Childhood Web

The five people that had the most influence in my life are as followed:

• My mother, of course was the first person to show love and affection to me.  I was always shown attention, made to feel pretty, and told I was smart.  I didn't always believe it, but I know that without this reassurance I would become like so many of my friends who became teen parents, in jail or addicted to drugs.  She balanced this out of course with strict discipline. School work was of the utmost importance.  No school work school...No play.  She set a good example of how to balance a family, work, and other extra curricular activities in order to maintain a happy and fulfilling life.  My mom who is 75 still influences me.

• Next  would be my father,  He is the example of the type of man that is not insecure and knows that woman are capable but men should always be gentlemen.  He encouraged my sister and I to be what ever we wanted to be in life. He never, ever told us to back down or belittle ourselves in order to be accepted.  I can say that both of my parents were not the type to portray themselves to the public one way and then another in private.  From that I learned to never do anything that would bring embarrassment to myself or the family.

• Mrs. Word was my preschool teacher.  I believe she was the same age I am now when I went to her.  In the early 70's she opened her home and literally turned it into a school.  The bottom half of her house was turned into a classroom.  She taught me how to read and write my name.  Told me I was smart and could be anything I wanted to be.  She was strict and made sure we learned table manners, how to put things away, how to share.  But in her strictness, we felt her love.  I can't even explain how she has influenced me to want to be a teacher.  I loved the way she would read a book and change her voice.  She would get excited and ask us what was going to happen next.  I sometimes find myself  doing the same thing when I read to my class.

                                            Dorthy Word

• Ms. Clemenza was my fourth grade teacher whom I have thought of often over the years.  I loved the way she set up her class for independence.   She would start out the week giving us  direct instruction.  Then the rest of the week we has contracts that we had to complete.  If we finished our contract, our required work, we could then could do "free time"  The free time was always something "fun" but educational.  I always wanted to read and do a book report.  She fostered in me a love of reading.  I have learned a lot of life lessons by reading books.  I've learned that absolutely anything I want to know I can find it.  When I was a child  I found information  in a book  Now, it may be on the internet, but you still have to read.
•  I had a good friend from  3-6 grade.  We walked to school together, played at recess and occasionally spent the night at each others homes. I thought she had a life I didn't.  She was smart.  I didn't think I was.  She could wear makeup, and high heels.  I wanted to be like her.  I thought she had everything. But after jr. high her behaviors changed. She began to do thingd that my mom had warned me about.  We drifted away and we did not see each other, during our high school years.  I asked people about her but never found out.  I even had dreams about her and wanted to go to her home to find out.  Nobody either knew or didn't want to tell. YEARS later I found her on Facebook.  I just knew she didn't remember me but she did..  I was truly surprised. She said she remembered the fun we had in school and that I was an influence on her.  When she went down the wrong path it was me that she thought of.  Whatever I had said or done had helped her get out of what ever rut she was in.  She thought I'd forgotten HER. This has helped me realized that no matter if you are a kid or an adult we all can be an influence in someones life.