There has been a growing interest in the importance of resilience in both the work place and in everyday life. Defined as the ability to bounce back from adversity, it is easy to see – in our fast-paced and often stressful, modern lives – why this is the new ‘buzz word’ in education.
Resilience is not something innate but a skill that can be learned under the guidance of trained and empathetic teachers. At Notre Dame we pride ourselves on our ability to nurture the girls whilst still maintaining high academic standards. However, we live in a society where, often, examination focus detracts from the time spent building character and ensuring children are equipped with the necessary skills of self-belief and perseverance. This is where resilience training becomes effective. At Notre Dame, we have in place a wide-reaching strategy to promote resilience and wellbeing across the school. This is what we call The Lestonnac Approach.
WHY RESLILIENCE MATTERS
Why the need for resilience? Simply put, research suggests that resilient individuals are more successful, perform better in examinations and generally cope better with stress in everyday life. Therefore, by working with our numerous strengths as a school community, we can ensure that our girls are confident and capable learners who achieve highly, have a high degree of self-efficacy and a well-balanced outlook on life.
The Lestonnac Approach
In Practice
The Lestonnac Approach enables resilience and wellbeing in our girls through well-established practices and initiatives. These include strategies for overcoming obstacles; fostering a ‘bounce back’ attitude to disappointment; and ultimately nurturing intrinsically self-motivated and adaptable young people. The leadership of our school is always looking for innovative ways to revisit, reinforce and review our consistently thorough practices.
