What We Can Control

Every day, a different teacher emails Middle School students with information about the day, helpful and fun links, and often some personal information as a way to get to know each other and continue strengthening our community. Eighth Grade Math Teacher Krystal White sent a morning greeting to Middle School students on the eve of the general election. After reminding students what the day’s schedule looks like, White offered some helpful tips and tricks to navigating what could be a difficult time. Here’s her message:

I talked with some 8th grade students recently and they shared a lot of anxiety about tomorrow’s election. Some of that anxiety was centered around a big event occurring that would impact their lives but that they individually had little control over. I understand that a lot. I frequently have to tell myself to “control what I can control and not worry about the rest,” but it’s very hard to do. I have this outside of my classroom to remind me every day of that central idea.

If you are feeling similarly, I encourage you to process your emotions with a trusted adult: your parent/guardian, your counselor Ms. Walker, your advisor…We all want the best for you and we’re here to help.

Another option is to get involved in the political process. Even though you cannot yet vote, you can still get involved. I volunteered at my first campaign when I was 14 (stuffing envelopes and dropping off literature), was thrilled when my preferred candidate won the election, and was honored when he individually invited me to his swearing-in ceremony. Very cool.

I have two former advisees who are seniors this year. They cannot yet vote, but they wanted to make a positive impact on their community and help others vote in this election season. They banded together some friends, did a lot of computer programming, and created a website to help Missouri voters during this pandemic. Also very cool.

It’s quite possible that we won’t know the results of all the elections by Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, or anytime soon. That is out of our control. What is in our control is how we treat each other and how we behave once we find out the news. 

In our community of kindness, we treat each other with dignity and respect, we strive to understand each other better, and we honor the perspectives of the other awesome members of our community. This makes MICDS a wonderful place to be. Thank you for upholding those standards in the days, weeks, and months to come.

I hope you have a wonderful D9 day of learning and exploration today!

Wishing you all the best,

Krystal White