Talking to Others:

Talking About Resilience

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This lesson in action:

Lesson Objectives

Students will be able to:
  1. Describe how the concept of resilience can be beneficial and harmful, and particularly for members of marginalized groups
  2. Consider times when they should and should not push through adversity

Learning Standards

  • LfJ 19. Students will make principled decisions about when and how to take a stand against bias and injustice in their everyday lives and will do so despite negative peer or group pressure.
  • LfJ 20. Students will plan and carry out collective action against bias and injustice in the world and will evaluate what strategies are most effective.

Learning Activities: If you have 15 minutes

Greeting:

If you could choose to remain one age forever, what would you choose?

Reading:

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Ask Students:

  • What does this quotation get you thinking about? 
  • Do you think it’s true?

Initiative:

Refresh students’ memories of The Gardener’s Tale. You might decide to show this YouTube video telling the Gardener’s Tale:

View the Gardner's Tale video

Then ask students to think about the pink flowers growing in the rocky/sandy soil.

Ask Students:

Ask students to discuss in partners:
  • Are the flowers that could grow in the rocky/sandy soil better or more capable than those who couldn’t?
Explain that we live in a society that tends to celebrate resilience and grit.
Resilience is the ability to power through tough circumstances and use those circumstances to become even stronger.
  • But does it always make sense to try to power through?

Initiative:

Show video clip of 18-year-old Kerri Strug who was encouraged by her coach to keep competing in the 1996 Olympics despite a significant injury.
Explain that the second vault broke her ankle and led to her retirement from gymnastics. 

View the Kerri Strug video

Ask Students:

  • Should Kerri Strug’s coach have pushed her to be resilient?
  • Does it seem like certain people are expected to be more resilient than others? Who? Why? (people from marginalized groups, who do not have privilege)

Learning Activities: If you have 45 minutes

Initiative:

In the 2020 Olympics, Simone Biles made a different decision. She pulled out of the Olympics gymnastics competition when she realized her mental health could cause her to get seriously injured.
Share a news story about Simone Biles pulling out of the Olympics.

View the Simone Biles video

Ask Students:

  • What do you think of Simone Biles’ decision to pull out of the 2020 Olympics competition? 
  • Is there a way in which this decision was demonstrating resilience?

Learning Activities: If you have 2 hours

Initiative:

Share with students the TED Talk by Emem Washington entitled “A Better Way to Think About Resilience”

View the TED Talk video

Ask Students:

  • How do you know when you should be resilient by pushing through vs. quitting?
  • How is the concept of resilience sometimes harmful? *
  • How the concept of resilience sometimes beneficial? **

*Notes on Question #2:

  • If you don’t respond well to experiencing life adversity (that comes from oppression), then it’s somehow your fault instead of the system’s.
  • It can keep us oppressed! When we are constantly told to just be resilient, we don’t have time to think about resistance…to question why I’m being forced to endure this circumstance in the first place or to resist!
  • “Paralyzes change and maintains the status quo.”

**Notes on Question #3:

Sometimes it’s helpful to know examples of people who succeeded despite the odds as inspiration. Inspiration helps us remain hopeful and optimistic about ourselves and our community. But, I have to remember not to compare myself to them.

Debrief (Slide 18):

  • What did you like about today’s lesson?
  • Did you learn anything new about yourself or anyone else?
  • What could make it better?
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