By Starr, Emily, and Aniyah, East Norriton Bulldog Bulletin reporters | You tell a joke and don’t get a laugh. You walk into the cafeteria and no one has saved you a seat. The feeling you might have from such experiences is called rejection, and it can be pretty difficult to deal with.
According to KidsHealth.org, “Rejection doesn’t have to be about the big stuff like not making the team or not getting asked to prom. Everyday situations can lead to feelings of rejection, too.”
Ms. Zangara and Mrs. Pontari, East Norriton nurses, said that students can handle rejection by thinking of how it’s going to affect them tomorrow. If they’re sad today, they might not be sad tomorrow. Just think about the bigger picture.
Ms.Young, a fifth-grade English teacher said, “Rejection hurts people because everyone wants to feel included in some way. To me, rejection means being turned away from somebody that you want.”
“Students can handle rejection by trying to take it positively and learn from the experience, not dwell on it,” added fifth-grade science and social studies teacher Ms. Driscoll.
“Be upset about it, but talk it out with friends or family,” said seventh-grade math teacher Mrs. Haggerty.
Brother McGrier, a global leadership teacher, said, “Remember that you still have things that you’re good at and the opportunity wasn’t right at the time.”
“I would think about it first,” said eighth-grade science teacher Mrs. Garvey. “I am a pretty quiet and keep- to-myself type of person. My goal would be to learn from my mistakes, recognize what happened, and grow from it.”
KidsHealth.org says that, while your feelings are valid, you should still be polite and accept the other person’s rejection. Just don’t let the idea of being rejected take you down. The website adds the most important thing to remember is that you need to take time to acknowledge your feelings, and then get some distance from the situation to see things more objectively. Taking a new perspective allows you to turn the rejection into an opportunity to learn new things.
Illustration by Emily, East Norriton M.S.
