3 Pillars – Wellbeing at Scotch:

Resilience

“Everyone…at their best…as often as possible.”

At the heart of Wellbeing at Scotch is the concept of “Knowing the Boy”. At every stage of a boy’s development, there are significant staff who seek to understand what is going on in his life and who know best what skills he needs to live life well. A key part of our Wellbeing programme is making students aware of these skills and providing them with opportunities to practice them.

Our lives are full of ups and downs. We each face roadblocks and detours and delays which can distract and deter us from our goals. Our ability to cope with the unexpected or the unwanted can define who we are and what we achieve. Our willingness to push on when the road gets tough, our preparedness to change paths when necessary, and our ability to know when to apply each of these are critical elements in coping with life’s challenges.

We see resilience and grit as two halves of the same thing – resilience is the capacity to overcome obstacles and deal with setbacks, while grit is the ability to anticipate and plan a way around or over obstacles. Resilience is getting back on track; grit is finding another track to get to wherever it is you want to go. Resilience is the ability to bounce back, while grit is the ability to keep on bouncing. Resilience is the capacity to ride life’s waves, while grit is the determination to use those waves to move us toward a distant objective. In a sense, resilience is about short-term recovery (“get back up”), whereas grit is a longer-term dedication (“never give in”).

Much of what we do at Scotch involves the fostering of resilience. There is academic resilience: the capacity to deal with poor performance and to find new ways of working through a problem. Our sports and outdoor education programmes are about developing each student’s capacity to deal with difficult situations, when things don’t go according to plan, as do our Music and Drama programmes. Within our Wellbeing programmes, and in the House system, we also seek to develop students’ capacity to put themselves outside of their comfort zones, with a willingness to go a little further each time. A key element in all of these is the individual’s ability to be self-motivated. We also believe that mindfulness and humour are important elements in learning to deal effectively with difficulty and to cope with life’s challenges.

It is important for us to recognise the role that independence plays in resilience. Being independent involves taking responsibility for our own actions and our life, and trusting that we can make decisions which will benefit ourselves and others. This also enhances the belief that we have control over our lives, and that through our choices and our hard work, we can have an influence on the course of events. A proper sense of independence also recognises our interconnectedness, and the importance of working with others and the mutual benefits that come from accepting help from others at the appropriate times.

Resilience is fundamental to our growth as individuals and as a community. We get better by learning from mistakes, resolving not to repeat them and to do things differently next time. The Finnish concept of ‘Sisu’ is instructive in this – it is a determination to persevere and prevail; to be enhanced by circumstances, not diminished by them and it applies to Finns as a group. We want all members of our community to have the inner strength to do what is right and good, even when that is hard.

For our staff, we recognise the importance of them being resilient, not only as role models for our students, but for them to make the most of their own lives and be at their best for themselves and those they love. We seek to build their resilience by finding ways to give them greater autonomy and by providing greater flexibility. This creates a sense of empowerment, which is central to ensuring that we have agency in our own lives. We also believe in the benefits of mindfulness for staff in dealing with life’s challenges and getting the most out of every day. Another important element of resilience in staff is a willingness to foster creativity. New and innovative ways to approach old situations or new challenges can be beneficial to the wider school community.

Key Elements of Resilience at Scotch:

• Riding life’s waves; Overcoming obstacles
• Grit/perseverance + passion; Sisu
• Self-motivation
• Mindfulness
• Humour