Middle School Division News: Jan. 9, 2025

By Dr. Jenn Milam, Pamela K. Murfin Head of School and Interim Middle School Division Head

Good snow-day afternoon Middle School parents and families! 

I hope this note today finds you enjoying a warm, work-from-home day with your middles as we navigate our way through the first “snow day” of the year. As we lead up to today and the difficult decision about school closing, many colleagues, friends, and some parents, urged me to consider that Texas is very different from Minnesota - where I lived just seven short months ago! 

Indeed it is different! In Minnesota, we plan for snow and a long winter - about 6 months of winter (seriously!). Often, we experience our first snow on Halloween. It's not unusual to still see "white stuff" on the ground while hunting Easter eggs or celebrating baseball's opening day. But in Texas, we are spoiled by six months of summer (yes, spoiled even in 100+ degree heat!,) and snow days are the exception to the rule. What I have come to appreciate is that both states, like all the others, have their strengths and shall we call them...opportunities for growth.

In Minnesota we prepared for, navigated well, and maybe even enjoyed winter. But we were all like Cinderella on the night of the ball, our chariots turning into pumpkins come April when we were all tired of snow, cold, and dreaming of daffodils and getting outside! Texas does summer exceptionally well - boasting temps well above 100 degrees and a resilience that would cause most others to melt (literally!) when going outside feels like you’ve stepped into a preheated oven! 

At the end of the day, it’s all about perspective and preparation. When you know what’s ahead and you prepare accordingly, neither the extreme cold or heat is all that bad. In fact, both can even be enjoyable. It is often written that one cannot control the circumstance, but they can control their reaction to said context. I hope today you’re embracing the beauty of a rare day in Texas with white snow on the ground. Take the opportunity to linger a little longer with a cup of coffee and the news. Peek in on your growing teenager and reflect on how, just a few years ago, they would have eagerly woken up to run outside and catch snowflakes on their tongue.

Because even if they are moody, disorganized, and a little unruly, they are still beautiful, unique, and truly incredible human beings finding their way, living for the first time in this big, amazing world! How cool is that? 

Be well and take care of one another,

Jenn Milam