(Me as Ghetto DivaFab Barbie)
Believe it or not, I have some favorite students at this school. Most of them are NOT in my class. One of my favorite students here is a fifth grader that I met during her repeat offender days in third grade. She is an absolutely beautiful child. Light brown hair and the most beautiful big golden green eyes you have ever seen. I met her while I was tutoring after school at a local park. I soon learned that she attended my school.

When I first met her, she would look at me really funny. She did not say much. I was told later by the park director that she talked about me all the time. Not to me...just about me. A few weeks later she and I got to talking about her and her problems in class and what we can do to get her back on track.

Then one day out of the blue, she told me that she wanted to be just like me. "ME?" I asked her. Yeah. I let it go, and we continued our tutoring session. She passed the FCAT. I would like to think that I had something to do with it. Not much, but a little something.

Today, I saw her in the hall. She followed behind me doing a damn good impression of my walk. I had on my good boot today. I must admit i had my strut on. She told me that she wanted to walk in heels just like me. I asked her why. She said because you are pretty...just like Barbie.

OK what better compliment can you get than to be compared to Barbie? I laughed at her and reminded her that she looked a little more like the famous doll than I did. I also told her to come up with another reason to be like me: be smart, be thoughtful, and of course walk well in your boots. We both laughed but I think she got the picture.

I walked back to my classroom thinking: HMMM? What kinda Barbie would I be?