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‘Resilience’ is a word that has become a popular part of the discourse surrounding South Africans, with particular reference to our country’s community of educators. This has been particularly prevalent since 2020, with the onset of the pandemic; which uprooted and challenged the way that South African teachers approached education. In a sense, COVID19 provided the education system with a sudden and unsettling jolt into an unpredictable future.
As president Ramaphosa asserted in a 2021 address: “Working at times under difficult circumstances, our teachers are examples of resilience, excellence and professionalism.”
A retrospective glance at how teachers were able to adapt paints a telling picture. In just two years, many classroom-bound teachers left the comfort of four walls and embraced remote, online learning, using apps like Zoom to connect with learners and their team members. The disruption to the school calendar saw teachers finding innovative and creative ways to retrofit the curriculum into half the amount of time that is usually available. The mental and emotional impact that the pandemic had on learners meant that teachers had to become counselors, mentors and caregivers, transcending their everyday roles in order to meet the changing needs of their students.
Developing resilience as a South African educator will have a far-reaching impact on other aspects of your life including your personal life, relationships with others, future dreams and aspirations and goal-setting.
The education system was turned on its head and then propelled into obscurity. And again, the word that best describes the nature of South African educators, particularly during the turbulence of the last two years, is ‘resilient.’
There are two simple ways you can enhance your resilience as an educator right now by making a few strategic choices towards nurturing your personal and professional well-being.
- Create a circle of trust
In previous dispensations, work life and home life were regarded as being completely separate notions. Statements like, “you shouldn’t bring your work stress home,” or “you shouldn’t express negative emotions in front of colleagues,” were commonplace. The workplace of our contemporary world however, is a very different space.
If anything the pandemic has highlighted, it’s the inherent humanity in all of us. Teachers are still people: mothers, fathers, husbands and siblings. To a degree, for many teachers, their performance at school is somewhat personal and an important part of their identity. So with the lines between the working world and life at home being as blurred as they have been, it’s become increasingly important for educators to ‘find their tribe’ within the workplace and connect with like-minded individuals.
The role that colleagues play in our lives should never be taken for granted – in many cases, we spend more time with them than our own family and friends. Why shouldn’t fellow educators and staff members therefore be considered as confidantes, mentors and advisers?
Nurturing relationships with the colleagues at work who “get it,” can go a long way in curbing feelings of frustration or loneliness. It can foster a sense of camaraderie amongst staff members and open up channels for clearer, more honest communication. The face of resilience doesn’t always look like Wonder Woman or Superman. Sometimes it means being vulnerable, taking a risk and sharing openly. Value the colleagues you can trust and confide in – by being supportive during the difficult times, they will help you to practice what it means to be truly resilient.
- Make gratitude a go-to
Working in education is not an easy task. It can at times be grueling. As an educator, you deal with different personal dynamics every day, considering the needs and wellbeing of children while also interacting with other teachers and their unique perspectives. Wrapping up the school term, preparing for a new class, trying to give each learner a degree of individual attention – these responsibilities can weigh heavily on your shoulders and your psyche. But the truth is, resilience is a quality that only really becomes apparent in the tough times.
In these times, resilient teachers become adept at combating negative thinking and the downward spiral of emotion by developing ways to focus on the positive. This does not mean you have to become a fully-fledged optimist. What it does mean is that as a resilient educator, one of your greatest learning curves will be how to divert your attention from the difficult circumstances that you’re faced with, to something more constructive.
Resilience, like many other abstract qualities, can be made very practical. Be pragmatic about how you practice resilience as a teacher. Take it down from its cryptic pedestal and make it something that is real and tangible.
It could take the form of embracing gratitude when challenges arise. You could take 5 minutes out of your day to write a list of the things you’re grateful for with regards to being an educator. You could also read a list of affirmations, reminding yourself of your strengths. You could even involve your learners and dedicate time and space to sharing positive experiences. Gratitude for what your role as an educator adds to your life will remind you of the “why” behind what you do.
As president Ramaphosa asserted in a 2021 address: “Working at times under difficult circumstances, our teachers are examples of resilience, excellence and professionalism.”
Resilience has taken many different forms for educators. For some, it meant standing strong in the face of adversity or juggling the responsibilities of being a teacher and a parent and homemaker. For others it meant asking difficult questions around how education can and must adapt to be effective in an evolving and rapidly advancing world.
An academic report by Alice Wabule from the University of Witwatersrand, found that teachers who are regarded as resilient, embodied characteristics such as insightfulness and independent relationships, initiative, creativity, humour, morality, persistence, determination and optimism. The report also made reference to the opinion of an academic collective that teachers who are resilient are more likely to persevere under trying circumstances, find it easier to adapt to change and in general, are more inclined to the profession.
Developing resilience as a South African educator will have a far-reaching impact on other aspects of your life including your personal life, relationships with others, future dreams and aspirations and goal-setting.
As educators and as people, being resilient will play a pivotal role in the way you feel about and relate to the world around and within you. Take a moment to recognise your own sense of resilience and today, be appreciative of the journey you have walked, the lessons you have learnt and the prospects that the future holds.
Here are some helpful and inspiring TED Talks on resilience for your next tea break:
