The End is Nigh

So we have reached the end of our training as peer mentors. Well, not technically the end of our training because we can consider next fall training as well. Yes, despite everything we have learned this semester, we can always improve upon our skills. We have learned enough to handle ourselves next semester, but our recitation will find us learning new skills and reacting to situations that we did not think we would encounter. It will be a learning experience for both us and for the freshmen and freshwomen.

In class this week, Brooke and I went over our co-leader agreement. After doing this last semester, I see the importance in agreeing to meet at certain times and establishing the goals that the co-leaders want to accomplish. Picking a time to meet and discuss lesson plans is important. Email can work for discussing lesson plans, but I have found that meeting in person allows for a better exchange of ideas. Also, making a co-leader mission statement is very important. Having two people teach a recitation means that two different minds are coming together. This means that they are bringing different ideas as well as different goals. It is important for these two people to talk about what they want to do with the recitation. As has been noted in this class before, leaders can come from a variety of different backgrounds and have different mindsets. This would usually indicate that peer mentors might come into conflict with other mentors regarding their ideas for the recitation. However, Debra, Allie, and Chelsee overcome this problem by having us paired with someone who matches our mindset to some degree. There will still be a bit of a difference, but we should not come into conflict regarding how we want to run things.

Other than this, not much else has happened. We are preparing for the retreat next fall and getting the freshmen and freshwomen ready for next fall. Dead week has come and gone and now finals have arrived. It’s been a fantastic and crazy semester. The crazy thing is that I only have two more semesters before I graduate. The end of my (undergraduate) college experience is arriving, and I’m glad I get to spend part of it with you peoples.

Let's Hope She Isn't Really a Serial Killer

This past week has been incredibly busy. We finished up our digital story telling project, found out who our co-leaders would be, I had job orientation for move out crew, and I’m starting to prepare for final exams. It’s been crazy, and the next few weeks are going to get crazier. But I believe I can pull through.

Last week, we finished our digital story telling project. Overall, it was a great experience. It was the fourth DST experience I had if I count the music video I helped with for Afterdark. I enjoyed this because it was a great bonding experience and allowed me to learn more about my fellow peer mentors. Comparing this experience to last year, I realize that not only are the two videos and experiences completely different, but the styles are different as well. This reinforces the idea that the peer mentor group this year is different from the one last year. We have different personalities and different backgrounds. Next fall is going to bring surprises. I may have done this before, but that does not mean that I am totally prepared for what is about to go down.

After watching the video, I have to thank Megan and the production team for making the video so fantastic. It was funny but also informative, and I’m sure that the Hixsons next fall will love it.

Last week, I also found out who my co-leader was going to be. I had several guesses as to who it might have been, but, like last year, I was wrong. As it turns out, my co-leader is the fantabulous Brooke Kindlesperger. I do not know too much about her, but I know that she’s a psych student like me, and she has a great attitude about life. It should be a joy to work with her. I am interested in seeing how our learning styles mesh as well as seeing what ideas she brings to our lesson planning sessions. Still, the fact that I was wrong about who I thought my co-leader would be indicates an aspect of groups that was present last year as well. We can think that we have similar learning styles with someone, but until we work with that person, we will not know for sure. Only through interaction can we truly understand a person. I look forward to learning more about Brooke and all my other fellow peer mentors next fall. This has been a great semester, and I’m sure next semester will be just as interesting and entertaining. 

Am I Socially Intelligent?

This week Tanner and Brooke led a great discussion on peer education programs on campus. One part of the discussion involved listing programs at Iowa State. We did this in January, and it was interesting to see how much the class had learned since then. We did this last year as well, but this semester it really got me thinking. The Hixson Opportunity Awards program is not the only program on campus that utilizes peer mentors and peer educators. This is a good thing because not everyone who comes to ISU receives this scholarship. Other programs like this mean that students have a chance to receive help during college that could improve their college experience. In addition, this means that the students have a chance to help others by joining these mentoring programs as well.

Chelsee also gave a fantastic presentation regarding social intelligence. Personally, I believe that leadership is a situational thing. Anyone can be a leader in the proper circumstances. One is not necessarily born a leader in my opinion. Still, reading this research caused me to think a little more about leadership being an inherent trait. In the reading, there were many traits of a leader. One of the traits that I feel I have developed well is teamwork. I had a great chance to work on this trait last semester when I worked with the other peer mentors as well as my co-leader. In addition, I displayed this trait very well when I went to South Dakota over spring break. I could always improve on this trait, but I feel that I have developed it well. Another trait that I have developed well is developing others. It is my goal to see others succeed. This is one reason why I want to be a counselor. I utilized this trait last fall when I pushed for the students to do well in their other classes, and when I pushed for the students to actually attend the Hixson class. I wanted my students to succeed, so I made it so that was a possibility for them.

Still, there are a few traits that I need to improve upon. One trait that I need to improve is my empathy. This is also a trait that is necessary for counselors. I always make an attempt to try to understand what others are thinking and what life is like for them. However, there are some instances when I find this to be really hard. For example, I maintained a certain level of empathy when hearing about life on the reservation, but I will never fully understand what that life is like so it’s hard to be fully empathetic. Still, I should always maintain some level of empathy, so that I can do my best to understand the needs of others. Ultimately, knowing what I need to improve upon will allow me to become a better peer mentor and a better leader. 

Falling in Love With Your Mentees (Is Cleary Unethical)

This week Haley and Cole gave a fantastic presentation on ethics and such. Ethics, as many people know, are what separate us from the animals. Ethics make the world go round. They are particularly helpful for peer mentors because they allow us to have a healthy, professional relationship with the students. If we display ethical behavior, then we can serve as role models to the students as well.

The book notes many ethical principles that mentors should follow, but some of the principles are more important than others. For example, understanding your own personal bias and avoiding imposing this bias on others is a great principle. Every single one of us has different beliefs, creeds, ideologies, and prejudices. It is important that we understand these beliefs and prejudices, so that we may not only help ourselves to eliminate these prejudices, but so that we can also avoid displaying them in front of the students. We shouldn't force the students to believe something, and we should not give the students the chance to adopt a negative belief. I always say that you should keep politics and religion out of your professional relationships. Another important principle is maintaining confidentiality. My career goal is to become a counselor, and this is an important part of the counseling process. If someone shares a secret or personal thought with you, and you tell others, they will be offended and will be less likely to share in the future. The students deserve our respect, and we should not go around telling others of any issues that they may have. However, we should know that if the students have issues that are life-threatening to them or another person, we have to reconsider confidentiality. A final important principle regards feelings of attraction. If we have romantic feelings towards the students, we should not act on them due to our professional relationship with them. Personally, I feel it is a sketchy, gray area because you cannot really control who you fall for romantically. Still, keeping it professional is important.

It is important to remember all of the ethical principles. Of course, real life isn't as clear cut as the book makes it out to be, and we will encounter some conundrums that require long periods of thought. Luckily, we are not alone. There are 16 other peer mentors to help us if we are confused. In addition, we have Chelsee, Debra, and Allie to assist us if we encounter big problems. We may not encounter most of these ethical situations, but knowing what to do during them allows us to be prepared any possible outcome. 

Cite your Resources

Resources! They are quite valuable, aren't they? All across campus there are a wide variety of resources just waiting for Iowa State students to utilize them. The financial aid office, the browsing chapel library, advisers  the Hixson computer lab, or even the student counseling center. All of these resources are available and can make our lives easier. I, myself, have used many of the resources available on campus, and I am constantly discovering other resources available to Iowa State students. The possibilities are endless.

 As peer mentors, our job is to let the incoming freshmen know that these resources are available and to refer them to the proper resource when necessary. Last semester, my co-leader, and I did a great deal of referring when the students in our section came to us. One thing that I learned was you are going to have to use previously learned skills, such as active listening and knowing the difference between interpersonal communication and advice giving, to understand a student’s needs and to be able to help them. I do not remember a student saying “I’m in need of a resource on campus where I can receive free counseling.” The students might be vague or a bit unclear, so it is our job to use the skills we learned in this class to find out the issue at hand and provide the proper resource for the students. Another thing I learned is that I do not know of every resource available on campus. I am constantly learning about new resources. This is why it is great to have a co-leader. My co-leader helped answered the questions for which I did not know the answer. I feel this is why we have co-leaders. One person could lead an entire recitation, but that one person does not know everything. The co-leader provides balance. Of course, there is a chance that the co-leader may not know the answer as well. This is why Chelsee, Allie, and Debra are here. They are a resource as well. We can look to them when we do not know the answers. Aren't they fantastic?

And now, in order to distract from the fact that my post is short, here is a clip from the office. Toby works in HR and can be seen as a resource for people in the office.

A long diversity post about my spring break

Last week, I spent my entire Spring Break in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. What was I doing there? I was helping out the Cheyenne River Youth Project. This project is located on a Lakota Indian reservation, and I went there as part of an alternative spring breaks program at my college. A great deal of stuff happened while I was there, and I’ve decided to blog about it over the next five days.

Overall, I loved my experience there. I learned new things, acquired wise advice, and bonded with some cool people. If I had not gone on the trip, I would have just spent my time at home. This was a more productive use of my time, and it is probably one of the most important things I will ever do in my life (I’m probably exaggerating). I have numerous things to say about my trip, but I guess I should start with where I volunteered.

I volunteered at the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte. This organization was founded 25ish years ago in order to help the youth in Eagle Butte. What many people fail to realize is that the youth on reservations are at risk due to issues such as gang activity, poverty, and educational issues. I did not realize this until a short while ago. All of these issues are important to understand because they affect everyone on a reservation including the young people. I’m not saying every reservation has these issues, but they still exist on some reservations. The Project in Eagle Butte has been designed to provide activities for teenagers and little kids alike in order to prevent nefarious activities from going on in the community. Nobody wants to see wasted potential occur with anyone, and I believe that the project can help to insure that most of the students do healthy activities that will not ruin their chances at a great future.

Other aspects of the Project include the fact that many colleges and high schools visit the area to help as well. This can result in issues that I will get to in another post. The Project has a gym where teenagers can play games (mostly basketball) at night, they recently hosted a “Passion for Fashion” night, and they have libraries and an art room. All of these aspects combine to show the true nature of the Project: to help teenagers feel welcome and encouraging growth. The Project also has an afternoon drop off session for little kids where they can learn, play, and have a small dinner. It was a joy working with the little kids even if they were a little brutal at times. Finally, the Project does try to help the community by offering family services. This service allows those in the community to request items that the Project may or may not carry. The Project has a warehouse that I saw. It is pretty big, but it does not carry everything. Still, families do utilize it and seem relatively happy about it.

So what did I learn from all of this? I learned a great deal about culture, empathy, and diversity. I understood what it felt like to be the outsider in the community. I could tell that the residents of the reservation knew I did not belong. They did not go to any lengths to make me feel unwelcome, but I knew I was out of place. Furthermore, I learned more about empathy. One of the speakers said to us that we would never truly understand their issues because we are not Native American, and we could not think like they did. This is true. I will never be Lakota, but I should still attempt to understand their issues by learning about them. The speaker told us that he was proud of our generation because we were willing to learn and correct the mistakes of our past as well as being accepting of others cultures and identities. I feel this is an important step to take not just in Indian affairs, but in world affairs. In order to truly understand others, we should learn their story, understand what has happened in the past, and make sure that we do not repeat mistakes. It is with this that I believe that we will truly change the world for the better.  

Relating Everything to Spring Break

This past week I spent Spring Break on a Lakota Indian reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. This explains why I am waiting until the last minute Sunday night to submit my blog post. While on the reservation, I had time to mull over what Shelby and Stephanie talked about in class as well as the Harlem Shake information that Allie talked about before the lesson. When it comes to the Harlem Shake, I learned that we have to consider the culture it came from before we use it for anything. I think that it would be okay for us to use it because if we are sort of mature about it, we aren’t insulting the Harlem culture where it originated. Furthermore, I think that we are making enough changes that it isn’t really the Harlem Shake but a variation of it. As long as we give credit to the original, there should be no problems with it. Finally, I think the Harlem Shake can be an ice breaker or a learning tool. While I was in Eagle Butte, the teenagers I interacted with were distant from us because they knew we were just here for a week. By Friday though, they were more accepting of us. On Friday, we ended our time with them by doing the Harlem Shake which they were strongly willing to do. I feel that if we had done the Harlem Shake earlier, we might have let them know that we weren't just here for a project; we were there to help them and have fun.

Shelby and Stephanie asked “How can you apply knowing your learning style and the strategies associated with it to improving your academic success?” The answer is that if you know how you like to learn as well as possible inhibitors to your learning, you can adjust your study habits to fit the style. For example, if you know that you like lecture style classes, you can adjust your class schedule to match those types of classes. I am happy to know my learning style and the strategies I use, so I am improving my academic success. I am still learning, however, so there will always be room for more improvement. I can also apply this knowledge to the Lakota reservation that I was at last week. A lot of the teenagers have trouble academically. This relates to the fact that educators on the reservation do not do a great job, and the fact that parents on the reservation do not motivate their children to do well. If the teens knew these possible inhibitors to their success, then possibly they could find ways around them to enable their success. Furthermore, some of the teens do not know of their learning style. I feel that education on this as well as education on possible academic success strategies could help the teenagers in the future. Relating this to diversity and culture, I know that life on the reservation is drastically different than college life or life where most of the peer mentors grew up, but I still feel that these strategies could help the teenagers there. After interacting with these teenagers over the past week, I have found that I really want to help them with the issues that surround them, and I feel that the skills I have as a peer mentor could help me with that.