What is Resourcefulness?

What is resourcefulness?

Here at True Balance Karate in Downers Grove, Illinois, we have a social-emotional learning program called True Character. I am Master H, the owner and chief instructor here at the studio. I have two master’s degrees in education, and we’ve developed this curriculum to best meet the needs of our youngest students, who are three or four, and our oldest student, who is 85.

This month, we are talking about resourcefulness, being resourceful, coming up with creative ways to solve problems, knowing that we can overcome difficulties if we’re just paying attention to the world around us, and thinking about it with a creative idea if you will.

So resourcefulness is a skill like many of these character traits that we have that is learned over time that we have to work on, cultivate, explicitly teach. Right? Back when I was teaching in the classroom, and we had first and second-graders, I would literally walk around as we were doing math lessons, “Which poster in this room would help you answer this question.” I would see the students starting to look around the room, and then they’d point to the one that would help them answer the question. And some of them would get it right, and some of them would get it wrong. I mean, that’s just how it goes at times. However, using the posters around the room, using cues, using visuals, using textbooks, using our resources is when we are showing resourcefulness.

I’m also reminded of when my kids were three. Well, the oldest was three. The youngest was not even here yet. But she was old enough to get her own glass. But we had all of the plastic cups that she would drink from up on a shelf in the top of the cabinets, so when she would want to pick her own plastic cup because that’s what they do at three. Right? Any parent around here knows, “I want the red one, mommy, not the blue one.” So we would put her on the counter, and she would pick which one she wanted, and then she’d get down. And we were always there supervising.

But one day, as she was getting it, she turned and actually wound up clonking my husband in the side of the head. And we were like, “I think she’s old enough to be able to get her own plastic cup.” At which point, he and I thought creatively. We looked around our kitchen, and we’re like, “If we move a few of these things, we can put all of the plastic cups in the bottom drawer and then she can be resourceful and get her own plastic cup.” And so we wound up solving the problem for us in terms of giving her a little bit more independence, and for her so that she could use what she knows, go into the drawer, get what she needed, and then ask for a glass of water that way.

So it’s a matter of developing these skills. It’s a matter of thinking outside the box. It’s a matter of how can we overcome whatever difficulty we have in front of us and generate more independence, more ability to take care of things on our own. Right? For my junior high and high school kids, it’s writing their assignments down in their notebook and using that as their resource to remind them of what things to grab to take home with them. Having a good clear space of where they can do that work to give them the resources of like, “Here’s all my pens and my pencils and highlighters and markers, and it’s all in this one space.” To an extent, sometimes resourcefulness is a little organization, too. For adults, we’re looking around. A big idea here, when you are walking through the airport or figuring out directions of where to go, you are using your resources, and therefore, you are being resourceful.

Are there somebody around here that can help you? Is there somebody that would be able to answer the questions? Where’s the big signs that are going to point me in the direction to go? When you’re using all these things, you are demonstrating your resourcefulness. You are demonstrating your use of the resources, your use of the signs, your use of the knowledge around you. You’re using that. You’re practicing your awareness, you’re practicing your focus, and you’re working towards being able to solve whatever problems come up along the way. So, as we continue to talk about resourcefulness, just remember it’s about overcoming those difficulties and solving those problems.

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the mat!

True Balance Karate was founded in 2012 by Master Sue and Paul Helsdon.

We offer kids karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up. These lessons are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need — specialized for their age group — for school excellence and later success in life.

Our adult martial arts training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay) in shape, or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.

Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week at 630-663-2000. You can also contact us here. True Balance Karate is at 406 Ogden Ave Downers Grove Illinois, 60515 (next to CVS) Check out our Facebook!