Faces of Me

How does one measure the true influences on his life? With so many friendships made, places visited, and experiences had it takes a lot for something to be truly influential. In my life I have had many little things influence my life as an individual and a teacher, but all of those branch off of the three major themes; my family, my environment, and my hobbies.
Author Anthony Brandt once said, “Other things may change us, but we start and end with family”, and this rings true in my life as an individual and a future teacher. Although there have been many influences in my life my family has been the most significant. I grew up in a family that is its own melting pot. I am Irish, Scottish, German, French, and Hungarian. Not having a true culture lead me to grow into the concept that my family is my culture. Everything from the festival’s we attend, the way we speak, the mannerisms we all have, and our Parrothead (die hard Jimmy Buffett fan) way of life is the culture that I have developed. In my house I was the fifth youngest of six children (three older brothers, one older sister and one younger sister), and this was a big influence on the development of my communication skills. Being able to hear five different points of view and multiple sides to every story really helped me learn to keep an open mind at all times and to be able to listen to their thoughts but not pass judgment on them.. Another benefit to having a lot of older siblings is that they were constantly motivating me to succeed in sports, make the right decisions in life, and were never a negative weight dragging me down. This has helped me develop my own interest in motivating others to succeed which is a key element in teaching. Growing up in a family of Parrotheads (die hard Jimmy Buffett fans) lead me to believe in a very relaxing and laid back lifestyle. Similar to my communication skills and desire to motivate others my laid back demeanor will play a role in who I will be as a teacher, and not only who I am as an individual.
Although my family has had the biggest influence on me, my environment growing up played a vital role as well. I grew up in an upper-middle class suburban neighborhood in northern New Jersey. This gave me a chance to live out my laid back lifestyle (people always say everything in the city moves faster), and also allowed me to create the network of friends that I still have today. In some occasions friends grow apart as the years go on, but I am fortunate to say that I have stayed close with my friends since high school ended. They have always been there to support me and have been an important part of who I am as an individual. Another part of my environment that played a role in my life is my high school, Northern Highlands Regional High School. Unlike my elementary and middle school I have fond memories of Northern Highlands. I was able to connect with teachers, recognize my full potential as a student, and develop more as an individual. My teachers showed that they cared about their students (I never got this feeling in previous schools) and I feel this has had a large impact on me as an educator. It helped show me that those types of emotions did not exist only in movies, and that dedicated teachers can make a difference in their student’s lives.
The final influence on my life as an individual and a teacher are my hobbies. Listening to music, watching movies, and sports (playing, watching, and coaching) are a part of my everyday life and help define who I am. As I said above I am a huge Jimmy Buffett fan, and his music has encouraged me pursue a laid back and relaxed lifestyle. Although some say this can be a negative quality for a teacher to have I feel for me it is positive. I want to be the same person in the classroom that I am outside the classroom. I want to work with high school students and they can tell when a teacher is being genuine or if they are just playing the part, so being yourself is a good quality to have. Movies are another form of entertainment that has influenced me throughout my life. Some of my favorite movies are Shawshank Redemption, Big Fish, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Braveheart, each of which sends an important message. From these films I have learned valuable lessons such as sometimes life isn’t fair but you can’t let it drag you down, never take friends and family for granted, live life to the fullest every day, and never take life to seriously. These messages have all been important to how I have lived my life in the past, and how I intend to live my life in the future. Although films above have influenced me as an individual, the film Lean on Me has a great deal of influence on me as an educator. It helps portray each student as one with ability and a desire to succeed; all they need is a little motivation and a strong positive influence to help guide them in the right direction. The final hobby of mine that has had a large influence in my life is sports. Growing up in the suburbs I was able to play/practice sports whenever I wanted. There was always a court, field or yard that a group of friends and me could gather and play a game. My love for sports helped shape me as a student-athlete in high school, and has given me a set of disciplines that I would not have had if I were never an athlete. I have learned to never give up and give one hundred percent everyday towards your goals. I also learned the importance of teamwork, dedication, and self-sacrifice are all necessary towards the accomplishment of a common goal. Knowing how much I have learned and grown through these principles I now pass them on to my own players and help them to become better student-athletes each day.
My goal in life is to be the best person I can be. As an individual I have lived a very fulfilling twenty five years, but as a teacher my future is only just beginning. I have to keep brain open to new influences and new ideas to help further my knowledge in the classroom. I must always remember that “the roots of success are formed through hard work, but grow strong through dedication.”