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.
