You Control You
By Suzanne M Trotter September 2013 You control you. I do not want to control you. Even if I wanted to control you, I could not control you. No one else can control you. You control you. You control what you do, Who you do it with, When you do it, Where you do it, How you do it, And Why you do it. It can be anything… You can do anything. You control you. While you can do anything Because you control you, Society demands certain behaviors. People do not like To be treated unfairly. Disrespect hurts others. No one wants to be hurt. People do not want to be forced To wait on or to work harder than Someone else. Irresponsibility hurts others. No one wants to be hurt. People do not like to be left out Or to be picked on. Exclusion hurts others. No one wants to be hurt. People do not want to be ordered about, To be mocked or put down. Oppression hurts others. No one wants to be hurt. People do not want to be lost, To be tired or behind. Inefficiency hurts others. No one wants to be hurt. People do not like to be the same. Copying hurts others. Plagiarism hurts others. Lying hurts others. Cheating hurts others. No one wants to be hurt. What hurts others also hurts you. How you choose to act Affects everyone around you And everyone around them Including you. Like the felling of dominoes Or the ripple in a pond. You have the power to cause harm Or You have the power to cause change. It is your choice. What does it take to be a hero? Respect matters. Responsibility matters. Involvement matters. Leadership matters. Efficiency matters. Uniqueness matters. Choice matters. And so, today you must choose. Will you stand up? Will you choose to cause change? Will you join forces and work together For the benefit of mankind? You are the hope of tomorrow. If you will stand up, If you will cause change, If you will work together To save the world, Then do so now. Society has watched horror after horror The tumbling of towers, The destruction of cities, The mass execution of innocence, The coldness of hatred. Society knows that the world is in danger. The world is lost without our help. You may not be faster than a speeding bullet, You may not be more powerful than locomotives, You may not be able to leap tall buildings In a single bound, But Together we have powers and abilities Far beyond those of mortal men. We can change the course of world events By fighting the never-ending battle For truth, For justice, And for “the American way.” I control me. You control you. |
Educational & Professional Background:
Suzanne M Trotter graduated in 2005 from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with dual Bachelor's Degrees in English as well as Genealogy & Family History. She incorporated what she learned from both of these degrees to work as a professional research consultant specializing in Germanic and Slavic family history research. Her own lineage being mainly from Germany and Slovkia inspired this specialization. After moving to Kansas with her husband in 2008, Suzi worked part time as a substitute teacher and an assistant librarian. During this time, she discovered a deep passion for teaching that matched her passion for language studies. In 2011, Suzi enrolled in the Alternate Route to Teaching Licensure program offered by Emporia State University. Following a school year of teaching at Dodge City High School in Dodge City, Kansas, and a series of licensure tests, she became a fully certified teacher. She is certified to teach English, English as a Second Language, and Social Studies. After Dodge City, Suzi taught at Caldwell Secondary Schools where she enjoyed being part of the close-knit teaching community. She is excited to be back in Western Kansas. Writing Background: Suzi was first published as a poet in Spring 2000 when she entered a poetry contest. Her poem, "Moonset," was ranked in the top 10 of high school seniors across the nation. The poem "You Control You" posted here was written as part of the materials she created to begin the 2013-2014 school year. This is not the first poem she has written as a teaching tool and it will not be the last. She has written a wide variety of poetry that she hopes to publish eventually. While Suzi is passionate about writing poetry, she loves to work with a variety of writing types. In college, she worked with Professor Roger P. Minert to publish course essays about German genealogy research. He later hired her to help create the format for German Immigrants in American Church Records. While she only worked on the first volume of this series, the project has continued and now contains information from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. For more information on this series, visit http://germanimmigrants.org/. |