Class Tuesday was very insightful in many ways. Amy and Rachel started off with a quote from Jesse Jackson that said "don't look down on someone unless you are helping them up." I though that it fit so well, not only with the topic that night of values, but also with what we're doing as peer mentors. It's our duty to help others when they need it and not judge anyone or look down on them. Who's to say that we'll never be or have been in a similar position at some point in our lives? It's just another form of reinforcement to think about how we present ourselves to others in what we do.
The question of who has been a role model in our life and what values they possess was a good one to make us think, well me at least. I chose my mom as one of my biggest role models. She has so many values that she reflects all the time, some being adaptability, service and purpose, but the most notable ones I think would be responsibility, dependability and balance. She's been a single mom to us four kids for the last 11 years now, but she has always and still does make time to go to our events, help us out when we need it, and even take time for herself all while holding a full-time job position an hour drive from home and with us living on a small farm. I honestly think the ability to have that balance in her life is very admirable. I strive to find a good balance between schooling, work and play but it really proves to be difficult at times, especially when it comes time for tests. It's something I need to continually work on so I can help my students to find a balance in their lives as well.
With four children and being a single parent my mom is very responsible and dependable. She knows what's going on when and carries through with her word. Those traits she has also worked to instill in us four kids not only by telling us but by example. It's something I've watched all my life and I try to live mine in the same way. I try to lead by example and make an effort to be responsible with my actions and decisions, and also be dependable by following through with my word when I give it.
The class activity where we went to different corners depending on our weakest or strongest values. It showed a lot about who we were to the rest of our class but I think it also showed a lot about who we were to ourselves. I had to really think about a few of the values to see which was my strongest or weakest and then determine why that was. Some reasons I didn't really want to hear from myself, but it provided an opportunity to see and make improvement in myself. We don't have to be strong in all parts I don't think, because that's where we can help each other out. Where someone is weak, another may be strong, but we should all strive to better ourselves in each values at the same time to provide the best example we can for our students and each other.
I also think that my mother is quite the role model to me. As my brothers and I were growing up on the farm, she always made time for us no matter what was going on. I also think along with you that both of my parents are very responsible and dependable. Always their for us when we needed them. It's amazing to see the similarities sometimes between people growing up in rural communities. Great post Kelly.
ReplyDelete