Most people choose the teaching profession because they enjoy working with students and they want to be a positive influence on young people. Next to parents, students name teachers as the most significant individuals in their lives. Add to this the tremendous responsibilities placed on the schools and teachers today. Teachers are expected to offer comfort and guidance, to model good citizenship, to help students expand their horizons, to keep them safe from harm, to boost their self-image, AND to teach them to read, write, compute, think critically, love learning and behave appropriately. Now, that's a tall order. It is easy to realize that as a teacher you need instructional skills and strategies for motivating students to learn. But there are many other areas in the arena of working with students that you need to know about and think about. Some of these topics are covered in this section. Learn what you can do to create the safest environment in your classroom and school. Explore some of the keys to working successfully with students on community projects, sports clubs, field trips, performances and other situations outside the classroom. At some time in your teaching career, if not this first year, you will be asked to participate in some kind of extracurricular activity or student event. The information and suggestions here can help you be successful wherever and whenever you work with students.