"In my first year of teaching I became close friends with another teacher who hated her job. Over time, I began to feel demoralized about my field and started to watch my own standards for myself slip. I was often late to meetings. I didn't dress professionally and I complained constantly about everything. One day, I overheard two other teachers talking about a teacher with a bad attitude and I suddenly realized they were talking about me! I couldn't believe it and I felt very embarrassed. I knew I had to look more closely at myself and my personal and professional goals. I realized that the attitude of the other teacher had colored my own behavior. That very day I began to take steps to put professionalism back into my life. I had always been proud to be a teacher - after that I began to show it in the way I acted and in the way I did my job every day."                              Carl, 18 years teaching high school