It is amazing the impact that social media has on our world (I say this with Facebook and Twitter tabs up on my Firefox). As most people know, especially my boyfriend, I am a Twitter addict. I follow over 300 people/companies/products/whatever, and am constantly checking my feed. Though some people may find this as some meaningless way to waste time, I have used Twitter often to connect with professionals in the field of student affairs, which I plan to pursue after graduation in the spring.
I follow many student affairs professionals online as well as higher education news sources and blogs. This has taught me a lot about the profession and given me some insight into situations I will hopefully be dealing with in the future. It has really been a learning tool.
Twitter I feel has become a new sort of news source. The first time I heard about a lot of breaking news, such as Steve Jobs passing or Osama Bin Laden's capture, I immediately pull out my phone and get on Twitter. I follow so many local and national news sources, such as the Daily, DSM Register, USA Today, CNN, Breaking News, the list goes on and on, it makes it so convenient to keep up with current events that I probably wouldn't know because it wasn't directly handed to me via Twitter feed.
I know a lot of people who have an aversion to getting Twitter, but I feel like it is one of the most beneficial ways a college student can stay up to date, connect with others and network in today's society.
Monday, October 24
Sunday, October 16
Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way
I have decided to read the book "Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way" to gain some inspiration on female leadership. I am so far impressed with the book and how it is laid out. It is a biography of Ms. Roosevelt and how those events in her life shaped her leadership style and how one can let the events in their life affect their leadership style as well. Each chapter is a different topic about leadership, such as "Find Mentors and Advisers", "Find Your Leadership Passion", and "Never Stop Learning", and how Mrs. Roosevelt did all of these things throughout her life in her quest to become one of the greatest female leaders of our time.
I chose this book because I wanted to read something about female leaders and I really admire Mrs. Roosevelt and thought there would be no one better to learn from when it comes to leadership. So far that has certainly been the case. From the first chapter, the author tells the reader of all the personal struggles Mrs. Roosevelt went through as a child (a bad relationship with her mother, orphaned by age 10, sent abroad to boarding school, etc.) and how she let these events advance her life, not hold her back. I think she is a really amazing woman and I can't wait to see what else the book can teach me and how I can use her tips to improve my leadership as well.
-Chels
I chose this book because I wanted to read something about female leaders and I really admire Mrs. Roosevelt and thought there would be no one better to learn from when it comes to leadership. So far that has certainly been the case. From the first chapter, the author tells the reader of all the personal struggles Mrs. Roosevelt went through as a child (a bad relationship with her mother, orphaned by age 10, sent abroad to boarding school, etc.) and how she let these events advance her life, not hold her back. I think she is a really amazing woman and I can't wait to see what else the book can teach me and how I can use her tips to improve my leadership as well.
-Chels
Sunday, September 25
MBTI
Going over our MBTI results is always something I look forward to in Hixson. It must be the psychology nerd in me. Getting the detailed report last spring was really exciting because it gave me a lot more insight into my preferences and tendencies than the previous reports. I enjoyed how each category was broken down even further and how it showed that sometimes we do things that do not totally fit into our normal preferences.
I think what I learned the most about myself this time around through MBTI is how I have evolved throughout my college career and how my preferences have become more set than they were as a freshman. My preference for being pressure-prompted I think started out from not having to work very hard at school work in high school and being able to easily put something off until last minute and still pull it off. But I think over my college career it has morphed into being my most productive time because my distractions are limited and my head is more in the game than before.
I also have realized that even though I have a tendency to act in certain ways, that doesn't mean I always do things in these ways. As an ENFP, some of my tendencies are said to be not paying attention to details or being late, but these actually rarely describe me. I am almost never late because I think it is rude and impolite to others, and I pay a lot of attention to details to make sure I have done everything properly and to minimize issues that may occur by not thinking about the details of the situation.
All in all, MBTI continues to teach me about myself and helps me discover how to make my preferences work for me.
I think what I learned the most about myself this time around through MBTI is how I have evolved throughout my college career and how my preferences have become more set than they were as a freshman. My preference for being pressure-prompted I think started out from not having to work very hard at school work in high school and being able to easily put something off until last minute and still pull it off. But I think over my college career it has morphed into being my most productive time because my distractions are limited and my head is more in the game than before.
I also have realized that even though I have a tendency to act in certain ways, that doesn't mean I always do things in these ways. As an ENFP, some of my tendencies are said to be not paying attention to details or being late, but these actually rarely describe me. I am almost never late because I think it is rude and impolite to others, and I pay a lot of attention to details to make sure I have done everything properly and to minimize issues that may occur by not thinking about the details of the situation.
All in all, MBTI continues to teach me about myself and helps me discover how to make my preferences work for me.
Monday, September 19
Bucket List
So back my freshman year I had to make a bucket list as well. Looking back at this list now is pretty comical. Since I wrote this list I have accomplished a few of the things on the list (some multiple times), others I definitely haven't. A few aren't even something really that important to me anymore, and others I'm glad I was reminded of because I really do want to do them and time is counting down! Eek!
1. Be on the Dean’s List, preferably multiple times. (Every semester so far :D )
2. Learn a new language. (Spanish 97, blegh)
3. Go Campaniling. (um... check)
4. Do 250 hours of community service in one full calendar year. (um yea about that...)
5. Sell my plasma. (I've made so much money from doing this it's ridiculous)
6. Sit front row at a football and a men’s basketball game. (Neither. Turns out the upper deck for football is the best place to see everything)
7. Study abroad for at least one semester. (Sadly no, too poor. But I definitely encourage everyone to try this if they can!)
8. Build a snowman on Central Campus. (OMG I WANNA DO THIS!)
9. Be involved in choir for all four years. (Just freshman year. It wasn't that fun. lol. Singing for me is now confined to my car/shower.)
10. Become the chairperson for something in my sorority. (I held a position for a year, but quickly realized my calling was serving the campus somewhere else. Hello Hixson program!)
Remember this list to look back on when you are a senior. It will really teach you how far you have come throughout college and how much you grow in the 4 years you spend here at wonderful Iowa State!
-Chels
1. Be on the Dean’s List, preferably multiple times. (Every semester so far :D )
2. Learn a new language. (Spanish 97, blegh)
3. Go Campaniling. (um... check)
4. Do 250 hours of community service in one full calendar year. (um yea about that...)
5. Sell my plasma. (I've made so much money from doing this it's ridiculous)
6. Sit front row at a football and a men’s basketball game. (Neither. Turns out the upper deck for football is the best place to see everything)
7. Study abroad for at least one semester. (Sadly no, too poor. But I definitely encourage everyone to try this if they can!)
8. Build a snowman on Central Campus. (OMG I WANNA DO THIS!)
9. Be involved in choir for all four years. (Just freshman year. It wasn't that fun. lol. Singing for me is now confined to my car/shower.)
10. Become the chairperson for something in my sorority. (I held a position for a year, but quickly realized my calling was serving the campus somewhere else. Hello Hixson program!)
Remember this list to look back on when you are a senior. It will really teach you how far you have come throughout college and how much you grow in the 4 years you spend here at wonderful Iowa State!
-Chels
Tuesday, September 6
My own self, at my very best, all the time
This summer I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Wakonse Undergraduate Conference in conjunction with the Wakonse Conference on College Teaching in Shelby, Michigan from May 25-30. I was nominated to attend last winter through Iowa State Learning Communities and the Hixson program, and a month after I submitted my application I found out I was one of 5 Iowa State undergrads selected to attend.
Wakonse is a much different conference than one most faculty members attend. It is not at a hotel or in a big city, but instead at Camp Miniwanca, an American Youth Foundation summer camp set on the coast of Lake Michigan. The only way I could fully describe it to people who weren't there was "the summer camp from The Parent Trap". It was absolutely beautiful, full of trees, secluded areas to gather your thoughts, and lots and lots of sand. There was basically zero cell phone reception at the camp, so we were all fully removed from technology. As someone who is not particularly outdoorsy, it was amazing to be able to connect to nature and to those around me without even having the option to check Twitter or see who texted me.
I spent this week learning about myself on a deeper level and thinking about my future and what I really want to do and who I really want around me while I do it. I thought about my attitude toward different situations and how I am as a leader. I had many “Ah Ha!” moments as we called them, where I came to realizations about the importance of learning versus getting a good grade, or that the assignments my professors had me do in the past were actually worthwhile to my education even though I might not have been able to realize it back then. I laughed harder than I ever thought I could with people I barely knew, and made memories and connections with people from all over the country who had so many similarities and differences with each other. Best of all I challenged myself every day to do something I had never done, like canoeing, participating in a high ropes course, and having a one-on-one lunch with a faculty member who I had only briefly met.
At Wakonse, we lived by the motto “My own self, at my very best, all the time”. Since returning home from that life altering and inspiring week I spent on the shores of Lake Michigan, I try to remind myself of that motto as often as I can. That week at Wakonse I was 100% at my best. I did things that I knew were important for me to do, no matter how silly or pointless or lame some people back here might think they were. I connected on a deep level with people that without this conference I would have never had the pleasure of knowing, some of whom inspired me to try even harder than I thought was my best, and challenged me to realize my great leadership ability and that I deserve to be confident in that ability. That week and those people taught me so much more than I could have ever anticipated going into it, and without them I don’t think I could ever truly be “my best”.
-Chels, or more commonly known by my Wakonse fellows Chelsaaaay :D
Wakonse is a much different conference than one most faculty members attend. It is not at a hotel or in a big city, but instead at Camp Miniwanca, an American Youth Foundation summer camp set on the coast of Lake Michigan. The only way I could fully describe it to people who weren't there was "the summer camp from The Parent Trap". It was absolutely beautiful, full of trees, secluded areas to gather your thoughts, and lots and lots of sand. There was basically zero cell phone reception at the camp, so we were all fully removed from technology. As someone who is not particularly outdoorsy, it was amazing to be able to connect to nature and to those around me without even having the option to check Twitter or see who texted me.
I spent this week learning about myself on a deeper level and thinking about my future and what I really want to do and who I really want around me while I do it. I thought about my attitude toward different situations and how I am as a leader. I had many “Ah Ha!” moments as we called them, where I came to realizations about the importance of learning versus getting a good grade, or that the assignments my professors had me do in the past were actually worthwhile to my education even though I might not have been able to realize it back then. I laughed harder than I ever thought I could with people I barely knew, and made memories and connections with people from all over the country who had so many similarities and differences with each other. Best of all I challenged myself every day to do something I had never done, like canoeing, participating in a high ropes course, and having a one-on-one lunch with a faculty member who I had only briefly met.
At Wakonse, we lived by the motto “My own self, at my very best, all the time”. Since returning home from that life altering and inspiring week I spent on the shores of Lake Michigan, I try to remind myself of that motto as often as I can. That week at Wakonse I was 100% at my best. I did things that I knew were important for me to do, no matter how silly or pointless or lame some people back here might think they were. I connected on a deep level with people that without this conference I would have never had the pleasure of knowing, some of whom inspired me to try even harder than I thought was my best, and challenged me to realize my great leadership ability and that I deserve to be confident in that ability. That week and those people taught me so much more than I could have ever anticipated going into it, and without them I don’t think I could ever truly be “my best”.
-Chels, or more commonly known by my Wakonse fellows Chelsaaaay :D
Sunday, April 10
Gooooooooooal(s)! -Wayne Gretzky
Hey guys!
VEISHEA week is upon us! Too bad I have 2 tests, 3 papers, quizzes, group projects, digital storytellings, and a portfolio all by Thursday. GREAT. Alright enough ranting. On to my goals.
My main goal I wanted to focus on was connecting with my students on a deeper level than I did last year. I knew a lot about each of them and still am in contact with a lot of them, but I felt like I could have done more outside of class to make a difference in their lives.
When my co-leader Taylor and I did our one-on-ones last semester we just got all our students together to watch Toy Story 3 (which was the movie for their digital storytelling) and just pulled them out one by one to talk to them and see if there was anything going on with them that they hadn't informed us about. It was surprising to see how fast all the students opened up about really important issues with their family, friends, roommates, grades, and more. All of this did not come out until about midway through October, or halfway through the semester. I was glad all of my students could open up to me like they did, but it upset me to know they were dealing with all of these problems for so long and hadn't told anyone.
I think back on this day when I think about how I want to improve my mentoring skills in the fall. If I had connected on a deeper level sooner than I had, they wouldn't have had to experience these problems for such an extended amount of time. Last fall I had classes right before and right after my recitation and I would really like to make sure that doesn't happen this coming fall. It was more difficult for me to get to know my students when I was rushing in and out of recitation which is a time where I should be focused solely on them. Even just talking to your students before and after class if you both have time can greatly improve your relationships with them, which is something I really want to do this fall.
It should be a mentoring goal of every one of us to make class a worthwhile time for our students. Creating an experience where they can learn and still have fun and enjoy themselves is so important in what we do. This is something I tried to do every week last fall, and even recently I heard from a friend of a former student that "she hated coming to class!" Not only was a shocked but I was personally hurt. Making that class enjoyable was something I thought about every week when I would create a lesson plan and to know that even one of my students hated my class was painful to hear. Keep in mind that while you make think you have reached a goal, there is always room for improvement. I know not everyone of my students will enjoy every class I teach, but I'll keep striving for that as long as I'm still mentoring!
-Chels
VEISHEA week is upon us! Too bad I have 2 tests, 3 papers, quizzes, group projects, digital storytellings, and a portfolio all by Thursday. GREAT. Alright enough ranting. On to my goals.
My main goal I wanted to focus on was connecting with my students on a deeper level than I did last year. I knew a lot about each of them and still am in contact with a lot of them, but I felt like I could have done more outside of class to make a difference in their lives.
When my co-leader Taylor and I did our one-on-ones last semester we just got all our students together to watch Toy Story 3 (which was the movie for their digital storytelling) and just pulled them out one by one to talk to them and see if there was anything going on with them that they hadn't informed us about. It was surprising to see how fast all the students opened up about really important issues with their family, friends, roommates, grades, and more. All of this did not come out until about midway through October, or halfway through the semester. I was glad all of my students could open up to me like they did, but it upset me to know they were dealing with all of these problems for so long and hadn't told anyone.
I think back on this day when I think about how I want to improve my mentoring skills in the fall. If I had connected on a deeper level sooner than I had, they wouldn't have had to experience these problems for such an extended amount of time. Last fall I had classes right before and right after my recitation and I would really like to make sure that doesn't happen this coming fall. It was more difficult for me to get to know my students when I was rushing in and out of recitation which is a time where I should be focused solely on them. Even just talking to your students before and after class if you both have time can greatly improve your relationships with them, which is something I really want to do this fall.
It should be a mentoring goal of every one of us to make class a worthwhile time for our students. Creating an experience where they can learn and still have fun and enjoy themselves is so important in what we do. This is something I tried to do every week last fall, and even recently I heard from a friend of a former student that "she hated coming to class!" Not only was a shocked but I was personally hurt. Making that class enjoyable was something I thought about every week when I would create a lesson plan and to know that even one of my students hated my class was painful to hear. Keep in mind that while you make think you have reached a goal, there is always room for improvement. I know not everyone of my students will enjoy every class I teach, but I'll keep striving for that as long as I'm still mentoring!
-Chels
Tuesday, March 29
Making Poverty History
Sorry for skipping out on class a little early today, but it was for a good cause!
Kelly and I attended "Making Poverty History" which was given by Scott Lacy, Ph.D. the executive director of African Sky, a non-profit working to end inequality and extreme poverty in Mali, a country in West Africa.
Dr. Lacy did a great job presenting on this topic. He gave a lot of facts and statistics and then backed them up with personal stories of his experiences over the past 16 years helping in Mali.
He started off talking about how fighting poverty is the biggest social movement in the world. The UN also created the Millennium Development Goals which include ending poverty and hunger, universal education, child healthcare, combating HIV/AIDS and many more. There goal is to halve poverty by 2015 and end poverty in our lifetime which is a HUGE goal. Dr. Lacy said that the World Bank estimated that halving poverty in the next 5 years would cost $20 billion. That sounded like a lot until I learned that $1.3 TRILLION is spent a year on global military. Seems like ending poverty could be a little easier than we originally thought huh?
Dr. Lacy told many great stories about what he has done in Mali. He has a "teach them to fish" philosophy, where he will initially front groups a small amount of money when they have an idea to start a project, like making and selling peanut butter or soap, or holding literacy classes for women in their village, and then let them go with their idea and work for themselves. These projects tend to work out incredibly well because people can work for themselves and see their hard work thrive. He also said being grateful and accepting thanks from those he helps builds their self esteem and puts them on a peer level, instead of making them feel like a charity case.
Overall I really enjoyed his presentation and anecdotes about his hard work. People like Dr. Lacy are incredibly inspiring to me. If only I could be as good of a person as people like him are. Its something to strive towards.
Kelly and I attended "Making Poverty History" which was given by Scott Lacy, Ph.D. the executive director of African Sky, a non-profit working to end inequality and extreme poverty in Mali, a country in West Africa.
Dr. Lacy did a great job presenting on this topic. He gave a lot of facts and statistics and then backed them up with personal stories of his experiences over the past 16 years helping in Mali.
He started off talking about how fighting poverty is the biggest social movement in the world. The UN also created the Millennium Development Goals which include ending poverty and hunger, universal education, child healthcare, combating HIV/AIDS and many more. There goal is to halve poverty by 2015 and end poverty in our lifetime which is a HUGE goal. Dr. Lacy said that the World Bank estimated that halving poverty in the next 5 years would cost $20 billion. That sounded like a lot until I learned that $1.3 TRILLION is spent a year on global military. Seems like ending poverty could be a little easier than we originally thought huh?
Dr. Lacy told many great stories about what he has done in Mali. He has a "teach them to fish" philosophy, where he will initially front groups a small amount of money when they have an idea to start a project, like making and selling peanut butter or soap, or holding literacy classes for women in their village, and then let them go with their idea and work for themselves. These projects tend to work out incredibly well because people can work for themselves and see their hard work thrive. He also said being grateful and accepting thanks from those he helps builds their self esteem and puts them on a peer level, instead of making them feel like a charity case.
Overall I really enjoyed his presentation and anecdotes about his hard work. People like Dr. Lacy are incredibly inspiring to me. If only I could be as good of a person as people like him are. Its something to strive towards.
Sunday, March 27
Mad Facilitation Skillz
Hello Hixsons!
This week, before we were so rudely interrupted by inclement weather, we discussed facilitation and what it means to us.
I found a great definition of a facilitator on Wikipedia.
“One who contributes structure and process to interactions so groups are able to function effectively and make high-quality decisions. A helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as they achieve exceptional performance.”
I think this fully describes what we do here with the Hixson program. As a facilitator in your class you need to be able to pose thoughtful questions and ideas to your students and then let them take over and think it through on their own. They need to be able to contribute to class and come to realizations on their own about their education and goals and what it means to be a college student. You are just the spark to start the conversation, they will be the ones to fuel it.
Outside of class, you need to be there for your students when they think they need your help, not when you think they need your help. Being supportive, caring, and present when your students come to you is of the upmost importance. They might be going through things in their life that you are not able or qualified to help them with. And that’s ok! Being able to provide those referrals to your students is your way of helping them. With our guidance, we can help lead them through difficult times during this important adjustment period.
I’ve found through being a Hixson peer mentor that I thoroughly enjoy being a facilitator and that it is something I would like to continue to do well into my future. Student affairs is something that I love being involved with, and I hope all of you are starting to feel the same way. If you aren’t, I’m sure you will change your mind once you are put with a co-leader and given students. It’s a fun and exciting experience and one that has definitely taught me a lot about myself and about working with other people.
See you all Tuesday for an exciting day of movie making!
:) Chels
This week, before we were so rudely interrupted by inclement weather, we discussed facilitation and what it means to us.
I found a great definition of a facilitator on Wikipedia.
“One who contributes structure and process to interactions so groups are able to function effectively and make high-quality decisions. A helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as they achieve exceptional performance.”
I think this fully describes what we do here with the Hixson program. As a facilitator in your class you need to be able to pose thoughtful questions and ideas to your students and then let them take over and think it through on their own. They need to be able to contribute to class and come to realizations on their own about their education and goals and what it means to be a college student. You are just the spark to start the conversation, they will be the ones to fuel it.
Outside of class, you need to be there for your students when they think they need your help, not when you think they need your help. Being supportive, caring, and present when your students come to you is of the upmost importance. They might be going through things in their life that you are not able or qualified to help them with. And that’s ok! Being able to provide those referrals to your students is your way of helping them. With our guidance, we can help lead them through difficult times during this important adjustment period.
I’ve found through being a Hixson peer mentor that I thoroughly enjoy being a facilitator and that it is something I would like to continue to do well into my future. Student affairs is something that I love being involved with, and I hope all of you are starting to feel the same way. If you aren’t, I’m sure you will change your mind once you are put with a co-leader and given students. It’s a fun and exciting experience and one that has definitely taught me a lot about myself and about working with other people.
See you all Tuesday for an exciting day of movie making!
:) Chels
Sunday, March 20
Communicating Effectively
Hello everyone!
I hope you all are well rested and had as wonderful of a spring break as I did. Now let the blogging begin!
About 2 weeks ago Brandon and I did our lesson on communicating effectively. I hope everyone enjoyed it, I know we both did. Going off of our quote, there are times when we may think we are communicating effectively when in actuality we are not. Trust me I know I can talk a lot, but that does not always mean I am communicating to others to the best of my abilities or in a way they can fully comprehend it. Its something every person can work on improving.
My favorite way of communicating has to be face to face conversations. I love sitting down and learning about a person and having them learn about me. This unfortunately isn't the way I usually get to communicate though. Written forms like e-mail, texting, Facebook, etc., all seem to be the preferred form of communication for our generation and though it is definitely the most convenient way, it isn't always the most effective. I've always found written language to be easily misconstrued, where as if someone misunderstands you in a face-to-face discussion they can usually reword what they're trying to say to make it more easily understandable.
Since coming to college, the main change in my communication strategies is the role of e-mail in my daily life. When I came to college I rarely used my e-mail account at all and now I'm looking at phones that will receive my e-mail so I can get them instantly. It's obviously the preferred way of communication on campus and that was a big adjustment for me. It tends to be a big adjustment for first year students as well. Most of my students barely checked their e-mail or wouldn't respond to them when they did. Its a crucial part of teaching in the fall to get the point across about the importance of e-mail in our daily lives.
I really hope everyone learned something from our Twitter week as well. Its a really fun tool and though it might not seem very interesting or useful now, the more you use it and the more people and groups you follow, the more worthwhile it will seem. Some of your students in the fall may already have a Twitter or at least have heard about it, but there will be students who won't understand its purpose. Its really important to try and be as enthusiastic as possible with Twitter that way your students will hopefully jump on board. I'm going to be brainstorming some ideas this summer about fun ways to incorporate Twitter into my recitation. Possibly some sort of scavenger hunt or question of the day so students will be more likely to access Twitter other than just saying "I hate studying" or "I'm going to Seasons".
Alright thats it from me. See everyone on Tuesday night!
I hope you all are well rested and had as wonderful of a spring break as I did. Now let the blogging begin!
About 2 weeks ago Brandon and I did our lesson on communicating effectively. I hope everyone enjoyed it, I know we both did. Going off of our quote, there are times when we may think we are communicating effectively when in actuality we are not. Trust me I know I can talk a lot, but that does not always mean I am communicating to others to the best of my abilities or in a way they can fully comprehend it. Its something every person can work on improving.
My favorite way of communicating has to be face to face conversations. I love sitting down and learning about a person and having them learn about me. This unfortunately isn't the way I usually get to communicate though. Written forms like e-mail, texting, Facebook, etc., all seem to be the preferred form of communication for our generation and though it is definitely the most convenient way, it isn't always the most effective. I've always found written language to be easily misconstrued, where as if someone misunderstands you in a face-to-face discussion they can usually reword what they're trying to say to make it more easily understandable.
Since coming to college, the main change in my communication strategies is the role of e-mail in my daily life. When I came to college I rarely used my e-mail account at all and now I'm looking at phones that will receive my e-mail so I can get them instantly. It's obviously the preferred way of communication on campus and that was a big adjustment for me. It tends to be a big adjustment for first year students as well. Most of my students barely checked their e-mail or wouldn't respond to them when they did. Its a crucial part of teaching in the fall to get the point across about the importance of e-mail in our daily lives.
I really hope everyone learned something from our Twitter week as well. Its a really fun tool and though it might not seem very interesting or useful now, the more you use it and the more people and groups you follow, the more worthwhile it will seem. Some of your students in the fall may already have a Twitter or at least have heard about it, but there will be students who won't understand its purpose. Its really important to try and be as enthusiastic as possible with Twitter that way your students will hopefully jump on board. I'm going to be brainstorming some ideas this summer about fun ways to incorporate Twitter into my recitation. Possibly some sort of scavenger hunt or question of the day so students will be more likely to access Twitter other than just saying "I hate studying" or "I'm going to Seasons".
Alright thats it from me. See everyone on Tuesday night!
Sunday, March 6
Diversity
Hey everyone!
So this week we covered diversity and lots of it. Cory and Jenna did a great job on Tuesday in class, and Zach and Allie both did awesome at ISCORE.
I attended both of their sessions Friday. For those of you who didn't attend them, Zach's was about the Martin family, a black couple who lived in Ames and housed black students for free when they could not find housing. They are also the people Martin Hall is named after. I had never heard anything about the Martin family, and this was kind of upsetting to me after I left the presentation. The Martin's did so much for minority students in the early 20th century and most people know nothing about them. They are a very hardworking, honest, and caring family and more people should know about them and admire them for what they have done for our community and university. I wanted to thank Zach for his work on that presentation and for teaching me something I really wish I would have previously known.
I also attended Allie's session where she spoke about her graduate thesis research about Muslim women on our campus. I was pretty surprised when I heard that Allie's research concentration was on Muslim women, and I'm glad I got to hear her story about how she realized that she held stereotypes about Muslims and that they were unfounded and she wanted to change that in herself. That's a very noble quality to have! I see many Muslim women on campus and never really considered how they must feel wearing their headscarfs to class, or finding somewhere to pray during the day.
Some many times we become to self-centered and lose the compassion and empathy we should have for people of diverse backgrounds who might not have the same privileges as we do. Though some people think diversity issues are overdone and a waste of time, I think they serve as a good reminder to students to treat others with respect, and also helps us better understand cultures, religions, sexual orientations, and genders different than our own, among many other things. Hopefully this week taught everyone how important diversity is and that it is central to come people and that needs to be fully respected by us all.
Hopefully everyone is enjoying their week of Twitter! It's a really fun tool, not only for connecting and socializing with others, but also for getting information instantly and finding out about the latest headlines and news stories. Its also a really fun way to communicate with one another, and your students in the fall.
Get excited, I'll be teaching class this week! EEK! Hopefully I don't disappoint. :)
-Chels
So this week we covered diversity and lots of it. Cory and Jenna did a great job on Tuesday in class, and Zach and Allie both did awesome at ISCORE.
I attended both of their sessions Friday. For those of you who didn't attend them, Zach's was about the Martin family, a black couple who lived in Ames and housed black students for free when they could not find housing. They are also the people Martin Hall is named after. I had never heard anything about the Martin family, and this was kind of upsetting to me after I left the presentation. The Martin's did so much for minority students in the early 20th century and most people know nothing about them. They are a very hardworking, honest, and caring family and more people should know about them and admire them for what they have done for our community and university. I wanted to thank Zach for his work on that presentation and for teaching me something I really wish I would have previously known.
I also attended Allie's session where she spoke about her graduate thesis research about Muslim women on our campus. I was pretty surprised when I heard that Allie's research concentration was on Muslim women, and I'm glad I got to hear her story about how she realized that she held stereotypes about Muslims and that they were unfounded and she wanted to change that in herself. That's a very noble quality to have! I see many Muslim women on campus and never really considered how they must feel wearing their headscarfs to class, or finding somewhere to pray during the day.
Some many times we become to self-centered and lose the compassion and empathy we should have for people of diverse backgrounds who might not have the same privileges as we do. Though some people think diversity issues are overdone and a waste of time, I think they serve as a good reminder to students to treat others with respect, and also helps us better understand cultures, religions, sexual orientations, and genders different than our own, among many other things. Hopefully this week taught everyone how important diversity is and that it is central to come people and that needs to be fully respected by us all.
Hopefully everyone is enjoying their week of Twitter! It's a really fun tool, not only for connecting and socializing with others, but also for getting information instantly and finding out about the latest headlines and news stories. Its also a really fun way to communicate with one another, and your students in the fall.
Get excited, I'll be teaching class this week! EEK! Hopefully I don't disappoint. :)
-Chels
Sunday, February 27
Role Models
Herro!
First off, shout out to Amy and Rachel, you guys did an awesome job this week! I loved the activity and how we were forced to really look into ourselves and discuss our weaknesses when it comes to being a role model. No one really likes to talk about their weaknesses and when we do we always try to twist the words to make it sound like it really isn’t that bad, or that it’s something we are working on changing. It was nice to have this discussion activity to look at how we all have some weaknesses in our values, or values that some values do not hold the most importance to us, but that we can accept those faults and focus on our strengths.
I am the type of person that is very open about myself, and that is no different when it comes to discussing my weaknesses or faults. While looking through the values in the book, it is clear to me that the three I struggle with are focus, purpose, and gratitude. I am a very spontaneous person and with that I am not good at keeping a schedule or staying focused. I am incredibly forgetful and need to constantly write down things as soon as I think of them in order to remember them later on. If I try to schedule my time to get things done, it is VERY rare that I stick to that schedule and instead switch things around last minute because, as usual, I have changed my mind. To combat this I just try to keep my head in the game and focus on the task at hand, which is important while leading a class of students.
When it comes to purpose, the only thing I can say is that I’m still trying to discover myself and what I like and how I think I can make the most positive impact on the world into the future. We can only plan so much before we have to let fate step in and guide us, and I think that is the point I am at in my life. I know one day I will know what my purpose is and where I am destined to end up, but at this moment I’m just along for the ride, and I’m perfectly okay with that!
Lastly, expressing gratitude is something I have noticed especially lately that I struggle with. It is not because I am not grateful, in fact I think about how lucky I am on a daily basis to have the people in my life that I do and have the opportunities I have been given. It’s outwardly expressing this gratitude to people that I realize I need to do more often. Sometimes I feel like I may take people for granted and that I need to tell them how thankful I really am for what they give me and how they treat me. They have shaped who I am and I want them to know how positive of an impact they have made on my life.
See everyone in class on Tuesday!
First off, shout out to Amy and Rachel, you guys did an awesome job this week! I loved the activity and how we were forced to really look into ourselves and discuss our weaknesses when it comes to being a role model. No one really likes to talk about their weaknesses and when we do we always try to twist the words to make it sound like it really isn’t that bad, or that it’s something we are working on changing. It was nice to have this discussion activity to look at how we all have some weaknesses in our values, or values that some values do not hold the most importance to us, but that we can accept those faults and focus on our strengths.
I am the type of person that is very open about myself, and that is no different when it comes to discussing my weaknesses or faults. While looking through the values in the book, it is clear to me that the three I struggle with are focus, purpose, and gratitude. I am a very spontaneous person and with that I am not good at keeping a schedule or staying focused. I am incredibly forgetful and need to constantly write down things as soon as I think of them in order to remember them later on. If I try to schedule my time to get things done, it is VERY rare that I stick to that schedule and instead switch things around last minute because, as usual, I have changed my mind. To combat this I just try to keep my head in the game and focus on the task at hand, which is important while leading a class of students.
When it comes to purpose, the only thing I can say is that I’m still trying to discover myself and what I like and how I think I can make the most positive impact on the world into the future. We can only plan so much before we have to let fate step in and guide us, and I think that is the point I am at in my life. I know one day I will know what my purpose is and where I am destined to end up, but at this moment I’m just along for the ride, and I’m perfectly okay with that!
Lastly, expressing gratitude is something I have noticed especially lately that I struggle with. It is not because I am not grateful, in fact I think about how lucky I am on a daily basis to have the people in my life that I do and have the opportunities I have been given. It’s outwardly expressing this gratitude to people that I realize I need to do more often. Sometimes I feel like I may take people for granted and that I need to tell them how thankful I really am for what they give me and how they treat me. They have shaped who I am and I want them to know how positive of an impact they have made on my life.
See everyone in class on Tuesday!
Sunday, February 20
Looking Inward
Hello all!
This past week we covered self awareness and self concept. Understanding yourself and being aware of how you think, feel, and act is incredibly important. It is something I feel is overlooked a lot of the time because people do not fully understand self awareness as a whole or they think they already know themselves well enough when in actuality they may not. I feel like I know myself fairly well, but I also feel like I learn something new about myself often, that I have thoughts and feelings deep down that I never express. Most of the time when these feelings come out, I don’t even know they existed or how to correctly express them.
Our future mentees will be in a very confusing situation when we meet them in the fall. They will be on their own for the first time and will be doing things for themselves that they never had to do in the past. It is important for them to understand how being self aware is important in their new environment. Coming from high school to college is a big transition and most of the freshmen may not be aware or understand their own actions and feelings. It is our job as a peer mentor to help them transition into college life and in some ways adulthood, and in order to do this well we need to let them make their own discoveries about life and about themselves.
To accomplish this goal, it’s important to pose questions to students often about reflecting on different points of their lives or how recent events make them feel. This can easily be done with the question of the day right at the beginning of class. It’s a great way to get class started and get them thinking from the beginning. Also, if your co-leader and you decide to do some sort of activity in class, having a short reflection time at the end of class can be important for students to understand how the activity had an impact on them. Though becoming self aware is a lengthy process, taking little steps such as these will help get the ball rolling.
As for myself, there are many ways I could become more self aware. Overall, I would love to have a time set aside at the end of everyday where I could reflect on what had happened to me and how those events made me feel. There are many times where I think of how something effects me, or a reason as to why I behave in a certain way, but then time passes or I get distracted and I quickly forget my previous thought. It’s times like this I wish I wrote down my thoughts and feelings to better understand myself. As always, it is an ongoing process.
Hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this past week. Spring break is just around the corner! Think warm thoughts!
-Chels
This past week we covered self awareness and self concept. Understanding yourself and being aware of how you think, feel, and act is incredibly important. It is something I feel is overlooked a lot of the time because people do not fully understand self awareness as a whole or they think they already know themselves well enough when in actuality they may not. I feel like I know myself fairly well, but I also feel like I learn something new about myself often, that I have thoughts and feelings deep down that I never express. Most of the time when these feelings come out, I don’t even know they existed or how to correctly express them.
Our future mentees will be in a very confusing situation when we meet them in the fall. They will be on their own for the first time and will be doing things for themselves that they never had to do in the past. It is important for them to understand how being self aware is important in their new environment. Coming from high school to college is a big transition and most of the freshmen may not be aware or understand their own actions and feelings. It is our job as a peer mentor to help them transition into college life and in some ways adulthood, and in order to do this well we need to let them make their own discoveries about life and about themselves.
To accomplish this goal, it’s important to pose questions to students often about reflecting on different points of their lives or how recent events make them feel. This can easily be done with the question of the day right at the beginning of class. It’s a great way to get class started and get them thinking from the beginning. Also, if your co-leader and you decide to do some sort of activity in class, having a short reflection time at the end of class can be important for students to understand how the activity had an impact on them. Though becoming self aware is a lengthy process, taking little steps such as these will help get the ball rolling.
As for myself, there are many ways I could become more self aware. Overall, I would love to have a time set aside at the end of everyday where I could reflect on what had happened to me and how those events made me feel. There are many times where I think of how something effects me, or a reason as to why I behave in a certain way, but then time passes or I get distracted and I quickly forget my previous thought. It’s times like this I wish I wrote down my thoughts and feelings to better understand myself. As always, it is an ongoing process.
Hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this past week. Spring break is just around the corner! Think warm thoughts!
-Chels
Saturday, February 12
Putting Them First
Hello friends!
This week we discussed establishing and maintaining relationships with our mentees in the fall. The book talks about some very important ground rules for mentoring relationships which I found to be very important to remember. Under the “Why are we here?” section on page 60, they listed honesty, commitment, boundaries, confidentiality, and expectations as key things to keep in mind in a mentoring relationship.
Honesty is something I strive for in my day to day life with people, and it’s just as important to be honest with your students this fall. It seems so simple to be honest with your students. You can’t do everything and your students need to know that. Don’t be afraid to tell your students you don’t know what advice to give them in a certain situation and forward them to someone else who can. Remember to always keep their best interest in mind.
Being committed to your students is of course something to keep in mind, but it’s definitely not difficult to do. You’ll learn in the fall that you care more about your students and how they are adjusting to college life then you could have imagined. Committing yourself to setting a positive example for your students and following through on promises you’ve made to them is essential in order for them to respect you.
Setting boundaries with your students should be done from the moment you meet them. You have to make sure your students understand that you are in charge and in control of class and that they need to answer to you. You can be a friend to your students very easily, but remember to not let your guard down and get too comfortable with them. Be personal and thoughtful, but keep the stories of your crazy weekend in Campustown to yourself.
Your students will be coming to you with a multitude of questions and concerns. They will be trusting you to listen to some very personal information and not to tell other people. Talking to your co-leader and higher-ups in the program should be the only person you relay this information to unless you’re in some sort of emergency. Don’t break any of these confidences unless you absolutely have to.
Finally is expectations. Setting expectations for your students from the beginning is necessary to start the semester off right. You need to understand how your students work and encourage them in any way possible to make sure they can live up to their own potential. Support them and help them whenever and however you can (within reason of course). And if all else fails, don’t be afraid to go to others for advice. The number one rule is to ALWAYS keep your students best interest in mind.
Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather this weekend. And have a lovely Valentine’s Day! :)
-Chels
This week we discussed establishing and maintaining relationships with our mentees in the fall. The book talks about some very important ground rules for mentoring relationships which I found to be very important to remember. Under the “Why are we here?” section on page 60, they listed honesty, commitment, boundaries, confidentiality, and expectations as key things to keep in mind in a mentoring relationship.
Honesty is something I strive for in my day to day life with people, and it’s just as important to be honest with your students this fall. It seems so simple to be honest with your students. You can’t do everything and your students need to know that. Don’t be afraid to tell your students you don’t know what advice to give them in a certain situation and forward them to someone else who can. Remember to always keep their best interest in mind.
Being committed to your students is of course something to keep in mind, but it’s definitely not difficult to do. You’ll learn in the fall that you care more about your students and how they are adjusting to college life then you could have imagined. Committing yourself to setting a positive example for your students and following through on promises you’ve made to them is essential in order for them to respect you.
Setting boundaries with your students should be done from the moment you meet them. You have to make sure your students understand that you are in charge and in control of class and that they need to answer to you. You can be a friend to your students very easily, but remember to not let your guard down and get too comfortable with them. Be personal and thoughtful, but keep the stories of your crazy weekend in Campustown to yourself.
Your students will be coming to you with a multitude of questions and concerns. They will be trusting you to listen to some very personal information and not to tell other people. Talking to your co-leader and higher-ups in the program should be the only person you relay this information to unless you’re in some sort of emergency. Don’t break any of these confidences unless you absolutely have to.
Finally is expectations. Setting expectations for your students from the beginning is necessary to start the semester off right. You need to understand how your students work and encourage them in any way possible to make sure they can live up to their own potential. Support them and help them whenever and however you can (within reason of course). And if all else fails, don’t be afraid to go to others for advice. The number one rule is to ALWAYS keep your students best interest in mind.
Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather this weekend. And have a lovely Valentine’s Day! :)
-Chels
Sunday, February 6
Defining Roles
Hello everyone!
As someone who has peer mentored with the Hixson program before I thought I would relate each of the defining roles from the chapter to my experiences from mentoring this past fall. The book determines the 5 roles of peer mentoring as trusted friend, connecting link, learning coach, student advocate, and peer leader.
Trusted friend: Of course we all want to be friends with our mentees, and in fact you will become fairly good friends with all your students. I still see almost all of my students randomly on campus and all of them at least say hi and ask how each other is doing. It is good to keep boundaries up between being a trusted friend and a best friend. Your students need to respect you and in order to do that it is essential to maintain some sort of boundary and not get too comfortable with each other.
Connecting link: You will soon learn that your students are pretty clueless about how Iowa State and college in general works. It is important for you to help them become acclimated with our campus and everything it has to offer. Encouraging your students to attend WelcomeFest, ClubFest, the study abroad fair, their major’s learning community or major specific club, as well as introducing them to tutoring, SI, financial aid, the multicultural center among many other things is essential to their experience here.
Learning coach: My fellow peer mentor and I learned quickly that our class was loud and group oriented. We tried many times to break them into small groups or pairs, but they always seemed to find their way back to a large group discussion with the entire class. We eventually embraced this and made our lesson plans to accommodate them. By constructing your lesson plans to meet your students needs, they will learn on an even higher level than they may have originally.
Student advocate: I had a student last fall that was in need of assistance that neither I nor my co-leader could provide. We had been there in the trusted friend roles, trying to be the connecting link to other resources that might give her the help she needed, but eventually we had to go to Silas, Allie, and Debra to do what we knew we couldn’t. I cannot stress enough that THIS IS OK TO DO. As the book says we are not magician and we cannot make our mentees problems just go away. Be respectful and responsible to your students who are in need and get them the help they deserve.
Peer Leader: I don’t have to tell you that we are all leaders in our respective communities and this is just as true within the Hixson community. Your students, as well as other students in the program, will be looking to you as a leader and an example of what they should strive to be. It is in your best interest to lead by example and take this role as a peer mentor seriously. It will build your leadership skills and helps those who may be looking to you for some guidance as they transition into adulthood as a college student.
Hope everyone had a good week and enjoyed their snow half day/the Superbowl! See you all Tuesday :)
-Chels
As someone who has peer mentored with the Hixson program before I thought I would relate each of the defining roles from the chapter to my experiences from mentoring this past fall. The book determines the 5 roles of peer mentoring as trusted friend, connecting link, learning coach, student advocate, and peer leader.
Trusted friend: Of course we all want to be friends with our mentees, and in fact you will become fairly good friends with all your students. I still see almost all of my students randomly on campus and all of them at least say hi and ask how each other is doing. It is good to keep boundaries up between being a trusted friend and a best friend. Your students need to respect you and in order to do that it is essential to maintain some sort of boundary and not get too comfortable with each other.
Connecting link: You will soon learn that your students are pretty clueless about how Iowa State and college in general works. It is important for you to help them become acclimated with our campus and everything it has to offer. Encouraging your students to attend WelcomeFest, ClubFest, the study abroad fair, their major’s learning community or major specific club, as well as introducing them to tutoring, SI, financial aid, the multicultural center among many other things is essential to their experience here.
Learning coach: My fellow peer mentor and I learned quickly that our class was loud and group oriented. We tried many times to break them into small groups or pairs, but they always seemed to find their way back to a large group discussion with the entire class. We eventually embraced this and made our lesson plans to accommodate them. By constructing your lesson plans to meet your students needs, they will learn on an even higher level than they may have originally.
Student advocate: I had a student last fall that was in need of assistance that neither I nor my co-leader could provide. We had been there in the trusted friend roles, trying to be the connecting link to other resources that might give her the help she needed, but eventually we had to go to Silas, Allie, and Debra to do what we knew we couldn’t. I cannot stress enough that THIS IS OK TO DO. As the book says we are not magician and we cannot make our mentees problems just go away. Be respectful and responsible to your students who are in need and get them the help they deserve.
Peer Leader: I don’t have to tell you that we are all leaders in our respective communities and this is just as true within the Hixson community. Your students, as well as other students in the program, will be looking to you as a leader and an example of what they should strive to be. It is in your best interest to lead by example and take this role as a peer mentor seriously. It will build your leadership skills and helps those who may be looking to you for some guidance as they transition into adulthood as a college student.
Hope everyone had a good week and enjoyed their snow half day/the Superbowl! See you all Tuesday :)
-Chels
Sunday, January 30
Certified! :)
Hello Hixsons!
So I know I already blogged for this week about MBTI, but just like the test found I really like to talk, so I’m posting again about the sessions we attended for class over the weekend.
Since I was unable to attend ISLE on Saturday (sorry about that, I’ll explain why in a bit) I attended 3 sessions of the Learning Community Mini-Institute on Friday. The first one I attended was Underprepared vs. Underperforming, which talked about freshmen transitioning to college. It was a great discussion about how some freshmen are not mentally ready for the rigors of college academics, while others just aren’t living up to their potential. It was a great discussion and it definitely made me realize that some of my students from last year fell into these categories.
The second session was How Peer Mentors Can Facilitate Student-Faculty Interaction. This session was more for learning communities associated with majors or colleges than for our program, but it did make me realize that for UST 111 my freshman year we all had to interview a faculty member in our major and the freshmen did not have to this past year. I think it is really important for students to get comfortable with the faculty in their department and that maybe this assignment should be implemented again this coming fall.
The final session I went to was on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and was actually led by Allie’s roommate! It was a pretty small group and I’ve already been to a couple sessions like this one in the past, but it was still fun and informative.
I did not attend ISLE yesterday because I recently became a member of Students 2 Students peer educating with Prevention Services. These were the students who work the Free Condom Wednesday and Thursday tables and came to speak about safer sex during UST 111 freshman year. I attended Certified Peer Educator training for this group and it was a great experience. We went over a lot of things that will be really helpful in the fall like presentation and listening skills, and also how to respond to someone who is in trouble and referring them to someone who can better help them if the problem is too large for you to solve. You all will learn as the semester goes on how important these skills are to have while peer mentoring. I’m also pretty excited that I will be certified for peer educating since I enjoy it so much. Makes me feel a bit more official :)
Hope everyone had a good weekend and I will see you all Tuesday night!
--Chels
So I know I already blogged for this week about MBTI, but just like the test found I really like to talk, so I’m posting again about the sessions we attended for class over the weekend.
Since I was unable to attend ISLE on Saturday (sorry about that, I’ll explain why in a bit) I attended 3 sessions of the Learning Community Mini-Institute on Friday. The first one I attended was Underprepared vs. Underperforming, which talked about freshmen transitioning to college. It was a great discussion about how some freshmen are not mentally ready for the rigors of college academics, while others just aren’t living up to their potential. It was a great discussion and it definitely made me realize that some of my students from last year fell into these categories.
The second session was How Peer Mentors Can Facilitate Student-Faculty Interaction. This session was more for learning communities associated with majors or colleges than for our program, but it did make me realize that for UST 111 my freshman year we all had to interview a faculty member in our major and the freshmen did not have to this past year. I think it is really important for students to get comfortable with the faculty in their department and that maybe this assignment should be implemented again this coming fall.
The final session I went to was on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and was actually led by Allie’s roommate! It was a pretty small group and I’ve already been to a couple sessions like this one in the past, but it was still fun and informative.
I did not attend ISLE yesterday because I recently became a member of Students 2 Students peer educating with Prevention Services. These were the students who work the Free Condom Wednesday and Thursday tables and came to speak about safer sex during UST 111 freshman year. I attended Certified Peer Educator training for this group and it was a great experience. We went over a lot of things that will be really helpful in the fall like presentation and listening skills, and also how to respond to someone who is in trouble and referring them to someone who can better help them if the problem is too large for you to solve. You all will learn as the semester goes on how important these skills are to have while peer mentoring. I’m also pretty excited that I will be certified for peer educating since I enjoy it so much. Makes me feel a bit more official :)
Hope everyone had a good weekend and I will see you all Tuesday night!
--Chels
Wednesday, January 26
MBTI
Hello out there :)
So last night we had our first long class and a good one I might add. I love MBTI. Being a psych major and all I love personality tests and learning about myself and others through them. I am an ENFP and, as Debra put it, very comfortable in that classification. I was really excited to learn that we got to do the Step 2 reports which go a little further in depth. I only had a few outliers but I feel like they were pretty spot on.
Overall, it says ENFP's are typically enthusiastic innovators. They have a lot of imagination and initiative, and they are spontaneous and enjoy action. They dislike routine and become easily bored. They are concerned about people and understand others' needs and aspirations. I would say this description is VERY similar to my personality.
The outlier I feel that was most like me was the "questioning vs. accommodating". I was out of type and pretty clearly a questioner. I do ask LOTS of questions but I feel like they're necessary. I am a person who likes to know things, so when I don't know something I feel like asking someone is the obvious thing to do. I do realize that sometimes people do not appreciate the types of questions I ask or that I ask them at all, but I just feel like at the moment I need to know what I'm asking about. I feel like more often than not my tendency to be a questioner is positive, which is good since I plan on asking lots of questions in the future :)
I think my "perceiving" is probably the clearest of my preferences. The bullets for that preference are very descriptive of me. Some of my favorites were "believe a solution will emerge regardless of where you start" love being surprised and taking things as they come" and "dislike having too many plans with too many details". I have always described myself as a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda girl, and clearly MBTI discovered that as well.
Sorry for the novel! Also discovered by MBTI was that I'm talkative (shocker). Hope everyone enjoyed MBTI as much as I did. Hope to see you all Friday at the Learning Communities Mini-Institute!
--Chels
So last night we had our first long class and a good one I might add. I love MBTI. Being a psych major and all I love personality tests and learning about myself and others through them. I am an ENFP and, as Debra put it, very comfortable in that classification. I was really excited to learn that we got to do the Step 2 reports which go a little further in depth. I only had a few outliers but I feel like they were pretty spot on.
Overall, it says ENFP's are typically enthusiastic innovators. They have a lot of imagination and initiative, and they are spontaneous and enjoy action. They dislike routine and become easily bored. They are concerned about people and understand others' needs and aspirations. I would say this description is VERY similar to my personality.
The outlier I feel that was most like me was the "questioning vs. accommodating". I was out of type and pretty clearly a questioner. I do ask LOTS of questions but I feel like they're necessary. I am a person who likes to know things, so when I don't know something I feel like asking someone is the obvious thing to do. I do realize that sometimes people do not appreciate the types of questions I ask or that I ask them at all, but I just feel like at the moment I need to know what I'm asking about. I feel like more often than not my tendency to be a questioner is positive, which is good since I plan on asking lots of questions in the future :)
I think my "perceiving" is probably the clearest of my preferences. The bullets for that preference are very descriptive of me. Some of my favorites were "believe a solution will emerge regardless of where you start" love being surprised and taking things as they come" and "dislike having too many plans with too many details". I have always described myself as a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda girl, and clearly MBTI discovered that as well.
Sorry for the novel! Also discovered by MBTI was that I'm talkative (shocker). Hope everyone enjoyed MBTI as much as I did. Hope to see you all Friday at the Learning Communities Mini-Institute!
--Chels
Sunday, January 23
Psshhh know it all....
Hello all!
First off great job to Josh and Greg on your first time leading class! You guys did an excellent job of getting everyone engaged and keeping us all on task. Loved the Skittles too.
I enjoyed discussing our fears about college and how they have changed over the past few years. Whenever I look back to my freshman year I think of how some of the simplest assignments stressed me out, yet I had SO MUCH more free time than I ever do now. I would nap a couple times a week, spend an hour or so in the dining center at each meal catching up with friends and still put off studying for a test until the night before because that’s always how I did it in high school. Luckily, I excelled freshman year but it was a drastic change from my high school where I knew the teachers personally and I could easily get the due dates on assignments switched to fit my schedule with my wonderful negotiating skills : ) College and high school differ so greatly and it’s good to reflect on how far each of us has come over the past few years from our transition from high school to college.
The chapter discusses the important of First Year Programs at colleges. As a first year student I didn’t understand how important these were to us, but now I realize how much they impacted my first year. Of course I’m grateful for the Hixson program and everything it has done for me over the past 3 years of college, and what it will continue to do for me until I graduate, but that first semester I thought I was a know it all, and if I didn’t already know it I could figure it out on my own. I was (of course) wrong. The program to this day continues to teach me things about college but more so life in general and my growth as a student. It has even led me to what I hope is my chosen career path in Student Affairs and working with programming like this at a university in the future.
Hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did! See you all on Tuesday for MBTI. Woo!
--Chels
First off great job to Josh and Greg on your first time leading class! You guys did an excellent job of getting everyone engaged and keeping us all on task. Loved the Skittles too.
I enjoyed discussing our fears about college and how they have changed over the past few years. Whenever I look back to my freshman year I think of how some of the simplest assignments stressed me out, yet I had SO MUCH more free time than I ever do now. I would nap a couple times a week, spend an hour or so in the dining center at each meal catching up with friends and still put off studying for a test until the night before because that’s always how I did it in high school. Luckily, I excelled freshman year but it was a drastic change from my high school where I knew the teachers personally and I could easily get the due dates on assignments switched to fit my schedule with my wonderful negotiating skills : ) College and high school differ so greatly and it’s good to reflect on how far each of us has come over the past few years from our transition from high school to college.
The chapter discusses the important of First Year Programs at colleges. As a first year student I didn’t understand how important these were to us, but now I realize how much they impacted my first year. Of course I’m grateful for the Hixson program and everything it has done for me over the past 3 years of college, and what it will continue to do for me until I graduate, but that first semester I thought I was a know it all, and if I didn’t already know it I could figure it out on my own. I was (of course) wrong. The program to this day continues to teach me things about college but more so life in general and my growth as a student. It has even led me to what I hope is my chosen career path in Student Affairs and working with programming like this at a university in the future.
Hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did! See you all on Tuesday for MBTI. Woo!
--Chels
Saturday, January 15
Welcome back, welcome back.....
Hi all!
Well this is my first blog post in quite some time so hopefully I can get back up to speed. This will be my second time around as a peer mentor with the Hixson program and I am very excited for what the year will bring. Being a peer mentor last year was a very rewarding process and I am eager to build on my experiences from last year and also what I will learn this semester from all of you to be an even better peer mentor this coming fall.
With that being said, last year when I took UST 311 for the first time, I did not take the reading very seriously and concentrated more of my time on assignments and that activities we did during class. I always at least skimmed through the reading, but I thought the topics covered by Heath and Allie and how they were presented in class would be more beneficial. This semester I’m going to strive to get more out of the reading than I did last year.
While reading through the first chapter last week, I realized how important it is to establish early on exactly what our job description is as a peer mentor. Sometimes we all get caught up in the moment and lose sight of what we should do, or we just don’t understand from the beginning. Next fall it is so important to understand what is expected of you as a mentor and for your students to know what they can expect from you as well. The lists on pages 7 and 15 are really important to remember because they are central to the formal peer mentoring we will be doing in the fall. I encourage you all (new and old mentors) to read through them and really take in what they are saying.
I thought class was a lot of fun this week and it’s exciting to think about where the 16 of us will all be at the end of the semester and the end of the year. We all grow and change so much and build really great relationships and I can’t wait for that to happen in our group (give it time, it WILL happen). I made some really great friends last year with people I would otherwise never have met, and I know that will happen within this group as well. Can’t wait to see you all Tuesday!
Well this is my first blog post in quite some time so hopefully I can get back up to speed. This will be my second time around as a peer mentor with the Hixson program and I am very excited for what the year will bring. Being a peer mentor last year was a very rewarding process and I am eager to build on my experiences from last year and also what I will learn this semester from all of you to be an even better peer mentor this coming fall.
With that being said, last year when I took UST 311 for the first time, I did not take the reading very seriously and concentrated more of my time on assignments and that activities we did during class. I always at least skimmed through the reading, but I thought the topics covered by Heath and Allie and how they were presented in class would be more beneficial. This semester I’m going to strive to get more out of the reading than I did last year.
While reading through the first chapter last week, I realized how important it is to establish early on exactly what our job description is as a peer mentor. Sometimes we all get caught up in the moment and lose sight of what we should do, or we just don’t understand from the beginning. Next fall it is so important to understand what is expected of you as a mentor and for your students to know what they can expect from you as well. The lists on pages 7 and 15 are really important to remember because they are central to the formal peer mentoring we will be doing in the fall. I encourage you all (new and old mentors) to read through them and really take in what they are saying.
I thought class was a lot of fun this week and it’s exciting to think about where the 16 of us will all be at the end of the semester and the end of the year. We all grow and change so much and build really great relationships and I can’t wait for that to happen in our group (give it time, it WILL happen). I made some really great friends last year with people I would otherwise never have met, and I know that will happen within this group as well. Can’t wait to see you all Tuesday!
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