• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

January 31, 2022 Instruction & Curriculum

What Teachers Can Learn from the Life of Cheslie Kryst

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Michele Lamons-Raiford

Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) and English teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past twenty years, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at Solano Community College for the past fifteen years. She has a BA and MA in English from Cal State University Sacramento, and teaching credentials in English and ASL from Cal State University East Bay. She is a devoted wife, a mother of a beautiful Neurodiverse Son, and a lifelong Advocate for ASL, Deaf Culture, Students with Special Needs, Culturally Relevant, Culturally Affirming, Anti-Racist School Cultures, Climates, and Diversity in Educational Institutions and Organizations.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It - January 30, 2023
  • Moving Beyond Diversity to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Lessons from a Sunday Sermon - January 24, 2023
  • Teachers Need Trauma-Informed Practices Too - January 5, 2023
  • Trevor Noah's Farewell Speech Was an Ode to Black Women in Education - December 22, 2022
  • Our Son's Paraprofessional Changed Our Lives. Paraprofessionals Deserve Higher Pay. - December 9, 2022
  • Use 3 I's to Rediscover Your Purpose for Teaching - October 19, 2022
  • Racial Equity Work That Actually Works: Lessons from Dr. Lori Watson - October 7, 2022
  • Mythical, Fictional, Make-Believe...as Long as They Ain't Black - September 20, 2022
  • Should We "Flatten" Education? - September 12, 2022
  • Voices from the 2% - September 8, 2022

I was reading a Facebook (FB) post from the beautiful Gabriella T. Deyi, former Miss Wisconsin USA, Brand Ambassador at Mental Health America of Wisconsin, and one who also happens to be an illustrious alumnus of our high school. I have followed her throughout the years since she graduated, watching her run for Miss USA, establish an incredibly diverse and impactful career, and speak out on many crucial mental health issues.

Like Gabriella stated in her FB post dated 1/30/2022, I, too, was “haunted” by the recent death of her friend Cheslie Kryst: former Miss USA (2019), Extra New Correspondent, Lawyer, and Mental Health Advocate. The questions have echoed painfully in my head like I am sure they have for so many others.

What Teachers Can Learn from the Life of Cheslie Kryst Click To Tweet

How could this happen?

What could anyone have done differently?

And what can teachers learn from this beautiful soul who touched so many lives in her short thirty years on this Earth?

“I want people to know she was so much more than what people saw. So beautiful inside and out, and she was just like that in real life” (Gabriella Deyi, 1/31/22). I reached out to Gabriella today and listened to the heartbreak in my former student’s words as she struggled for words through her tears, holding back my own to offer love, support, and encouragement. Finally, she choked out the words we all need to know about her friend….” Cheslie was a human being.” My heart mourns with Gabriella as I feel her loss on a level I couldn’t explain. I did not know Cheslie, but I began to understand even more the tremendous impact she had on this world through my former student.

In Gabriella and Cheslie’s Instagram (IG) live from back in 2020, Cheslie asked Gabriella, “What are some signs that people may not think to look for in someone struggling with their mental health?” Gabriella’s response was, “...people usually don’t look at their strong friend....the one that seems to have it all together”.

As teachers, we can relate from having to hold things inside on a daily, and if these last few years have taught us nothing else, continuing to internalize emotions, stress and trauma is one of the unhealthiest things one can do. Our students are no different. We all have gone through so much lately that a focus on mental health has become more critical than ever.

Reading the news headlines stating “Cheslie Kryst was…” is devastating beyond words. As one of the five (5) Black women who won the major beauty pageants in 2019, to proudly wearing her natural curls, to being an attorney with an established high-profile career, she was a trailblazer (The Washington Post, 1/30/2022). There is so much inspiration in the story of her life. Our students, specifically our African American female students, will be able to see themselves in one who was a role model to so many. But what are the lessons we should learn from such a tragic story?

“Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent, said Monday on “Good Morning America” that when someone dies by suicide, people may wonder if they missed warning signs. But there should be no blame” (ABC News Former Miss USA and ‘Extra’ correspondent Cheslie Kryst dies at 30, 1/31/2022).

How many times have we heard about the importance of mental health in the last few years? And yet here we have a gorgeous woman, stunningly beautiful inside and out, who, for reasons we will never know, chose to end her own life. As an educator, I not only see the faces of my students but my colleagues, “the strong ones” who seem to have it all together. We have to learn from stories like these.

So, what can we do? Pay attention, check-in, reach out, seek therapy, meditate, and yes, pray. Whatever your beliefs, we need to find healthy ways to ensure that we do not focus on the external beauty, intelligence, humor, accolades, or other things we might mistake for someone appearing to “have it all together.” If nothing else, this latest tragedy has affirmed my dedication to self-care. As I continue on this journey to find that work/life balance, to maintain positive mental health, and to continue to press on, striving to persevere in the face of all adversity, I look to Cheslie’s last photo and post on IG, just hours before her death and read her last words of inspiration: “May this day bring you rest and peace.” May you find rest and peace in Eternal Paradise beautiful one. I choose to rest, Cheslie. I choose peace. Selah.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Band-Aiding The Mental Health of Our Children Naomi OsakaWhat Teachers Can Learn from Naomi Osaka Teacher Burnout and The Pandemic: The Impact to Mental Health Opinion: How Teachers Triumph Over Trauma When Battling Trauma Ourselves?
« Research Paper Alternatives That Will Still Increase Research Skills
Why Transgender Students Need Teachers Who Aren’t Afraid »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.