I choose to practice my referral of campus resources on Timothy's case of not getting along with his roommate because that is a situation that I don't have experience with. I loved my roommate and like in the scenario, still talk to her often. However, I remember by the end of the year last year that there were many people who weren't so crazy about their's showing this is an all too common issue with freshmen and their dorm mates.
First off, I decided that this a situation with moderate severity. It definitely needs to get taken care of before things get too serious, or crazy as Timothy would say, but no one's life is at stake so taking a little time to think things over won't hurt anyone. Then, I would move on to talking to Timothy more about this problem and asking questions. The two statements that he made, "he's crazy," and "everyone has noticed the tension", isn't enough information to figure out what the real problem is. So my first questions would be based around figuring out what is really going on. Is it something like the roommate is a slob/neat freak or does he come in too late at night or is mean and yell at Timothy? Is he breaking one of their mutual agreements on their roommate contract? Digging into the issue is crucial! I would also ask Timothy what he thought his options were and what he has thought about doing. Sometimes just talking things out like this can be enough to solve the issue if the student realizes that the issue really isn't all that bad.
However, if it is something serious and Timothy feels like he really does need more help, I would first upfront tell him that I don't know everything about changing roommates or dorms and that that is something that his Community Adviser or Hall Director would be best at. Like we talked about in class, taking this step could be difficult so I would encourage this action by talking about how helpful and friendly my CA was when I lived in the dorms. Additionally, I would remind him that he is not the only person to ever have an issue with a roommate and the CA's are well equipped to assist in solving them. I don't think that it would be necessary for me to personalize this situation unless I happened to know their CA or hall director; I definitely think this is one of those times that we can't walk them to their CA's door or go and yell at their roommate.
Finally, to followup on this situation, I would try and pull Timothy aside after class or shoot him an e-mail to see if he has done anything about the situation and if yes, find out if that helped or not, and then help him talk through what the next steps need to be if it's not resolved.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Academic Success
I hope everyone had a great spring break! I know I loved every minute of sitting on my couch watching March Madness with my family, but now I'm regretting not touching my homework for a week...yikes! Funny that I have to write about academic success now, huh?
Anyways, I loved the discussion that we had that last class about thinking about a time that you thought about leaving Iowa State and what made you stay. I could have sworn I was the only crazy person who thought about it and was a little timid to start talking about it until my partner just let it all out. And I was like, "wait you too?" Always good to know you're not alone!
My main reason was due mostly to homesickness first semester. Because the University of Iowa is so close to my hometown, a ton of my friends as well as my sisters, went there. It was always where I had wanted to go too, until I found out that I was restricted to ISU due to my major. Only two other girls from my graduating class came to ISU and there's maybe 10-15 others from Durant here now. On top of that, as much as I loved my roommate last year, she was barely ever around first semester because she had an upperclassman boyfriend who had an apartment. It would have been really easy for me to have said, "yep, I don't like it here, I'm transferring at semester," and trust me, I thought about it a lot.
Tying this back to what what we discussed in lecture, I am definitely motivated internally. Everything that I work for, I know that I'm only doing to better myself and increase my chances at getting an internship and job in the future, whether that means staying in on a Friday night to study or working 40 hours weeks in the summer. I never said it was the most fun thing in the world, but the hard work has more than paid off through my first two years of college.
Now back to why I stayed at ISU. Mostly, I think it was because of the Hixson Scholarship. I knew how lucky I was to have this much financial help and that I wouldn't get that if I transferred. Additionally, I still loved my major and wasn't ready to give that up either. So I basically told myself to suck it up for at least one more semester and then see. Thank God I did! I had the best end to first semester, finally got to know more people on my floor, connected with my roommate, and ended up meeting my best friends.
I think this area of homesickness/wanting to transfer is where I will be most able to help the freshman next year because I'm not afraid to admit that I went through it now; it's all too common. The most difficult thing will be getting the students to open up to me, unlike myself. The only people I ever told was my sister and my parents! It wasn't because I didn't trust my peer mentors or anything like that, I'm just not the type of person who talks things out with people because ultimately, I'm going to make the decision no matter what anyone tells me. If I have students like this, I will remind them I'm not ever going to try to make the decision for them, but I will help them find what the real issue is and point them in the direction of resources to help solve any little bit of it.
Anyways, I loved the discussion that we had that last class about thinking about a time that you thought about leaving Iowa State and what made you stay. I could have sworn I was the only crazy person who thought about it and was a little timid to start talking about it until my partner just let it all out. And I was like, "wait you too?" Always good to know you're not alone!
My main reason was due mostly to homesickness first semester. Because the University of Iowa is so close to my hometown, a ton of my friends as well as my sisters, went there. It was always where I had wanted to go too, until I found out that I was restricted to ISU due to my major. Only two other girls from my graduating class came to ISU and there's maybe 10-15 others from Durant here now. On top of that, as much as I loved my roommate last year, she was barely ever around first semester because she had an upperclassman boyfriend who had an apartment. It would have been really easy for me to have said, "yep, I don't like it here, I'm transferring at semester," and trust me, I thought about it a lot.
Tying this back to what what we discussed in lecture, I am definitely motivated internally. Everything that I work for, I know that I'm only doing to better myself and increase my chances at getting an internship and job in the future, whether that means staying in on a Friday night to study or working 40 hours weeks in the summer. I never said it was the most fun thing in the world, but the hard work has more than paid off through my first two years of college.
Now back to why I stayed at ISU. Mostly, I think it was because of the Hixson Scholarship. I knew how lucky I was to have this much financial help and that I wouldn't get that if I transferred. Additionally, I still loved my major and wasn't ready to give that up either. So I basically told myself to suck it up for at least one more semester and then see. Thank God I did! I had the best end to first semester, finally got to know more people on my floor, connected with my roommate, and ended up meeting my best friends.
I think this area of homesickness/wanting to transfer is where I will be most able to help the freshman next year because I'm not afraid to admit that I went through it now; it's all too common. The most difficult thing will be getting the students to open up to me, unlike myself. The only people I ever told was my sister and my parents! It wasn't because I didn't trust my peer mentors or anything like that, I'm just not the type of person who talks things out with people because ultimately, I'm going to make the decision no matter what anyone tells me. If I have students like this, I will remind them I'm not ever going to try to make the decision for them, but I will help them find what the real issue is and point them in the direction of resources to help solve any little bit of it.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
ISCORE
Last Friday, I was able to attend two sessions at the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity. They were Student Leadership and the College Experience: Creating Opportunities for Growth and Success and -ISM's Explored Through the Eyes of George Washington Carver Students. Although both of these presentations were vastly different, the one thing that stuck out to me was how these students were both in programs, similar to the Hixson Opportunity Awards program, that I have never heard of. The first presentation was led by three women from the Student Support Services program, which is strictly for first generation students, and then the second, of course, was facilitated by the George Washington Carver students, who are selected out of high school if they are of a minority ethnicity.
The first session was a lot different than what I expected. It turned out to be three women telling us about their lives, what motivated them to come to college, and what organizations they are apart as well as what they have learned from their leadership roles. Some of the main lessons that they have learned include communication, organization, delegation, teamwork and responsibility. Some of my favorites included prioritizing, building relationships, learning about themselves, and having fun! From this presentation I was also able to see where all of our student leaders on campus come from besides the obvious things like clubs, peer mentors in learning communities, and tutors. Leadership roles can also be obtained through Greek life, religious groups, volunteer positions like Food at First and Habitat for Humanity, and through jobs on campus.
Most of all, I think what I learned from these women was that uncertainty is okay. They admitted that there were many times that they really didn't know what to do so they just had to wing it. This was beneficial, even if it was a disaster at the time, because now they know what works and what doesn't work and how they will change things in the future. Additionally, I could also see how much they loved talking about their roles and organizations and I hope that that is what my students see next fall when I am their leader.
My second session was much different as it wasn't a sit and listen type of thing. Many students had posters hanging up around the Gallery Room that you could look at and discuss with them. All of these posters were about certain "-isms"; I really enjoyed how they were just the common ones like racism or sexism, but ones that I hadn't really thought of like ageism and classism. I liked hearing each person's perspective on the topic and how they thought change could be made. This will be beneficial in dealing with the diversity of my students next fall because sometimes we fall into the habit of thinking that looks are what make people diverse when in reality it's their entire background that makes one person diverse from another.
Overall, ISCORE was another great learning experience that I have gained resources and ideas on how to acknowledge diversity amongst a group of people.
The first session was a lot different than what I expected. It turned out to be three women telling us about their lives, what motivated them to come to college, and what organizations they are apart as well as what they have learned from their leadership roles. Some of the main lessons that they have learned include communication, organization, delegation, teamwork and responsibility. Some of my favorites included prioritizing, building relationships, learning about themselves, and having fun! From this presentation I was also able to see where all of our student leaders on campus come from besides the obvious things like clubs, peer mentors in learning communities, and tutors. Leadership roles can also be obtained through Greek life, religious groups, volunteer positions like Food at First and Habitat for Humanity, and through jobs on campus.
Most of all, I think what I learned from these women was that uncertainty is okay. They admitted that there were many times that they really didn't know what to do so they just had to wing it. This was beneficial, even if it was a disaster at the time, because now they know what works and what doesn't work and how they will change things in the future. Additionally, I could also see how much they loved talking about their roles and organizations and I hope that that is what my students see next fall when I am their leader.
My second session was much different as it wasn't a sit and listen type of thing. Many students had posters hanging up around the Gallery Room that you could look at and discuss with them. All of these posters were about certain "-isms"; I really enjoyed how they were just the common ones like racism or sexism, but ones that I hadn't really thought of like ageism and classism. I liked hearing each person's perspective on the topic and how they thought change could be made. This will be beneficial in dealing with the diversity of my students next fall because sometimes we fall into the habit of thinking that looks are what make people diverse when in reality it's their entire background that makes one person diverse from another.
Overall, ISCORE was another great learning experience that I have gained resources and ideas on how to acknowledge diversity amongst a group of people.
Monday, March 10, 2014
A Little Bit of Everything
Last Thursday, Matt and I led the discussion on Leading Groups Effectively, which I thought was a very informative chapter. Of all five practices of successful leaders, I think that modeling effective behavior is the most important. Your group members aren’t going to be excited and actively participate if you aren’t displaying that type of emotion. Additionally, they won’t respect you as much as a peer mentor if they know that you tell them how to deal with a problem, but won’t use that advice yourself. I would say that this practice is the one that I would be strongest at because I’m a firm believer in actions speak louder than words. The practice that I think will be the toughest for me is focusing goal direction. I truly want to help everyone in my group grow each class period, but it’s important to remember that each student will have different goals for the class and will be at different levels of understanding for different topics. Lastly, one of the main points that I got out of the lesson is the importance of evolving as a peer mentor as your group evolves. During the first few weeks of classes, we may have to be more in charge and leading discussions while towards the end of the semester, we should have less of the control and let discussions flow between the students.
Yesterday, Brooke and Sam did an excellent job at leading the problem solving and goals discussion despite having to be pushed back a couple of weeks. I really enjoyed flipping the negative statements into positive and SMART goals and hearing the ideas of others. I know that there are many times in my life where I’ve said things like, “I’m going to fail this test,” when instead I should be focusing on how I will positively approach the difficult situation and specifically state how I will approach and conquer it. This ability to flip situations into a positive light will be a great skill to have when dealing with students in the future so that they too can develop this skill and see that everything isn’t so bad after all!
Finally, I once again really enjoyed the retreat. I think they are a great time to get to know each other better and have fun with all of the ice breakers. It’s always fun to see what each pair comes up with. A lot of people have already mentioned that they enjoyed Kayla’s ice breaker and I have to agree. I remember one of the qualifications to be a Hixson Scholar was to have had to overcome extraordinary circumstances and it was interesting to see what some of those were. Typically, these things can be difficult and uncomfortable to talk about, but I feel as though the line activity makes it more quiet and comfortable, allowing people to share what they would like. I can definitely see myself using this in my section well into the semester after we all get to know each other so that we can continue to get to know each other at a deeper level.
Yesterday, Brooke and Sam did an excellent job at leading the problem solving and goals discussion despite having to be pushed back a couple of weeks. I really enjoyed flipping the negative statements into positive and SMART goals and hearing the ideas of others. I know that there are many times in my life where I’ve said things like, “I’m going to fail this test,” when instead I should be focusing on how I will positively approach the difficult situation and specifically state how I will approach and conquer it. This ability to flip situations into a positive light will be a great skill to have when dealing with students in the future so that they too can develop this skill and see that everything isn’t so bad after all!
Finally, I once again really enjoyed the retreat. I think they are a great time to get to know each other better and have fun with all of the ice breakers. It’s always fun to see what each pair comes up with. A lot of people have already mentioned that they enjoyed Kayla’s ice breaker and I have to agree. I remember one of the qualifications to be a Hixson Scholar was to have had to overcome extraordinary circumstances and it was interesting to see what some of those were. Typically, these things can be difficult and uncomfortable to talk about, but I feel as though the line activity makes it more quiet and comfortable, allowing people to share what they would like. I can definitely see myself using this in my section well into the semester after we all get to know each other so that we can continue to get to know each other at a deeper level.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Understanding Group Processes and Social Media Week
Anyone else feel like they haven't blogged in FOREVER? Sorry if I run a little long this week, there's just so much to talk about!
First, I figured I would reflect on Kira and Angie's lesson about group processes. I loved the activity that they choose to do with the Legos. It was interesting to see the people in my group take on roles that maybe they weren't used to, myself included. I was assigned the Encourager role and while I know I am always a positive person and try to motive others in my group, I like to do the work too. It was difficult just having to sit back and cheer on my groups members when I just wanted to get my hands in there and build too. The activity was also beneficial in seeing how one person won't always play just one role. Knowing these new types of group members will be helpful next fall so that we can identify what roles each one of our students will play in our section. Then, throughout the semester we can challenge them break out of their comfort zone and take on a role they aren't used to.
Now onto social media, which I will admit, I am sort of an addict. I've had Twitter since the summer before my senior year of high school and was one of the first, if not the first, out of my friends to get Twitter. It hadn't really hit my high school yet, but friends of mine that I had met at a leadership conference had encouraged me to get it. Now, almost everyone I know has a Twitter and has had it for a long time now. This is a good and a bad thing.
Unfortunately, I don't think many people understand how much their Twitter account, or any other social media site for that matter, can have an impact on their future. My favorite tweet that I found last week was "Even though we may use Twitter as our diary, others are looking at it as our resume." It's important to remember that everything you post has your name attached to it and it represents you and the organizations that you are a part of. There really would be nothing to argue if a potential employer pulled up your account and said this is why we aren't hiring you. On the other hand of that, I liked when someone in class mentioned how it could be used positively so that employers want you even more because of it. You can use your Twitter account for all professional things and find great information out there. I choose to follow the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition account as well as many other practice groups in the dietetic field and I read a lot of great articles that normally I wouldn't have seen. I will definitely continue to follow these groups after social media week.
Finally, I think it is important that we stress the importance of clean social media accounts to our freshmen next fall. I'm glad I got the lesson early on in my college career. Not that I had been posting inappropriate or offensive things before, it was just a good reminder and now makes me think twice before I post. Because like Zach McCabe learned last week, just because you delete a post doesn't mean it is gone forever.
First, I figured I would reflect on Kira and Angie's lesson about group processes. I loved the activity that they choose to do with the Legos. It was interesting to see the people in my group take on roles that maybe they weren't used to, myself included. I was assigned the Encourager role and while I know I am always a positive person and try to motive others in my group, I like to do the work too. It was difficult just having to sit back and cheer on my groups members when I just wanted to get my hands in there and build too. The activity was also beneficial in seeing how one person won't always play just one role. Knowing these new types of group members will be helpful next fall so that we can identify what roles each one of our students will play in our section. Then, throughout the semester we can challenge them break out of their comfort zone and take on a role they aren't used to.
Now onto social media, which I will admit, I am sort of an addict. I've had Twitter since the summer before my senior year of high school and was one of the first, if not the first, out of my friends to get Twitter. It hadn't really hit my high school yet, but friends of mine that I had met at a leadership conference had encouraged me to get it. Now, almost everyone I know has a Twitter and has had it for a long time now. This is a good and a bad thing.
Unfortunately, I don't think many people understand how much their Twitter account, or any other social media site for that matter, can have an impact on their future. My favorite tweet that I found last week was "Even though we may use Twitter as our diary, others are looking at it as our resume." It's important to remember that everything you post has your name attached to it and it represents you and the organizations that you are a part of. There really would be nothing to argue if a potential employer pulled up your account and said this is why we aren't hiring you. On the other hand of that, I liked when someone in class mentioned how it could be used positively so that employers want you even more because of it. You can use your Twitter account for all professional things and find great information out there. I choose to follow the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition account as well as many other practice groups in the dietetic field and I read a lot of great articles that normally I wouldn't have seen. I will definitely continue to follow these groups after social media week.
Finally, I think it is important that we stress the importance of clean social media accounts to our freshmen next fall. I'm glad I got the lesson early on in my college career. Not that I had been posting inappropriate or offensive things before, it was just a good reminder and now makes me think twice before I post. Because like Zach McCabe learned last week, just because you delete a post doesn't mean it is gone forever.
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