This essay was written by Nagy Zsófia, age 22, from Hungary in response to the 2023 Global Voices Essay Contest in Central and Eastern Europe. Zsófia was awarded third place for this entry.

Margaret Thatcher once said:“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it”. All people encounter situations in their lives when they desperately need the strength to overcome them. Being resilient is not just about getting through a difficult lifetime, but also about how long it takes to regain strength, physically, mentally and emotionally. 

My own story started in 2007. I was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of six, which means that my life is heavily influenced by time, math and diet. After a while, you get used to having to push food in and sometimes having to deny it, but as a primary school pupil, you are still scared of needles. 

I was in first grade when my doctor discovered the cause of my malaise. I often fell asleep during class and was tired because my body was weakening, so my teachers told my parents that something was wrong. I spent a week in hospital, and after I got better we informed the school that I had diabetes, but that at the same time I wanted to continue school and be part of the class community. The only problem would be that my mother would have to come to the school to administer my insulin, as I could not do it myself yet. The headmistress did not allow this, as it was forbidden for a parent to come into the building, and she recommended that I switch schools; she thought that my mental capacity might be affected by my “condition” and I would therefore damage the school’s reputation. With great difficulty, we managed to get me to be a private student. I passed all my exams with flying colors, and studied at home alone or with my mother most of the time without a teacher. At the end of the year the headmistress, who had made me an outcast at one of the most important stages of a child’s life, presented me with the award for excellent students. 

The biggest question here is: how can any six-year-old get over this and deal with a serious illness, when at the same time they are separated from the classroom community and have to solve learning problems on their own? No method, no teacher, just themselves, the books and the deadlines. 

One of the challenges I often experience as a resilient learner is finding motivation to continue learning and growing even in the face of setbacks. Balancing the desire to succeed with the need to maintain a positive attitude and avoid burnout is not that easy, especially for someone who has just started school. To overcome this, people need to set achievable goals, and regularly measure their progress towards these goals. This helps individuals stay motivated and to see the results of their hard work, which in turn provides a sense of accomplishment and motivation. The most helpful aspect that I am still constantly developing is improving management skills and setting aside dedicated time for learning and reflection. It always makes me more focused on my goals and able to continuously update my skills and knowledge. 

Because I was mostly alone and/or preparing for classes with my parents, I also had problems with certain subjects. I sometimes received negative criticism for my interpretation of certain tasks (for example in math), which was a completely new and unfamiliar feeling for me, as I was mostly excelling. There was a time when it was starting to take a toll on my confidence. However, instead of giving up, I unconsciously chose to adopt a resilient learning mindset. In a way, of course, it was conscious because I wanted to improve myself, but the way I found to do that was unconscious because back then I didn’t know anything about methods and techniques. It was a process I needed to go through. I occasionally took advantage of extra help sessions offered by one of my teachers, and I also started breaking down the difficult concepts into smaller, more manageable parts and practiced them repeatedly until I fully understood them. 

According to Kóródi and Szabó, a resilient learner is one who performs well despite his/her disadvantaged situation. In this sense, a resilient learner has the ability to bounce back from setbacks and overcome challenges in a positive and productive way. Research shows that there are fewer and fewer resilient students, yet resilience is actually a competence that can be developed. Learning about the psyche of oneself and recognizing how we behave in situations of prolonged stress are vital stages. The key may lie in acceptance: accepting a given fact that cannot be changed and looking at failures as open doors. The battle I had to fight most of the time was that I became a bit isolated from others and more vulnerable to failure. I was keen to prove that I was worth as much as anyone else. Those who see it differently (like the former headmistress) are wrong.

As a future teacher, I would like to teach this valuable lesson to my students when it comes to learning: success is not about avoiding challenges, but about how we respond to them and use them as opportunities for growth. 

Sources
KÓRÓDI, KITTI, and ÉVA SZABÓ. “A TANULMÁNYI REZILIENCIA ÉRTELMEZÉSE:KUTATÁSI, PREVENCIÓS ÉS INTERVENCIÓS LEHETŐSÉGEK.” Magyar Pszichológiai Szemle 74, no. 4 (December 2019): 527–45. https://doi.org/10.1556/0016.2019.74.4.6.
“The Observer.” Guardian Media Group, January 14, 1979.