Well here comes the end of another busy week, and the start of a new one!  The last week of school, and then spring break! I am very excited to have a week off of school, I think that we all deserve a break. (:

This week’s lesson was about how to lead groups effectively.  I thought that Josh and Brady did a very nice job of teaching class on this topic.  When we first listed qualities we thought made up a good leader, I really enjoyed when everyone else shared their ideas.  I thought that others came up with some really good answers that I didn’t think of at the time. 

One thing we were asked to reflect on is whether we think a leader is born or made; a good question to think about.  I definitely think that the atmosphere you are born into and the genes you are dealt do play somewhat of a role.  However, I do think that a leader is made.  Just like the traits we were asked to think of at the beginning of class…you can’t tell me that you were just born with all of those traits.  You develop them over time through experience and learning situations.  Everyone is their own kind of leader.  That is what I like about leadership, there isn’t just ONE correct way to act as a leader.  Everyone brings different things to the table.

At the retreat today, I really enjoyed Allie’s presentation on financial literacy.  I am not very familiar with loans, so I always find it interesting to hear statistics and learn about them.  I feel very fortunate to not have to take out any loans while I am in college.  However, I know that once I am out, I will one day take one out!  Another interesting topic that was brought up at the retreat was Sebastian’s article.  I wasn’t aware that undocumented citizens could attend college.  I guess I had just never thought about it before.  It’s definitely something I am going to look up and learn more about.

Good icebreakers today too! (:

On Friday, I was able to attend two sessions at iScore.  I knew that the event was all about diversity, but I wasn’t aware that I would learn so much. 

The first session I attended was called “Where are all the Men of Color?”  This session was all about this group on Iowa State campus, and just men of color in general and their successes.  I found it very interesting to know that as a minority on campus, it can be hard and maybe even a struggle to find your identity in order to achieve success.  Many men of color expressed in the session that they would rather other races (or the majority race on campus) not ignore the fact that they come from a different culture.  They felt that they should be able to embrace their culture, and we shouldn’t be afraid to talk to them about it.  Stereotypes are not at all fair, just as anyone wouldn’t like to be stereotyped or judged.  I really enjoyed listening to all of the discussions in this session.

During the second session, I gained a lot of useful insight towards race and what multiracial means.  I had always thought of multiracial as lots of races coming together in an atmosphere, such as Iowa State being an atmosphere of many races.  This multiracial session was all about racial identities of people that come from more that one race (multiracial).  At the beginning of the session, three pictures of toddlers were shown.  We were asked to discuss with a partner about what different ethnicities we thought that the children were.  At the end of the session, they revealed what different ethnicities they were, and I was surprised to hear that two of them had a very diverse background, and one a background that I guessed completely wrong on.  This ties together with the main point of the session, asking,“What are you?”  The students leading the session described what it is like to be asked this question.  Just because someone looks of a race, doesn’t mean they are that race.   Judging them by this makes them feel uncomfortable and disrespected in a way.  It’s okay to discuss ethnicities with them, maybe share some of your background too, if you know it.  Just remember that just because someone looks different or has different skin than you, it does not give you the right to ask them, “What are you?!”

This week’s chapter was about working as a group.  When I looked up the word GROUP in the dictionary, this is what I read: A number of people or things that are located close together or are considered or classed together.  Some synonyms are cluster, team, and troop.  I like that TEAM was a synonym because when I think of a group I think about how important TEAMwork is.  As the definition states, a number of people or things, meaning that a group can be any more than one single person or thing.  That is what is neat and also useful about working in groups, you can adjust the number of people in each group to satisfy the activity you are doing.  I think that in classes like we will be teaching this coming fall, that it is always a good idea to include group activity.  For me, anyways, when participating in a group doing activities that pertain to me learning about resources, college, etc. I get more out of a group experience; it seems to stick in my head for a longer amount of time.  I also liked reading about the ten things that define people as a group in the chapter, I found it very interesting and fun to read.  I am really looking forward to using group discussions and activities in my classes next semester. 

Some ways in which I find groups really useful (observed in Hixson class):

-Discussing a class question in small groups, then reporting from each group back to a class as a whole. 

-Doing icebreakers or small activities

-After completing an assignment, switching or sharing assignments with the  person next to you (Learning more from both of your experiences).

-Acting as a whole class as a group in discussion

Good job Sebastian and Brad! I thought you both did a great job leading class on Wednesday.  I really liked your icebreaker of asking the other mentors yes or no questions in order to determine which Iowa State building or landmark was taped to our backs.  I had never seen this icebreaker before. 

Our first activity we did was to get us thinking about positive and negative goals.  I really liked this activity, because when I reflected back on it, it really clicked with me.  When I tend to make goals, I tend to make them negative such as, “I’m going to study for this test so I don’t fail.”  I find myself making negative goals all of the time.  I really need to change this, not only to set an example for my students next semester, but also to help myself achieve my goals.  You are more likely to meet your goals if they sound pleasant and achievable.  Why would you want to meet a goal that is negative?!  This has definitely become one of my SMART goals for this next year.

Our next activity helped us determine whether our topic given was formative or summative.  I wasn’t familiar with these two terms, but Sebastian explained them to us quite well.  An example of a formative goal would be managing your money, you need to keep tracking your progress in order to determine if you are indeed saving money or not.  A summative goal would be studying to get an A on your next test; your goal has an end, which is determined when you receive your test grade. 

Overall, good class!  You all have done some great lessons.  Making it hard for us that have to go near the end of the semester, a lot to measure up to! Have a great week!

Interpersonal communication skills.  This is an interesting topic to think about.  It is very important, none the less a necessity for everyday life.  I thought that Coreen and Katie did a very nice job of teaching the class about this topic.  I really liked that they came up with scenarios for us to discuss in groups.  Also, I really liked the fact that they wanted everyone to answer to the discussion or give input. 

We discussed the difference between interpersonal communication and personal communication; also which is appropriate to use in which situation.  I feel like this is mostly instinct, however sometimes there are situations where you will have to decide which to use.  There is also a very fine line between the two.  I thought that when giving advice to a friend, I am more there for moral support; to listen and be there for them.  When giving advice to a student, I would also be a listener, but give more advice to them.  After all, that’s what we’re there for, right?

Within interpersonal communication, there are also helping relationships.  These are very important, as both parties are getting something out of their relationship.  One may be helping the other, or serving as their mentor, but they in turn are getting leadership experience.  These relationships are very important and can be very useful in life.  However, in order to have established one of these relationships, like we will with our students, there are some boundaries and guidelines.  This chapter talks about many, but the few that I found most important are: 

The peer mentor is a secure and approachable person:  This is very important to seem open and willing to listen to your mentees.  That way when they do have an issue or joy to share, they do.

The helping relationship is designed to produce change, and have clear structure: Describing this to students is how the book suggests letting your students know about this relationship in the beginning.  Then, as they utilize the helping relationship, they take full use of it.    

It demonstrates self worth and respect:  Both individuals in this relationship should have a foundation built in order to respect each other.  This is why it is very important to make yourself relatable. 

Overall, I thought that this chapter was very resourceful and meaningful to our future experiences.

How ‘bout that retreat today?  I had a lot of fun doing ice breakers with the other peer mentors today.  Not to mention, our digital storytelling is pretty awesome!