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