Personal Childhood Web

Susan- Sister (in the blue)

Susan is a sibling that I could always relate to.  She is my best friend and 4 years older than me.  We have similar personalities that allow us to get along very well.  She has always been there for me.  She used her personal life experiences to help me through some difficult times in my life.  I can call her any time day or night and she would drop anything if I needed her.  She has always believed in me and given me strength at the most critical times.  I live in Illinois and she lives in Texas.  Her moving was very hard on me, but she still remains my best friend and who I can turn to for anything.


Michelle-Sister (in yellow)

 Michelle is my oldest sibling, still only 5 years older than me.  She was always a little different than the rest of us.  She is very proper, conservative and organized.  Most importantly, she speaks her mind! She never held back telling me that maybe I was making the wrong choice and I should consider other options on certain things.  She is extremely smart with a Master's in Education.  I have learned a lot about teaching children and having patience  She is very patient and understanding with children, speaking to them with respect as they deserve.  She is firm, but kind.  She gets her point across in a manner that I have never seen before.  I turn to her for many topics of advice: finances, teaching, parenting, the work force, and my education. 

Mother (in Purple) 

My mother has been my friend, counselor, nurse, psychiatrist and most of all, role model.  She has always been there for me.  Took me to softball and basketball practices and supported anything I chose to do.  She let me make mistakes and learn from them.  When i made bad choices, she was always there to pick up the pieces.  She always gave me a shoulder to cry on, no matter how big or small by problem was.  I went through an extremely tough time while I was pregnant with my son and still have a very challenging time.  His father is an alcoholic and treated me very badly.  She was always there at all hours to help.  Being a single mom is the most difficult thing I can imagine and she has helped me through every step of the way.  I would be very lost without her.  She always goes out of her way to help people, never expecting anything in return.  She has taught me that it is important to be a genuine good person and to forgive.  I learn from her every day more ways to be a positive person who doesn't sweat the small things and has fun in life





Father (with my son :) )

 
My dad has always been a very important part of my life.  He was strict with us, but not abusive or condescending.  We went to Catholic School our entire upbringing.  He is a Dentist and minored in in Child Psychology.  He has given me a lot of advice on papers I have written for classes and ideas for things to do for my job.  He is very knowledgeable and expects the best out of his children.  He taught me to be respectful and have manners.  Failure was never an option with him.  He was my motivation to go back to school and work hard to be the best I can be, especially being a single mom.  Disappointing him was something I feared deeply.  He is the BEST Grandpa a kid could have!  He always gets excited to play with the kids.  It is unique watching him with them because he lets them do their own things.  He is all about letting them explore and be curious.  That is a major thing I have learned from him that I use in my field of work.  Children are meant to get dirty, be messy and explore their surroundings.  

The last person that has made a significant impact on my life is Ann Wagenecht.  She was my second grade teacher and Girl Scout troop leader.  She was also a good family friend.  She was a very good teacher.  She always treated everyone equally and was always fair.  She was always willing to take extra time to help when I didn't understand things.  She spoke to her students with respect and was always very positive.  She always had a positive attitude and was very creative and fun.  She truly loved her job and showed it in many ways.  She is the reason I chose to work with children.