What's in the Backpack?

Currently, I am teaching a "Reading Across the Content Area" graduate class on Wednesday evenings. I am very fortunate having a wonderful group of teachers from across the Wabash Valley in Indiana. Last week, we were discussing the concept of schema and and how important it is to Reading, and in my opinion, in ALL learning situations. Schema is what we "bring to the table"--our prior knowledge and experiences. One of the participants from West Vigo Elementary School in Terre Haute, Indiana, shared that at her school, the staff members refer to schema as "what the students bring in their backpacks." I think that is such a neat and novel way to refer to what students bring with them to the classroom.

Last Sunday, my oldest son, Jared, wrote an article on his blog that he titled, The Sleepover. In his article, Jared shared about the weekend that my wife, children, and I visited him at his home. He points out that as the evening drew to a close and he was putting Jonah, my youngest son, to bed that the conversation that they had made him do much thinking. Jared stated, "...I thought about the past five years or so of my life and more importantly about what type of role model I've been for my siblings." It appears that he is quite aware of the importance we each play in the development of our children. Jared concluded his blog article with his thought for the week, "Everything you do in life, do it to make your future children proud."

The last few days, I have given much thought about my night class discussion concerning the "backpack" and Jared's comments about being a role model. I came to the conclusion that we should be sure our behavior is responsible--our children are watching. I have always stressed that we should model the behavior we want; not the behavior that we do not want. Our actions speak louder than our words. We need to maintain a positive attitude and demonstrate responsible behavior in everything we do.

In my last blog entitled Undercover Boss, I discussed the trust needed to develop positive relationships. Trust is a vitally important life skill. It is a virtue. We need to be able to trust, follow and learn from other people in order to succeed. We must model both trust and trustworthiness. One should be just as good as his/her word. Children respect people whom they can trust.

People with integrity are those that do what is right when other people are present. We often here that if one has integrity that he or she will do what is right when others are not around. I agree, but I also believe that peer pressure makes it much more difficult to do the right thing. It can be very difficult to do what you know is the correct thing in spite of the influence of your friends. Having good role models to emulate helps a person to distinguish between good and bad behavior while they are under the influence of their friends.

A picture is worth a thousand words. And so it is with our actions. The way we conduct ourselves leaves a lasting impression. Children will remember the way we acted long after they have forgotten what we said. We are ALL role models. We do not get to choose whether we are a role model or not.

This week has given me the opportunity to ask myself, "Have I been the role model for my children that will provide them the experiences to have a "backpack" filled with POSITIVE and APPROPRIATE life lessons? Am I filling my children's "backpacks" with the love they need to be successful in school and in life? What small stuff am I doing that makes a BIG difference in the lives of my children? How about you? Please share some of your experiences demonstrating how you have been a positive role model for your children and have provided the necessary schema affording them the opportunity to be successful. What have you been "packing" in their "backpacks?"