MBTI Salad

Also in class this week, we discussed MBTI. My personality type is, of course, INTJ. I’m fairly sure that I am an N, a T, and a J, but the I is still something that bothers me. I do have many traits that make me an introvert such as disliking phone calls, I can sometimes be seen as shy by those who don’t know me, and I am not someone who likes to work in a group. However, I also feel that I step out of my introvert shell on occasion and lean towards extroversion. For example, last semester, I had to be a bit more extroverted in order for me to interact successfully with the students in my recitation. In addition, I have a tendency to go crazy when I am around those who I know. Perhaps this is why my report has labeled me a gregarious and enthusiastic INTJ type.

Also in the MBTI report, it offered change managing tips for my multiple facets. For example, for my planful facet, it noted that I have a tendency to plan as far in advance as possible, and I do. I believe in planning for every possible outcome in the future because I like to be prepared for everything. The report pointed out that to enhance my change management skills, I should allow for the unexpected in my plans because the unexpected can happen. This makes sense and seems like an important trait for a peer mentor to have. Next fall, we will be making lesson plans, and it is wise to plan for the unexpected in these lesson plans in case your co-leader is sick or if one idea doesn’t work with the students. Another idea that the report noted was that in the grand scheme of my personality, I like to use intuition the best. This would make sense because I tend to like thinking in the abstract and contemplating possibilities. Understanding this and the facets of the other peer mentors will allow me to gain a better understanding of them, and it will help if we ever clash on ideas.

Overall, the most important thing I learned this week was that what works for me probably isn’t what works for another person. I often find myself thinking that the way I do things is the best. This is problematic thinking because I fail to see how other approaches could work. When Chelsee explained that she finished a 60 page paper in four days, which averaged to about 15 pages per day, I thought she was crazy. However, I realized that this worked for Chelsee. Her personality enabled her to do this and still be successful. I like to think about a saying I heard once: “If it seems stupid but it works, it’s not stupid.” Knowing all of this will allow me to better interact with the other mentors and my co-leader next fall.

And here is a video of a group of people with very different personality types.

Conferring at Conferences

This week, I went to the learning community institute and the Iowa State Leadership Experience conferences. They both provided me with a great deal of information that I can use in my social life, in academia, and next fall in my recitation section. At the learning community institute, one of the events I went to was about time management and study groups and taught by Carrielle Cofax. I learned some pretty important ideas about studying at this event. I learned that when you study, you should take a break every 20 minutes in order to stay focused. This seems counterintuitive because you would lose important ideas while writing a paper or you would never get important projects done. However, I have realized that I tend to study and do work for hours on end which may inhibit my ability to retain information. Perhaps taking a break would allow me to improve my studying. This information will be very helpful for my recitation next fall because I can help students identify what kind of studying works best for them. Another event I attended at LCI was the Nature of Science in an English Learning Community which was taught by Jenny Aune. I found this session to be very informative. Jenny presented information regarding her research which was about how she incorporated the nature of science and misconceptions about science into an English 250 class. Most of the information presented was about how science could be biased, and that it was not perfect. In most of my classes this semester and last semester, we are just beginning to discuss these ideas. I feel that if I had learned this freshman year, I could have brought a whole different perspective to each of my classes. While I don’t see us peer mentors being able to apply these ideas to our recitations next fall, I do believe that freshman could learn a whole lot more by having a specific class devoted to this idea. Perhaps the university could create a class for this purpose.

At ISLE (pronounced Izzle), I found the keynote speaker to be very interesting. During his speech, he had us form to circles and talk with various people about important events in our life and ask questions about those events. I feel this is important because it is one thing to be proud about an accomplishment, but it is another to ask why you feel proud and build on that. Another event I attended was Positive Conflict which was taught by Michelle Boettcher and Brad Freihoeffer. This was interesting because it brought up different conflict management styles. I found that I have a competing conflict management style which means that I see conflict as a win-lose situation. This is important to know because it will influence how I handle my interactions with other peer mentors and with my students next fall. I will have to keep myself in check to insure that I pay attention to the styles of everyone else to avoid aggravating the conflict. As the instructors said, conflict is going to happen, but combat is optional. Finally, the other event I attended was the Johari Window which was taught by Carolyn Duven. The lesson from this was that a group dynamic is influenced by what is known by yourself and what is known by others. We want to increase what is known by everyone while decreasing the unknown areas. This means that it is important to ask questions otherwise groups will never be fully cohesive.

I’m sorry for the essay of a blog post. I learned a lot from these conferences. I hope that I can successfully apply the knowledge I have gained to every aspect of my life.

Know Thyself

During our last class, we had to list three strengths and two weaknesses during our Hixson introductions. Now, I can go off and list all of my strengths because I’m sort of a narcissist, and I’ve been doing this in many interviews. However, when it comes to listing my weaknesses, my mind goes blank. I am not going to say I am devoid of weaknesses because that would make me sound more arrogant than I actually am. What I am saying is that perhaps I don’t know myself well enough to list my weaknesses. We’ve been taught from birth that weakness is frowned upon. Superman’s weakness is kryptonite; villains use it against him all the time. Perhaps my mind goes blank when it comes to listing weaknesses because this is my way of preventing weakness from overcoming me. I don’t want this knowledge to be used against me in any way. However, I also know that understanding your weaknesses makes you a better person. I cannot advance further in life if I do not know what is keeping me back. So, I have set a new goal. It is a SMART goal of sorts. I want to, in the next month, identify at least five of my weaknesses and work to improve upon them.

Also, in class this week, we will be discussing MBTI again. Every time we discuss this, I end up learning something new about myself. I am an INTJ personality type which I feel describes me pretty well. I am interested in seeing if any other peer mentors fit this personality type. I am doubtful as first impressions seem to indicate that many seem to be E types, but I’m sure this impression will be shattered when Debra talks more about it on Wednesday. 

Anyway, here is a video about Spiderman. He kind of already knows his strengths and weaknesses.

Welcome Back, Me

It’s been about eight months since I last blogged. When I last blogged, I was a peer mentor in training. I had all sorts of thoughts about what was going to happen when classes started up in the fall. I was worried. I was nervous. I couldn’t wait to start my mentoring. I had all this training under my belt, and I WAS READY!

Now, eight months and several bouts of mentoring later, I’m ready to do it all again. This time it’s going to be different though. Last year, I had no idea what to expect. I learned a great deal of traits and skills that I applied when I was mentoring. Rather than this being a semester of learning from this class, I feel this is going to be a semester of relearning and teaching. This is an opportunity to catch anything I may have missed or take another approach to what we will be learning. In addition, I feel that my knowledge of what will come will help the first year peer mentors. I look at all of these new faces, and I realize that this semester is going to be fantastic.

Once again, I find myself reading Students Helping Students. I read this book last year and found it to be a great learning experience. This book not only helped me in this class last year, but it also provided me with skills that I use in other aspects of my life. This time around I can read the book with experience. I can note which parts helped me last year and which parts were weaker. More importantly, I can pick up on anything I may have missed. For example, last time I read the book, I did not pick up on just how important peer mentors were. The book notes that peer mentors are role models. The students who enter as freshmen see them as a mirror of how to act. I didn’t understand the importance of this until I started mentoring. The students seem to hang on to your every word, and they often come to you with questions on how to handle situations. Another important lesson from these two chapters is the challenges that affect students. Last year, it probably would have been very beneficial to me to have paid more attention to the challenges because the incoming freshmen will come to you with almost any type of situation. It is important not to think of any one situation as ridiculous because then you will not understand its importance.

Overall, I am strongly looking forward to this semester and this class. Last year, I learned important lessons that I applied to every aspect of my life. I’m hoping this happens this semester as well. Even though I took this class last year, I’m coming into this class expecting surprises. Anything can happen, and I hope it does.

Refractions in the end

In class this week, Megan and Corey discussed other groups on campus that use methods similar to ours and use peer mentors. Such groups were the Greek community, Big Brothers Big Sisters, tutors, and Honors. These groups are similar in that they promote education and leadership. However, these groups can be vastly different from the Hixson program as well. For example, Big Brothers Big Sisters promotes friendship between a “little” and a “big.” This cannot be the relationship between a peer mentor and a freshman Hixson scholar. In addition, Honors has a focus just on education. However, as Hixson peer mentors, we are responsible for things other than education such as adjusting to college, discussing roommates, and serving as a resource for information about campus.

            This week also came with the realization that we are almost finished with the course. There is still training to be done, but we are close to being assigned a recitation class for next semester. Realizing this, this makes me recall my mission statement, and how I plan to install the values of this course into the recitations next fall. I plan on encouraging diversity in the classroom while helping to eliminate or downplay stereotypes. In addition, I plan on bringing leadership to recitations in order to maintain control along with my co-leader. By displaying all the positive signs of a leader, we can fulfill the role of role model for the students. Also, I plan on helping my recitation session become a group with all the positive traits of a group such as cohesiveness, communication, and reward for finishing a project.

            Overall, I feel this course has helped me grasp a better understanding of what a leader is. I feel that this class will not only help me as a Hixson peer mentor, but it will help me in other aspects of my life. I can use it when I am working on a group project, or I can the information when I am studying for tests. Finally, I look forward to next fall, and I hope that my co-leader, and I can work together to insure that the entering freshmen get the best experience ever.

MOAR Diveristy in the 12th week

            This week in lecture, Denise Williams, diversity coordinator for the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University, guest lectured about diversity. Personally, I love hearing lectures about topics like these, and this one did not disappoint (also there was ice cream). One thing that Denise talked about was what made up diversity. She asked if our group, the group made up of the peer mentors, Hixsons, and the Hixson Student Board, could be classified as diverse. At first, I figured that our group was not very diverse. I was thinking in terms of race and ethnicity. The group in that room was mostly Caucasian with few other ethnicities in the room. However, Denise informed us that race and ethnicity weren’t the other factors that could make a group diverse. Other factors that could result in diversity are socioeconomic background, gender, skill sets, age, and what you are majoring in. This opened my eyes as I had a strict view of diversity until hearing that it was more than race.

            Another thing that Denise talked about was stereotypes. She showed racist memes on the board that were influenced by common stereotypes. She also showed a video clip from the play “N*gger, We*back, Ch*nk” that talked about common stereotypes of Asians, Blacks, and Latinos. Her whole point about this information was that stereotypes can hurt. It generalizes a group, and it causes some people to form opinions about a person before they actually get to know that person. While some stereotypes may be positive about a race or group, they can also be harmful at the same time. If one stereotype is positive about a group, and a person from that group does not have that trait, they may feel like they do not belong. I never thought about that issue before. Next fall, I have to make sure to avoid using any stereotypes as it may anger a student or may cause them to feel bad about themselves. This lecture helped me by taking me deeper into diversity and allowed me to see that generalizing a person before you get to know them is wrong and often results in you being wrong about that person. Every person is unique, just as every Hixson next fall will be unique. In order to be successful as a peer mentor and a role model, I must accept this an incorporate it into my work.

Students Helping Students in the 11th Week

This week in class, Easten and Alex taught a learning session on ethics. I feel that this lesson was EXTREMELY relevant to everyone in the class. There are many rules and guidelines that peer mentors must follow if they are to help younger students and succeed in being role models. My favorite part of the lesson was the part where we tried to solve problems in various scenarios. I liked the scenarios because they all seemed like issues that would come up next fall. This week’s lesson has greatly prepared me in understanding how to handle certain situations and has cleared up some misconceptions I had with the position as a peer mentor. In addition to the lesson, Allie and Silas had the whole group play a safe version of “Would you Rather.” I enjoyed this because it gave me a chance to see what was going on in my fellow peer mentor’s heads. This is definitely one of the icebreakers I will use when I teach a recitation next semester.

            For this week, we had to read Chapter 11 in Students Helping Students which was about various peer education programs in college, and the responsibilities of peer leaders in these programs. One type of peer education program is a community service program. This program can be local like America Reads/America Counts and Alternative Breaks or international with students traveling to countries like Kenya or Turkey. The peer mentor role in this program is usually filled by the coordinators. Another peer education program is a health and wellness program. These are groups such as SHAPE, SNAC, AND Healthy Decisions. Peer leaders in these groups promote wellness as well as help students stay healthy and eat right. Overall, I feel that these organizations are an essential part of any college campus. I also think that it is a wise idea for each one to use peer leaders for these various programs because students can relate to other students. This is what the book is all about, and I feel that if I employ the methods learned from the WHOLE course next fall, I will succeed as a peer mentor.