Visions WEEK 4: RESILIENCE (9/19-20)

FOCUS: “How did he do it?” Many readers of Strong Inside have asked that question. What enabled Perry Wallace to keep going, both on the court and in the classroom? The focus of this week’s session will be the concept of resilience.

The word “resilience” might seem to mean the very essence of being “strong inside.” The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress, such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplaceand financial stressors. It means ‘bouncing back’ from difficult experiences.”[1]

But where does resilience come from? And it is always good? That is, are there times or situations in which “adapting well” is not enough and may not even be healthy and/or appropriate? For example, there can be situations in which “difficult experiences” are more common for one group of people than for others due to systemic forms of discrimination, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, or ableism. This week, your group might talk about this concept with both appreciation and a more critical approach. When is resilience helpful as a goal, and when might we need to approach things with a different goal in mind?

PLAN IN ADVANCE: This week, VUceptors will have a choice in how to design their session:

(1)Use writing prompts and a free writing exercise to generate discussion,

(2)Plan to attend a mini-seminar offered by a Faculty Affiliate,

(3)Engage students in discussion in response to a small group activity, or

(4)Design your own discussion with your partner.

FRAMING THE CONVERSATION: Before having this conversation, you may want to remind students that your Visions group is a space for everyone to share and express their thoughts without fear and remind them of the ground rules that you set at the beginning of the semester. You may choose to set these guidelines using the PROCESS model (Appendix A on page 29). Your VUceptees will come with different experiences and varying levels of awareness. Remember that your international students may have very different understandings of race as an idea or concept and also may not be as aware of the current or historical discourse in the United States.

WRITING PROMPTS: Take enough blank paper and pens/pencils for each member of the group. VUceptors should agree on at least one of the following prompts and then let group members have 5-7 minutes for free writing in response. We recommend that VUceptors participate, too. After the quiet writing period, students will be invited to voluntarily read or otherwise share their responses. As in all Visions sessions, all sharing is voluntary.

  1. One of the ways that Maraniss constructs Wallace’s “strong inside” is his narrative focus on Wallace’s willingness at a young age to pick friends (and even a romantic partner) that he wanted to rather than people who would meet the approval of his social group. Have you ever been in this situation? Write about a quality you have valued in a friend or partner that is not necessarily something your friend group valued.
  2. We all need spaces/places where we feel safe enough to exhale, relax, and regroup. Where is that space or place for you, either in high school or now at Vanderbilt? Describe the place (in either or both cases). How did you find it? What are the qualities about it that help or helped you recharge?
  3. Sometimes the idea of being “strong inside” might not be sufficient because it can seem to suggest that we have to do this work alone, without friends, allies, accomplices, or other folks who offer us support. For example, the book tells us how Professor Vereen Bell was a very special person in Perry Wallace’s life and someone whose friendship was sustaining. In high school or now at Vanderbilt, who has played this role for you? Who helped you stay or grow “strong inside”?

FACULTY AFFILIATE SESSION: See Appendix C (page 31) for descriptions and instructions. To sign up, you must complete the form by midnight on Friday, August 19.

SUGGESTED GROUP ACTIVITY TO PROMPT DISCUSSION:

  1. Resilience and its limits: Get into groups of 2 or 3. Tell each other a story about a time in which you had to tell yourself it was ok to accept that you would make a mistake or even fail. What was that like for you, and what did that experience teach you? Share as much or as little as you like, as is always your choice.
  2. Strong Inside discussion (requires advance prep): Is there one story that jumped out from this text for you as a lesson in resilience? Share it with the group and reflect on the conditions, supports, or other factors that made it possible for Perry Wallace to endure.

[1] American Psychological Association. (2016). The Road to Resilience. Retrieved from