8th Graders Email Question of the Week: What Does it Mean to be a Role Model?

My 8th graders are asked to email me their answer to my class question of the week. Each student is required to answer one question each quarter. Each week, I will post some of the best email answers I receive. Below are three of the best answers I received for the question "What does it mean to be a role model?"


  "A role model to me is someone that you can look up to and will give you advice when nessesary. A role model can really be anyone that you look up to. It can be a celebrity, a teacher, it can even be a parent."


    "I feel as if a role model is someone you can look up to, whether or not it is bad or good. Good role models are people that set a good example and have somethign you can aspire to be, where as a bad role model either has achieved something you could not even hope to achieve or do and have bad "habits"." 


     "A role model to me is someone who strives, and may fail, to be a good example. They strive for excellence. Role models treat people nicely, no matter how weird or odd they are. They don't see themselves as better than anyone. All in all, role models are just nice, fun people. I think everyone should strive to be a role model because someone is always watching."

Big Cats/Little Cats Carlisle Mentoring Program WANTS YOU!

   We are entering our 3rd year of a program our counseling team calls "Big Cats, Little Cats". It is our in-house mentoring program. Most of our mentors are high school students and they mentor students between Kindergarten and 8th grade. It has been a great and successful program, but one of the downsides is that we don't have enough mentors to meet with all the students who have asked for a mentor each year. A program called Kid's Hope also provides adult mentors, but that is only up until 6th grade. Which means our middle school is usually very short of mentors, sometimes we have none! Between Kid's Hope ending and our middle school being a bit of a drive for high school students, we need to look for other options for mentors. That is where I hope you come in. I am looking for about 8 adult mentors for our middle school students, maybe more or less as student need arises. I already have about 3-4 adults paired up with a middle school student, but I know some students will ask as the year begins. I copy/pasted a letter we have used in the past when recruiting high school students. I thought it explained pretty well what you would be asked to do. But it basically boils down to our middle school students needing some homework help, but also needing just a positive adult role model outside of their family to play games with, chat with, learn about life with, and to spend time with. Unlike Big Brothers/Big Sisters, our program is totally in house and on-site....no weekends/weeknight activities outside of the school needed or wanted. Just about 30-45 minutes a week to visit with your Little Cat and see how things are going and help them where you can. If you have interest or think you can help, please call or email me and we can start the process of helping you become a mentor. 

Carlisle Big Cats/ little cats

Mentoring program

Volunteers must:

Ø  Be able to commit 30 minutes- same day and time each week

Ø  Be available for the entire school year

Ø  Provide assistance with school work

Ø  Be a positive role model

Ø  Be able to meet at the Middle School during school hours

Volunteers will mentor children to help them develop academically, socially, and behaviorally.  Studies show that spending one-on-one time with a child greatly enhances his/her self-esteem, relationships with others, avoidance of substance abuse, and academic performance.

Volunteers will have meeting with the building counselor at the beginning of each school year and will be monitored on a consistent basis by the Carlisle School Counseling Department.

If you have additional questions, please contact:

Benjamin Barry, Counselor

Carlisle Middle School

515-989-5413

Ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us