Let Them Roam: Rebuilding Childhood Resilience

On today’s episode of On The Way To School, I’m thinking about resilience, independence, and what happens when we remove the structures that have surrounded our students for most of their lives.

We want our kids to be successful. So we organize. We supervise. We intervene. We advocate.

And often, we should.

But there are also moments when students need to experience some productive tension—to figure something out, try something new, navigate a difficult social moment, or simply sit with the discomfort of not knowing what comes next.

That can be especially hard when students leave home for college.

Suddenly, the scaffolds are different. The social structures are different. And they have to begin developing the skills to create community for themselves.

That doesn't mean we stop listening.

It doesn't mean we ignore real struggle.

It means we learn to distinguish between supporting a student and solving the problem for them.

Because sometimes there really is nothing we can do.

They need the experience.

They need the reps.

And you don't get the reps without giving students enough room to take some healthy risks, make mistakes, and discover that they can handle more than they thought.

🎧 Listen to today’s episode of On The Way To School wherever you get your podcasts.

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