Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/13098
Resiliency Continued from page 11 drinking, smoking pot, pro- miscuity or cutting them- selves,” says Cohen. “It may feel good for them to yell and scream, but that’s not a cop- ing skill that will be helpful in the long run.” To help bolster resilience, Cohen tries a different ap- proa ch. “ I ’ l l encour a ge them to remembe r what kinds of things make them feel good, such as listening to music, jogging, playing basketball and dance class. Things l ike danc ing can cause a higher level of en- dorphins and a sens e of well-being. Sometimes they forget how good it feels to move their bodies. They get too busy, s t ressed or de- press ed to do the things they like to do.” Some students, notes Co- hen, find it therapeutic to write down their thoughts and feelings. But she advises them to do this the old-fashioned way, on paper, rather than on- line in a way that makes them more vulnerable. “Sometimes teens just need some perspective and a little bit of a reality check,” she adds. “Is it a real crisis — or just a temporary situation?” Cohen received a pink slip, and doubts she will be rehired by the district next year. Stu- dents say they will miss her sage advice for coping with life’s problems. “We’re all panicky about get- ting into good colleges and stuff, and there’s a lot more pressure,” says 10th-grader Cassie Grilley, 15. “Someone like Ms. Cohen is unbiased and helps you to get through whatever is going on.” 38 California Educator | JUNE 2010 Transition to college life Once students get into college, they may find them- selves adrif t for the f irst time in their lives, s ays Frank Li l ly, a professor in the Teacher Education De- partment at CSU Sacramento. They have difficulty juggling time management and pri- orities. For the first time in their lives they are making their own decisions — and based on those decisions, the y wi l l eithe r s ink or swim. “They may be us ed to doing things at the l a s t minute and i t being okay, and suddenly it isn’t okay,” says Li l ly, whose specialty is educational psychology. “They find themselves in a c o n u n d r u m b e c a u s e they’ve always been able to do wel l , and they are not doing wel l.” Li l ly, a member of the California Faculty Associa- tion, is involved in programs to help freshmen survive the college transition. One pro- gram, the Guardian Scholars, is designed to help students exiting the foster care sys- tem. Another, First Year Ex- perience, is a semester-long cours e to he lp s tudents acclimate to the university. Students in that program have hi ghe r g r aduat ion rates than students not in the program. Lilly believes that today’s college students are less re- silient than their predeces- sors because years of testing and test preparat ion have robbed them of c r i t i c a l thinking skills and the ability to self-reflect. “One of the best ways to be resilient is for someone to self-access their own me- ta-cognition,” he explains. “They need to be able to a s k t h ems e l v e s , ‘How should I study? ’ ‘What is the best way to do this? ’ One of the strongest ways students can learn resilien- cy is through problem-solv- ing strategies, quest ioning and reflecting.” Col lege instructors can help by being on the lookout for students who are having difficulties adjusting and seem unduly stressed out. “The best thing a teacher can do is notice,” he says. “Be aware of signs that a student is having incredible difficul- ty. It’s hard, but I try to get to know students by name. I no- tice when they are doing well and speak with them about what they can do differently. I want to help them succeed. That’s why I’m here.” B Y C T A P R E S I D E N T D A V I D A . S A N C H E Z Continued from page 4 agree on what that change should be and how to achieve it will take more than a quick, e asy conversation. But it’s a conversation we must lead for the sake of our students and schools. That’s why, in addition to recommending a ful l slate of pro-public educa- tion candidates for the November election, CTA has collected signatures to qualify an initiative to repeal unfair corporate tax breaks. This initiative is just a start to changing state tax structures to en- sure that everyone is pay- ing their fair share. Big corporations are getting tax breaks at the same time state budget cuts are breaking our schools, and that’s just not right. So CTA will lead the charge to rescind these tax breaks, which were hand- ed out to the state’s larg- est corporations. In addition to work- ing on the state budget and preparing for the November election, we will be monitoring a lot of other issues, l ike ESEA reauthorization, throughout the summer. We want to make sure your voice is heard on the important issues that affect your classroom and schools. To make it easier for you to advo- cate for public education and to send a clear mes- sage to lawmakers in Washington and Sacra- mento, we are introducing a new real-time lobbying effort for members who sign up. You can sign up by texting CTASUMMER to 69866 or e-mailing SummerAdvocate@cta.org; we’ll keep you informed throughout the summer. Working together, we can elect officials who are pro-education and pro-student, and help our school s get the funding they so desper- ately need.