A new rule is floating around MCHS, and while it might seem like common sense to some, it would not stand out as the norm for many teens. Chandra Ferry, an MCHS Family and Consumer Science teacher, advises her students to follow the 24-hour rule. The 24-hour rule is a strategy teens and adults can implement when emotionally charged situations happen to them, like when someone experiences a breakup or rumors are being spread about them. Instead of being reactive, the key is not to engage, even if you try to take a second and think about what may happen if one tries to fight back. Ferry has advised students to use this rule when instructing students for the last 15 years, so students can make rational decisions, avoid trouble, and ensure that peace stays at MCHS.

Ferry stated, “The key is to remember picking and choosing your challenges and battles. Initially reacting when the situation occurs is not how you will react in 24 hours. Take 24 hours to absorb what’s going on, rethink the entire situation, and then see a better, more peaceful outcome. We have so much going on in life and the world itself.”

Ferry later explained, “You will honestly see this working once you get into practicing this rule. The outcome is that your inner peace is better, you have less stress, and showing you can handle different situations. You may even find a new friend because you didn’t react or judge.”

While Ferry likes to apply her 24-hour rule personally, there are already examples where the rule has positively affected MCHS students.

A student who wished to remain anonymous said, “I heard about the 24-hour rule from Mrs.Ferry. At first, I was like this would never work, but I was wrong. I tried it in one of my relationships going south, and I felt like a lot of my stress had disappeared and had helped my confidence level. Don’t get me wrong, I failed a couple of times, but Mrs.Ferry said not to give up on it because the 24-hour rule helps.”

Another student, MCHS freshman Michelle Laguna-Rafael explained, “It has helped me because I have anxiety. So, the 24-hour rule has made me think more about my actions and less about what people are thinking or how they are going to react to a person, or even how a discussion can be made from that. I found myself in a situation that could have gone wrong. But I really didn’t react to the person, and it has helped me in so many different ways but just given me that time to sit and breathe.”

Ferry and her promotion of the 24-hour rule are helping many Madison students cope. Hopefully, the strategy will continue to catch on with the MCHS student body to keep them from making rash decisions that could lead to adverse outcomes.