.jeffveley.com/what-is-resilience-education/
Perseverance and recovery: Resilient students don’t give up after the first failure but continue working toward their goals, seeking new ways to overcome obstacles, and quickly recover from difficult situations, such as conflicts or academic setbacks.
Ability to adapt to changes and overcome challenges: Resilient students can flexibly respond to school challenges, such as schedule changes, difficult tasks, or conflicts with peers, without negatively affecting their mental or physical well-being.
Emotional regulation: Resilient students manage their emotions in stressful situations, such as during tests or group projects, and remain calm, enabling them to effectively solve problems and avoid impulsive reactions.
Positive thinking and optimism: Student resilience includes the ability to see failures, such as a poor test result, as an opportunity to learn and improve, while maintaining a positive attitude toward academic challenges.
Social support and relationships: Strong relationships with teachers, classmates, and parents play a key role in developing student resilience by providing support, motivation, and a sense of safety at school.