The inclusion of “culturally meaningful” resources and experiences describes the need for a socially just system to recognise marginalised communities and voices (Friere & Ramos, 2017). This means adapting to challenge hegemonic narratives of resilience as well as the wider social conditions which can contribute to adversity in the first place (Fisher, 2017). In identifying adversity and measuring resilience through successful navigation of those challenges, Wexler et al. (2009) caution that resilience is “a process involving personal and collective meaning-making and negotiation” and argues that this process can be different depending on the individual and community. This rejection of a fixed state of resilience, forged from measured success following identified adversity, presents resilience as dynamic across context and time, and reliant on interactions between the individual and their environment. (Masten, 2018). 

While this definition presents resilience as a complex issue, key concerns revolve around the variety of interconnected pathways to resilience, its dynamic development over time, and the importance of interactions between individuals and those they have intimate relationships with and attachments to (Hermann, 2011).

While individual teachers don't have full control over any of these domains, they can be a key influence in many of them, helping build resilience in young people and their communities. Beginning with individual skills and strategies for coping with adversity, teachers can play an important role in fostering concepts of self-efficacy, self-determination and self-esteem (Doll et al., 2011). Teachers can also serve as role models, promoting resilience by authentically modelling resilience strategies (Grotberg, 1995). According to attachment research, teachers can provide a secure base and safe environment for young people who do not have relationships they can rely on outside school (Diers, 2020). Werner (1993) describes the importance of an adult’s unconditional acceptance of a child in increasing resilience in the face of adversity, regardless of temperamental behaviour, attractiveness, or intelligence. Spending time with young people everyday, teachers are well placed to champion learners and support them socially, emotionally and academically.

Extending the focus to the social domain, teachers can encourage social engagement, supportive relationships and participation in prosocial organisations in young people’s everyday lives, helping to provide them with stability and support systems (Doll et al., 2011). An extension of these practices can help to create a preventative resilience-focused community by embedding protective strategies in school discourse and routines. Shifting social and emotional wellbeing from a pathological approach to fixing specific problems to population-based strategies which value the needs of all students helps to create a preventative culture of support for all young people (Doll & Cummings, 2008).

Educators should be cautious that while some schools appear to enthusiastically support building resilience, there are pitfalls that can significantly hinder those efforts. Constructing a concept of resilience based on academic attitudes and achievement, or as a purely individual, “mindset” based capacity can lead to disillusionment for students and ineffective resilience strategies (Brown & Dixon, 2020). It is also important to recognise that while schools and educators can make a significant impact, there are limitations to what can be achieved in this arena due to the interactions between the multitude of domains and systems a young person interacts with. In particular, there are many adverse circumstances which are out of a teacher’s control, and both adversity and protective factors are dynamic and ever changing (Doll, 2011). This means that educators must take a holistic approach to resilience in their practice, providing flexible support for students to remain responsive to their needs and understanding that no “silver bullet” will solve every challenge.

Not all young people will find this transition challenging. Some primary students will only have positive feelings about going to secondary school, and many young people in Scotland report anxieties fading rapidly after the transition (Graham & Hill, 2003). On the other hand, a significant proportion of Scottish students report more ongoing worries after transition than before, despite secondary school being better than they expected (Zeedyk et al., 2003). This highlights the need for building long lasting resilience skills that will endure through and beyond the transition, empowering students with internal and external resources that they can draw upon as the need arises. 

Priorities for building resilience are different before and after the transition, reflecting the need for a varied and flexible approach. Lester and Cross (2015) identify the most effective protective factors throughout and at different stages of the transition which provide useful starting points for teachers helping students to navigate this period:

Across the transition
Feeling safe at school
Feeling connected to school
Peer support
Connectedness to teachers

Priority for Primary
Establishing quality peer support connections

Priority in the First Year of Secondary
Policies and practices promoting safety

Compounding the challenges of the transition to secondary school are the complex repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the virus and restrictions in response to it have been connected to negative impacts on wellbeing such as uncertainty, isolation, a lack of agency, depressive symptoms and boredom, which are particularly frustrating for young people attempting to make key transitions (Shanahan et al., 2022). The added stress and disruption that the pandemic has caused for parents has been linked to emotion regulation problems in children, and social isolation has led to difficulties managing peer relationships (Foley et al., 2021). This further highlights the need for constructive coping strategies which can support the resilience of young people, their families and school systems in the face of transition and uncertainty (Cauberge et al., 2021).

Characteristics such as flexibility, independent problem solving and responsible decision making are all important contributors to individual resilience (Lee & Stewart, 2013). These can be developed through a classroom environment which values learner agency and encourages intrinsic motivation to tasks. Giving learners plentiful opportunities to tackle authentic problems on their own terms and take pride in their achievements, with the teacher guiding them towards possible solutions, allows them to see themselves as successful independent individuals.

Building on this, it is important to facilitate the development of resilience by integrating health and wellbeing teaching throughout the curriculum. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to teaching these social and emotional skills and dispositions makes them more authentic, engaging and effective than teaching them in standalone sessions (Brown & Dixon, 2020). 

Finally, by demonstrating trust and respect in the classroom, teachers can encourage learners to reach out for support when they need it in a safe but stimulating learning environment. Modelling a variety of emotional regulation strategies and showing optimism and positive self-concept can break down stigma around mental health and empower students to engage with resilience building practices (Hermann et al., 2011).

In the current context, it is important to advocate for mental health support for teachers and staff to prevent burnout, as part of a broader dialogue around returning to school post-COVID-19 (Luthar et al., 2021). Raised expectations for ‘catching up’ on missed learning threaten to increase stress among teachers and learners, reducing the capacity to rebound from stressors arising from outside or inside the school. Ensuring school is a place for community building as well as academic achievement aligns this need with wider resilience building efforts. Providing platforms for participation in sports, and creative or cultural expression and engagement also contribute to community wide resilience on the macrosystemic level (Hermann et al., 2011). Teachers can create space for these in their classrooms as well as championing them through extracurricular opportunities.

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