Positive Role Models
Every parent wants their children to have positive role models who have the characteristics that inspire them to want to be their very best. While there is some variation in every parent's definition of what it means to be a good person, the following 7 characteristics remain constant.
Positive role models;
(1) Model positive choice-making: Little eyes are watching and little ears are listening. When it comes to being a role model, you must be aware that the choices you make don't only impact you but also the children who regard you as their superhero.
(2) Think out loud: When you have a tough choice to make, allow the children to see how you work through the problem, weigh the pros and cons, and come to a decision.
(3) Apologize and admit mistakes: Nobody's perfect. When you make a bad choice, let those who are watching and learning from you know that you made a mistake and how you plan to correct it.
(4) Follow through: We all want children to stick with their commitments and follow through with their promises. But as adults it can sometimes be difficult to demonstrate follow through when we're tired, distracted, busy, or overwhelmed. To be a good role model, we must demonstrate stick-to-itiveness.
(5) Show respect: You may be driven, successful, and smart but whether you choose to show respect or not speaks volumes about the type of attitude it takes to make it in life. We always tell children to "treat others the way we want to be treated."
(6) Be well rounded: While we don't want to spread ourselves too thin, it's important to show children that we can be more than just one thing. Great role models aren't just "parents" or "teachers." They're great learners and challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zones.
(7) Demonstrate confidence in who you are: Whatever you choose to do with your life, be proud of the person you've become. It may have been a long road, but it's the responsibility of a role model to commemorate the lessons learned.
While it may seem like a great deal of pressure to be a positive role model; nobody is expecting you to be superhuman. We certainly wouldn't expect that behavior from the children who are looking to us for guidance.
We all need the support of each other to be good role models for the students at McKinley School. Thanks for your support and let’s continue to work together for the good of our children.
Mr. Chadaz
