PEER LEADERSHIP

HEROES AND ROLE MODELS

☼ The importance of having role models

☼ The importance of role models for children

☼ Tips for choosing a role model

☼ Helping your child become a real-life hero

☼ Heroes and Role Models: The People we Admire

☼ Setting the Stage

☼ Graffiti Wall Activity: What makes a hero?

☼ Why are you so special?

☼ Heroes and Role Models – Who are they?

☼ General Questions for Discussion

The Importance of Having Role Models

http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2009/02/the-importance-of-having-role-models/

By having role models we can see how others live their lives and learn from their mistakes and

successes. Rather than having to grope around in the dark, we have a roadmap put in front of

us. Here are some reasons why they’re so important and how you can be a better role model

too!

How to find a good role model:

Look around at people you admire. Whether a parent or parental-figure, a sports star, activist,

public speaker, or anyone else you feel is successful, learn all you can about this person. You

may be able to talk with them directly, or read their biography. How did they get to where

they’re at now? What mistakes did they make along the way? How can you use their advice or

actions in your own life? How can you avoid the pitfalls they encountered?

Gather sources from many places:

Another method is to think of the top three or five people you admire and gather information on

them all then combine what you found, creating your own framework for success. Perhaps one

person you admire went to night school while holding down a full-time job. Maybe another

person was frugal and saved enough money in ten years to buy a house with cash. Another

person you admire may be very confident and outgoing. By themselves, they may not offer

everything you’d want to be as a person, but you can choose their most admirable traits and

incorporate them into your own life.

Role models are real people:

The more you know about a role model, the more you’ll find that they’re real people just like

yourself. They have bad habits and they make mistakes. In other words, they’re human! Many

people tend to idolize movie stars and sports stars, trying to emulate them and then feeling

badly about themselves when they don’t live up to their own preconceived notion of what

greatness is. By realizing that even our most admired role models put their pants on one leg at

time just as we do; we can feel encouraged rather than discouraged.

There are times in our lives when we’re trying to find ourselves and looking toward a positive

and influential role model is helpful. By emulating the person you look up to, you’ll bring their

positive behaviors into your own life and adopt them for yourself. Pretty soon, you may find

yourself as a role model to others.

The Importance of Role Models For Children

http://www.babyphotocontest.us/importance-role-models.asp

Having a role model is healthy and helps serve as an inspiration to a child. Importance of role models in your child’s life is that they can help your child aim high and work to achieve goals. But it is important that your child choose a good role model, a person who has overcome adversity in their own life and achieved things. A role model does not have to be someone famous. It could be a Little League Coach, a grandparent, teacher, or neighbor. Often a person who actually interacts with a child makes a better role model than a sports or movie star. A role model can have a positive impact upon a child's life in various ways.

Importance of role models for your child: Selection of a good role model would help your child to grow in following traits: 1. Work Having a role model can give a child focus in their lives and something to work towards. Often a role model has a character trait or job that your child desires to have. Because of the role model's example your child is more likely to work to achieve her goals. 2. Inspiration A role model can inspire a child to dream big. Often circumstances make dreams seem impossible. A child who has no role model cannot imagine overcoming. A child whose role model has achieved can inspire a child to work harder and achieve their dreams. Those who often find success do so because they had a role model who spurred them on to great things. 3. Overcoming There are setbacks in every person's life. Knowing that someone else has overcome and achieved will help your child during the hard times. They can look at their role model and realize that at one point they were a child and faced adversity. Yet they were able to achieve their goals. This will help give your child the strength to overcome. 4. Habits Having a role model can help a child develop good habits. If your child has a desire to succeed and become like their role model they will develop those habits necessary to achieve that goal. They are also more likely to stay away from harmful things like drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other things that will hinder their goal. 5. Self-esteem Doctors Yancey, Siegel, and McDaniel have found that teenagers who have a good role model have higher self-esteem. They believe that they can achieve and are more confident in their abilities. They are also more likely to be successful in school.

Tips for Choosing a Role Model

True role models are those who possess the qualities that we would like to

have and those who have affected us in a way that makes us want to be

better people. We often don't recognize our true role models until we have

noticed our own personal growth and progress.

Keep in mind that having a role model does not mean you become exactly

like that person; remember to retain your individuality. Emulate them, but put

your own individuality into the things they do.

A role model should be someone who you want to be like, and someone you

admire.

Be your own role model. This means to do the things that you would admire

someone else for doing.

Your role model doesn't have to be a real person, or someone who is alive.

Maybe you consider Anne Frank to be your role model, or a character from a

book. That's okay, but bear in mind that instead of being able to directly ask

your role model for help, then you'll have to think, "What would he/she do in

your position?"

A role model is someone who accepts others ideas

Some poorly chosen role models may take advantage of their position and

make you do things to make you look bad or a very bad influence to others.

They also can direct you to a wrong place where you don’t want to be and

you will do it because you want to please them.

Helping your child become a real-life hero May 17th, 2011 @ 4:12pm

By Brooke Walker

SALT LAKE CITY -- Superman, Batman, Cinderella -- these are the fictional figures children obsess over. And why not? Everyone needs a hero, a person to look up to and admire. But what do you think of when you hear the word "hero"? For many, the title has become synonymous with celebrities, inventors, sports figures, musicians and other individuals with special gifts or powers, excellent performance or other noteworthy accomplishment. So in a culture consumed with pop stars and superheroes, how do you help your children spot true life heroes? Therapist Julie Hanks shares four tips.

Redefine ‘hero'

What is a hero? Heroes don't have to have magical powers or be involved in monumental feats. Social psychologist Phil Zimbardo, PhD, claims that as a society we've "dumbed down heroism." Not every good, kind, generous, smart, talented, famous person is a "hero." There is a difference between role models and heroes. Zimbardo defines a hero simply as "a person who acts on behalf of others or in defense of integrity or a moral cause."

Watch for heroes everywhere

Once you've redefined what a hero is, you can take note of every day heroes in your community, in your family, and literature and movies.

Disney's animated movie "Mulan" is an entertaining movie with lively characters, and it can also be a springboard for conversation with your children about heroism. Here are a few questions you might want to ask your children:

What value or moral cause prompted Mulan to go to battle? Why do you think Mulan volunteered to fight in her father's place? What was Mulan personally risking by making the choice to join the army? What are some values that are important to you? Are there any situations where you can act like a hero?

Encourage social awareness and action

The greater the number of people who witness an emergency, the less likely anyone is to do something about the situation. This is called the bystander effect. Help your child to understand this tendency and encourage them to act instead. They have the power to change the group norm by taking action on behalf of someone.

Encourage your child and teen to speak out, and to even challenge authority, in defense of another or one of their core values, even if it's not popular.

Our children and teens come up against opportunities every day to be heroes. It may be as simple as sitting next to a lonely classmate at lunch, walking away from a group of friends when they start to gossip or reporting an act of bullying they witnessed on the playground.

Teach and nurture heroic virtues

Talk about your family's values and the importance of developing character. Cultivate integrity, courage, compassion and social awareness in your family life. Families are losing the oral tradition of storytelling, and technology is taking over conversation and reading times. Provide your child opportunities all have examples of heroic figures with qualities that children can emulate in your family history, in literature and in religious text.

I've often heard my neighbor and dear friend Rene tell her three young children, "You can do hard things." That simple statement can help her children see themselves as standing for something greater than themselves. Another family member asks his son daily, "Whose life can you bless today?"

Sharing stories of heroic family members can help nurture heroic virtues in your child. In 1856, one of our distant family relatives, Ephriam K. Hanks, volunteered to rescue a group of the Mormon pioneers who were starving and stranded in a bitter winter storm. When he heard about the plight of the Willie and Martin handcart companies he was ready to risk his own life to help bring them to the Salt Lake Valley.

Be a hero yourself

The best way to inspire and teach your child to cultivate the hero inside of them is to be a hero, to cultivate your own heroic nature. I often hear children and teens in my clinical practice complain about how their parents lecture too much. We can do better at living heroic qualities instead of simply talking about those qualities.

As an adolescent, I remember going with my dad on Sundays to visit widows in my church community and neighborhood. We took them food and sat and talked with them. As a young child, I thought it was boring and a waste of time, but looking back now it was a powerful lesson on the ability to make a difference for someone else.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15586148

An Article for Discussion:

Heroes and Role Models: The People we Admire

By: James P. Krehbiel

I think that it is important to make a distinction between the heroic figures that we value and the

role models that have impacted our lives. What are the characteristics that differentiate our

heroes from those people who have acted as role models for us? How do heroes and role models

affect our behavior and the way we relate to the world?

People tend to idealize their heroes and believe that they live in a world of perfection. Who can

forget the candle light vigils that marked the death of John Lennon. Often people have an

uncanny capacity to lose themselves in the process of honoring their beloved heroes. Some of us

become an extension of the heroes that we embrace.

As adults, we may pass this phenomenon of hero adoration down to our children. Recently, a

Congressional Committee heard testimony from a representation of our major league heroes.

Some congressional committee members actually demonstrated their sense of awe and wonder,

commending the players for their contribution to elevating the game to its finest tradition.

I recall introducing my son to an old time hall of fame star named Bob Feller. Bob was a flame-

throwing pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Bob spent a half an hour talking with me and my son.

He autographed anything we wanted, free of charge. There are not many Bob Feller's; so many

heroes are doomed to disappoint us. Regardless, we have a fascination with their status and

behavior. For many, it doesn't make a difference whether Michael Jackson is a suspected

molester of children since he is still treasured by millions of fans throughout the world.

We are enthralled with our heroes. We care little about what Martin Luther King called the

"content of one's character." Regardless of our hero's behavior and integrity, we often become

enamored with their power and status and allow ourselves to become an extension of their values

and beliefs. In our rush to embrace our heroes, we ignore their humanity. We don't want to see

them as real people because it diminishes the significance of their importance to our lives. Many

of us lack clear vision in our lives, and therefore out heroes serve the purpose of filling a void.

We believe that our heroes are more important and deserving than we are. One prominent

baseball pitcher told his young admirers, "I am not your hero kids; if you want a hero go home

and talk with your parents."

Role models are significantly different from heroes. Role models are the people who come into

our lives in a personal manner and enrich our experience. They give advice, teach, coach,

encourage, support and protect those within their sphere of influence. They are the parents,

friends, neighbors, and community members that we value. They represent "acts of grace."

When I was a pre-teen, I was fortunate to have a family who acted as a role model for me. Since

I was friends with their son, these parents would invite me over every Saturday to play and to eat

lunch with them. Then, during the summer they would take me on a weeklong vacation to their

summer get-away near the shores of Lake Michigan. They were kind, considerate and

supportive. When many of us are unable to create a sense of family within our own home, we

need to look elsewhere to fill the void.

We all need mentors and I was fortunate to have a family who saw my need and acted as a role

model for me. Role models are intimately interested in our spiritual and psychological growth.

When we feel vulnerable, role models assist us in building confidence and character. They

elevate us rather than diminish us.

As adults, we may have role models who meet our needs in a way that encourages and support us

in unique ways. A parent, friend, relative, or acquaintance may serve us by helping provide

meaning and purpose for our lives. This is what experiencing a sense of community is all about.

Role models will rarely let us down, but heroes can and will. Role models always elevate us,

whereas hero worship may lead us to diminish our value. Role models are intimately connected

to our experience, whereas heroes may serve as vicarious images. We accept our role models and

all of their humanity, whereas heroes may be placed on a pedestal. Role models usually fulfill

our needs, whereas heroes may be a disappointment when they fall from grace. Role models are

not an extension of who we are, whereas heroes may be tied to an illusion that we have about

reality. You rarely hear about role models, but heroes receive a great deal of attention. It is time

as a culture that we salute the role models and the purpose that they serve within our lives.

James P. Krehbiel is a licensed professional counselor and nationally certified cognitive-

behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Read more: http://www.familyresource.com/lifestyles/daily-living/heroes-and-role-models-

the-people-we-admire#ixzz0lHCCQtT9

Questions for Discussion:

1. Krehbiel says “Role models will rarely let us down, but heroes can and will.” What are your

thoughts about this statement?

2. How do heroes and role models affect our behavior and how we relate to the world?

3. Do you agree with the author’s distinction between heroes and role models?

Setting the Stage

This activity should get your students’ wheels turning. They get a chance to define some

terms, and reflect on many different kinds of role models and heroes.

◘ Put students in small groups. Each group needs a dictionary.

◘ Ask students to look up “hero” and “role model” in their dictionaries.

Ask them to prepare a short presentation to the large group defining “hero” and “role

model,” including their opinions as to whether there is a difference between the two

terms.

◘ Students give their presentations. Write their definitions on the board. Note

any differences between the definitions.

◘ Discuss the students’ opinions on any differences between the two terms.

Make in clear that this is a matter of opinion.

Graffiti Wall Activity: What makes a Hero?

Objective:

To develop an understanding of the characteristics that defines a hero

Procedure:

Write the word Hero on the board. Have students call out words or characteristics that come to mind

when they think of a hero. Randomly record the words on the board.

Questions for Discussion:

Was it difficult to come up with words that represent a hero?

Considering the words we came up with, can you think of any real life heroes?

Can heroes make mistakes?

Do we need heroes? Why?

Hero Collage

Objective:

To develop an understanding of what makes a hero using images and real life examples.

Materials:

Magazines

Scissors

Tape

Paper

Procedure:

Have students cut out pictures of celebrities, images, words … anything that they feel represents a hero.

Each student should make his/her own collage out of the clippings. Finally, have each student present

their collage to the class. They should explain why they chose each clipping and how it relates to a hero.

WHY ARE YOU SO SPECIAL?

Learning Objective:

To help students identify with a person they admire and respect.

Procedure:

1. Ask students to think of a person they admire. This person might be a family member, a friend, or a celebrity.

2. Have each student write the answers to these questions: -Who is this person, and what do you admire about this person?

-What makes this person so special to you?

-What characteristics of this person would you like to have? List them.

3. Divide students into small groups to share their answers with each other.

Questions:

1. Was it difficult to come up with someone that you admire?

2. What did you learn about yourself and your values?

3. Out of the characteristics you would like to have … how many do you feel that you

possess now? How can you work on attaining the rest?

Heroes and Role Models – Who are they?

Hero – is a person who performs actions that are above and beyond the average, that

are usually put on a pedestal.

Role Model – A person whose actions can be looked upon respectfully as an example

to others. (Can be just an everyday person).

Which of the following is a hero or role model, or both, or neither, and why?

Michael Jackson

A teacher

Julia Roberts

Lady Gaga

Bill Clinton

Oprah

The Pope

Marilyn Manson

Black Eyed Peas

A Doctor

A recovering alcoholic or drug addict

A parent

A friend

Brad Pitt

Derek Jeter

General Questions for Discussion:

What is a role model? Does a role model have to be famous to be a role model? Is a role model the same as a hero? Who are your role models and why? What are her/his accomplishments? Does the person have a good moral reputation? What has he/she done to contribute back to society? Is your role model directed toward helping others? Do you know of any role models that have overcome a great deal of adversity to become successful? (A physical handicap, discrimination, a lack of money, etc.) What do you think is the most important quality for a role model? Do you have any role models in your community? What have they done to be considered a role model? Do you think you could take aspects of several role models you like? Could you use them to pattern your own life after? Do you know what career you want to have? Do you have a role model in that career?