My Role Model, My Motivation, My Coach
By Adam Cirnigliaro
EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
June 4, 2009
Yesterday’s class was extremely emotional, but at the same time, fascinating to see classmates describe those people who have meant the most to them over the years. It caught me a little off guard how difficult it was for some people to present. It is clear that many of the people in our class have had difficult times and these role models have either directly helped them or inspired them to persevere. In my personal situation, my role model provided both types of motivation. He was always there encouraging me to work harder and to believe in myself. This wasn’t just rhetoric though. He lives the words he preaches, which makes you believe you should be as dedicated as him. He volunteered all of his free time to his students and really earned the love and respect of all of them.
One aspect of his life that was important to my role model was running. He was not a very athletic individual, but he was extremely competitive. He ran this same local 10k race every year and had a goal of finishing it in less than 45 minutes. Every year it seemed as though he barely missed his target time, but he never quit. I think most people would have become frustrated, yet he continued to run every morning before work. Last year he finally beat that 45-minute time, which I imagine must have been very satisfying for him. I know this is a very small thing, but it exemplifies how he approached life and every task he took on. Finishing a race in a certain time might not be that important, but it showed me that if you dedicate yourself to something, you could accomplish it.
He was an extraordinary teacher as well. I talked to him about his preparation for class and it was amazing to me how much time he spent making sure he was able to introduce topics and help students develop a strong grasp of the material. More importantly then academics though, he was always there for me, as well as other students in all aspects of life. He was very approachable and sincerely cared about how your life was going. He has always been there to help me through difficult times and still continues to be today. He is one of the main reasons I want to become a teacher. I would love to be able to have the impact on just one child’s life, the way he had on mine.
Long Island University, C. W. Post
June 4, 2009
Yesterday’s class was extremely emotional, but at the same time, fascinating to see classmates describe those people who have meant the most to them over the years. It caught me a little off guard how difficult it was for some people to present. It is clear that many of the people in our class have had difficult times and these role models have either directly helped them or inspired them to persevere. In my personal situation, my role model provided both types of motivation. He was always there encouraging me to work harder and to believe in myself. This wasn’t just rhetoric though. He lives the words he preaches, which makes you believe you should be as dedicated as him. He volunteered all of his free time to his students and really earned the love and respect of all of them.
One aspect of his life that was important to my role model was running. He was not a very athletic individual, but he was extremely competitive. He ran this same local 10k race every year and had a goal of finishing it in less than 45 minutes. Every year it seemed as though he barely missed his target time, but he never quit. I think most people would have become frustrated, yet he continued to run every morning before work. Last year he finally beat that 45-minute time, which I imagine must have been very satisfying for him. I know this is a very small thing, but it exemplifies how he approached life and every task he took on. Finishing a race in a certain time might not be that important, but it showed me that if you dedicate yourself to something, you could accomplish it.
He was an extraordinary teacher as well. I talked to him about his preparation for class and it was amazing to me how much time he spent making sure he was able to introduce topics and help students develop a strong grasp of the material. More importantly then academics though, he was always there for me, as well as other students in all aspects of life. He was very approachable and sincerely cared about how your life was going. He has always been there to help me through difficult times and still continues to be today. He is one of the main reasons I want to become a teacher. I would love to be able to have the impact on just one child’s life, the way he had on mine.
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