Monday, March 23, 2015

MARCH 23 - 27

Frutos dulces, raíces amargas
Por Roger Martínez  Miralda

Se atribuye a Aristóteles una antigua sentencia que señala que la educación es una planta que tiene raíces amargas pero frutos dulces. Es decir, que para que un proceso formativo produzca el resultado deseado (una persona mejor, con valores bien asumidos y hábitos éticos firmes, por lo menos), hay que llevar a cabo una labor que muchas veces será poco placentera, que implicará exigencia y que no siempre será bien percibida y comprendida por el sujeto que está siendo modelado. Y esto vale tanto para la educación sistemática, para la escuela en sus distintos niveles y modalidades, como para la educación familiar, para la crianza de los hijos.
Una escuela, un colegio, una universidad o unos docentes que como se dice, de manera chusca en el argot popular, son un “barco” que apenas lleva a los alumnos “de una orilla a la otra”, porque las instituciones o los individuos prefieren no exigir y facilitan la promoción, ganar clases o grados, pero no el aprendizaje y esto causa un enorme daño. Un padre o una madre de familia que, con tal de mantener a la prole contenta, no genera un marco de disciplina en la convivencia familiar, destruye el fututo de los hijos y aporta elementos nocivos a la sociedad.
La inconciencia o la comodidad, que no creo que lo hagan por maldad, de padres y profesores que excluyen la disciplina y la exigencia, el rigor en la búsqueda de la verdad y el bien, terminan por dar vuelta a la máxima para aconsejar raíces dulces mientras olvidan que obtendrán, entonces, frutos amargos. Porque de exigir uno nunca se arrepiente pero de dejar de exigir se arrepiente muchas veces.
El vago, el parásito social, el hombre o la mujer carentes de carácter, de personalidad, nunca fueron exigidos; el indolente, el perezoso, el “vivo” que medra del trabajo de otros, creció sin conocer la responsabilidad, la rendición de cuentas, los correctivos que siguieran a la faltas cometidas.
Educar, formar, requiere esfuerzo sostenido, perseverancia, sacrificio. Un hombre o una mujer que no estén dispuestos a pasarla mal alguna vez, a ser testigos de reacciones adversas, a “bailar con la fea”, no pueden educar a nadie, no deben guiar procesos de mejora personal de ninguna manera. Aquel que quiera cosechar frutos apetecibles, que quiera enorgullecerse de su labor al contemplar los resultados de su esfuerzo diligente, debe tener claro que antes deberá padecer. La sonrisa de un hijo que va alcanzando cuotas de éxito personal o profesional es la metamorfosis de unas caras largas, de bastantes noches de desvelo, de tentaciones de desánimo. Pero, al final, podrá experimentar por sí mismo que todo lo bueno cuesta y que vale la pena.


Monday, March 2, 2015

MARCH 2 - 6

Teaching Students the ABCs of Resilience
From natural disasters to economic meltdowns, from wars abroad to tragic shootings close to home, this year brought to light the increasing complexity of the world in which we raise kids. Our natural instinct as teachers, parents and caretakers is to protect children from hardship, yet we know walking between the raindrops of adversity is not possible. Instead of sidestepping challenge, we can teach kids to cope positively, to learn and grow from adversity. We can arm our youth with skills of resilience, and these lessons can begin in the classroom.

Understanding the Roots of Resilience

Have you ever wondered why one student may be more resilient than another? Let's say Lisa and Jenny are students in the same eighth grade math class. They both struggle during the quarter and, in the end, they both receive low final grades. Upon hearing the news, Lisa and Jenny share myriad negative emotions: disappointment, anger, fear and sadness. However, after a few days, they diverge in their coping strategies. Lisa picks herself up; she finds a tutor and commits to making a greater effort in math going forward. Meanwhile, Jenny tumbles into a downward spiral of negativity; she sulks and starts performing poorly in all of her subjects. Lisa and Jenny faced the same adversity, so why did one bounce back while the other did not?
You may guess the difference lies in their genetic disposition or family circumstance. Maybe Lisa was born a "stronger" person, or maybe Lisa's parents are more supportive than Jenny's parents. While this may all be true, one factor supersedes the influences of genes, childhood experiences, and opportunity or wealth when it comes to resilience. In fact, according to decades of research, the biggest influence on resilience is something within our control. The biggest influence is our cognitive style -- the way we think.

The ABCs of Resilience

Students can adjust their own cognitive style by learning about the ABCs of resilience. This model was first proposed by psychologist Albert Ellis back in 1962, and it is still used as a foundational lesson in resilience. Let's learn about the ABCs by going back to our example.
If you asked Lisa or Jenny why she was unhappy upon receiving low math grades, she would probably look at you quizzically. It's obvious, isn't it? She was upset because she received a low grade. This seems to be the correct answer, but it's not. Many people mistakenly believe that facing an adversity like receiving a low grade leads to a consequence like feeling unhappy.

Myth: Adversity Leads to Consequence

If a particular adversity led to a particular consequence, then Lisa and Jenny would have shared the same enduring reaction to their poor grades. In fact, everyone would have the same reaction to every adversity in life, and we know this is not the case. People react differently to the same exact challenges, because between A (adversity) and C (consequence) lies the crucial letter B. Here is the more accurate model: every adversity one faces triggers beliefs about that situation, which in turn causes a reaction or consequence.

Reality: Adversity Leads to Beliefs Leads to Consequence

The ABC model explains why Lisa and Jenny coped differently with the same challenge. Lisa knew she received a low grade, but she believed she would improve by making a greater effort; she also felt that one bad grade wasn't the end of the world. Lisa's beliefs led her to acquire a tutor. Jenny, on the other hand, believed that doing poorly in math had spoiled her chances of getting into a good college. Jenny thereby decided there was no point in trying at all in school and began skipping her classes and neglecting her studies.
Lisa's optimistic and more realistic beliefs contributed to her high resilience in an adverse situation. Jenny's pessimistic and unrealistic beliefs contributed to low resilience in the same adverse situation. Optimistic and realistic belief systems combine to create a cornerstone of resilient mindsets. The great news is that once students learn the ABC model, they can hone in on their beliefs and begin fine-tuning them for greater optimism and accuracy.
The ABC model is a simple yet power tool in cultivating self-awareness -- a crucial element of resilient mindsets. Do you think it's a model you would teach in your classroom?

Renee Jain - Renee Jain is the founder and Chief Storyteller at GoStrengths, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people by delivering social and emotional learning programs (SEL) to the K-12 education community. Renee is a former tech-entrepreneur turned positive psychology practitioner and holds a Masters of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Renee's passion lies in teaching research-based life skills to children via engaging mediums such as digital animation. Learn more about her programs at www.gostrengths.com and www.gozen.com.