I'm a role model ?!?!?!

This is a picture of me and my mini-me, Rachel. It was before I left for prom my junior year. She had to come over and see me all dressed up, and then we took a picture together.

For the longest time, I never thought of myself as a role model to young children. I mean, Rachel called me her best friend, but I never thought that meant I was a role model to her. I was just her best friend. It wasn't until I started college that I realized that this kids thought of me as a role model and someone they would like to be like when they got older. That puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders, and sometimes it's hard to deal with the fact that children are looking up to you.

As a personal goal, I want to make sure that my behaviors are one that I would want children to do. If I have good manners and don't do anything crazy, the children that look up to me will do that. As a teacher, it's important that my behaviors match what I want my students to do. If I tell them that chairs are for sitting, and I stand in it, they're going to stand in the chair. It's a very monkey see, monkey do process, and it's important that my actions match my words.