So class Wednesday was great. It was really helpful and I think I'm safe in saying that I think it will help all of us immensely as we continue working on our lesson plans. They are a lot of work, but they can be a lot of fun too, coming up with different activites and thinking outside of the box to make common subjects interesting and beneficial. Setting the standards of our LPSs as a class I think was also a great idea, so they can be fairly uniform in their content.
And just gotta say, yesterday was a blast! It was so much fun! :) And thanks to everyone for the great pictures. I had a fun time taking them lol. It's good to be able to kick off our shoes for a while and just have a fun time together. Being able to play around together and getting the chance to bond and further our friendships was great. One of many great times to come I'm sure. Y'all have a great rest of your days and I'll see you in class Wednesday! :)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sticky Situations
Hey all. Well I thought that the discussion we had to go with some possible scenarios was great. Not the situations, but what we came up with on how to handle them. I think that it's very important to not single our students out, or to treat them differently, no matter the case. Whether it be at a party or in the classroom where a crush my be involved, we need to not loose sight of who we are as people and not judge them.
Last semester when I was a FHP co-leader, there were a couple times that the subject of religions was brought up. It was slightly uncomfortable because I wanted to state my views on the matter at hand, but it wasn't my place. The first time it wasn't much of a big deal and pretty much dropped after just a couple of minutes. Another time there was a rather long discussion about several of their different viewpoints and many of us found out that one of the students was Jewish. None of it was negative, it was just casual conversation, and I think all of us were curious.
I found as the semester progressed that how my co-leader and myself acted toward situations/ how we handled them, is often how our students tended to look and react to them as well. It was sort of a wake-up call to me, just making me realize how much of an influence I had in those freshmen's lives. They looked up to me not only as an older student, but as a role model. Just keeping that in mind made it easier I think to make good decisions and to think more about my actions and how they could be portrayed by others. When we get into sticky situations next semester (it's the inevitable) we just need to take a step back and think about how we will react to it. If we stay calm and collected, it will often influence those around us to be the same. How "bad" a situation is all depends on how we decide to handle it.
Last semester when I was a FHP co-leader, there were a couple times that the subject of religions was brought up. It was slightly uncomfortable because I wanted to state my views on the matter at hand, but it wasn't my place. The first time it wasn't much of a big deal and pretty much dropped after just a couple of minutes. Another time there was a rather long discussion about several of their different viewpoints and many of us found out that one of the students was Jewish. None of it was negative, it was just casual conversation, and I think all of us were curious.
I found as the semester progressed that how my co-leader and myself acted toward situations/ how we handled them, is often how our students tended to look and react to them as well. It was sort of a wake-up call to me, just making me realize how much of an influence I had in those freshmen's lives. They looked up to me not only as an older student, but as a role model. Just keeping that in mind made it easier I think to make good decisions and to think more about my actions and how they could be portrayed by others. When we get into sticky situations next semester (it's the inevitable) we just need to take a step back and think about how we will react to it. If we stay calm and collected, it will often influence those around us to be the same. How "bad" a situation is all depends on how we decide to handle it.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Fun and Amazement
On Thursday I had my first official tour of the ISU campus. Austin did a great job of providing information and fun facts. I thought it was really fun and interesting, especially since I have never had one before. I had only ever been here for a couple different conferences and looked around on my own. It was neat to experience. :)
On Friday I attended ISCORE as well. The Native American dishes that were served for lunch were amazing! And the Keynote Address given by Ariel Luckey was just beyond words. He performed part of his hip-hop theater routine and I was just completely amazed. It was different from anything I've seen before, but so amazing. It brought out so many good points that we are often so ignorant of the actual history of this land and how we came to be here. He did an amazing job!
On Friday I attended ISCORE as well. The Native American dishes that were served for lunch were amazing! And the Keynote Address given by Ariel Luckey was just beyond words. He performed part of his hip-hop theater routine and I was just completely amazed. It was different from anything I've seen before, but so amazing. It brought out so many good points that we are often so ignorant of the actual history of this land and how we came to be here. He did an amazing job!
Learning and Thinking
Facilitating learning can be a difficul topic. There is never one way better than another, especially with the mix of styles between students. The word web for being an effective facilitator was awesome though! Everyone had great ideas and all of them would be great as guidelines to anyone as a leader. A few of them included honesty, enthusiasm, inclusiveness, patience, follow-up, and many, many more! Thanks for all your cooperation with the activity! You all came up with so many more than I could on my own. It's awesome getting the chance to learn and grow together. It's a great thing to start and build on now, as I think it will geatly benefit us in the future.
Heath and Allie also had us think and jot about metacognition. I really think it's important to challenge yourself and the reasoning behind your thoughts. I find myself in the situation more than I care to admit, where I am biased with my thinking and don't see a situation as viewed from an outsider. I am working on taking a step back and looking at situations I come across as they are, rather than just how I may feel about them at the time. I think it's an invaluble asset that can greatly benefit me in the future when I work with others. My goal is to be slower to judge and quicker to forgive. It's only fair to everyone I come in contact with and myself.
Heath and Allie also had us think and jot about metacognition. I really think it's important to challenge yourself and the reasoning behind your thoughts. I find myself in the situation more than I care to admit, where I am biased with my thinking and don't see a situation as viewed from an outsider. I am working on taking a step back and looking at situations I come across as they are, rather than just how I may feel about them at the time. I think it's an invaluble asset that can greatly benefit me in the future when I work with others. My goal is to be slower to judge and quicker to forgive. It's only fair to everyone I come in contact with and myself.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Communication
In class we discussed what it what it meant to be an effective communicator. It was amazing going around the room and hearing times from everyone when communication has failed them. It was also amazing the number of times that came to my mind when communication failed me. (My first thought with that starter question was, "I have to pick only one?!") It's so crazy to think about, and what blows my mind even more is that I'm almost certain that sometimes I'm not even aware of it.
To make myself a better communicator, I am going to work on not just assuming that the person I'm talking or working with knows what I'm talking about. I will be more patient and gracious about explaining myself and my thoughts. I will work more on giving and receiving feedback and being more aware of myself and my actions I convey towards it throughout the entire process of it.
To make myself a better communicator, I am going to work on not just assuming that the person I'm talking or working with knows what I'm talking about. I will be more patient and gracious about explaining myself and my thoughts. I will work more on giving and receiving feedback and being more aware of myself and my actions I convey towards it throughout the entire process of it.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Awareness and Diversity
In class it was interesting to go over the awareness assessment that each of us filled out. Many of us had similarities and others were different. From mine, I will work on being more pyisically aware of myself. I walk around campus as much as I can, hardly ever taking the bus, but my eating habits are another story. I am going to try harder to watch what I eat, meaning less junk food, smaller portions, and fewer late night snacks. :)
But another kind of awareness that we went over and I think is very important, is diversity. It's so important to see others for who they are, and not what they look like or where they come from. We can see so many differences between ourselves, even just in our class, but when people see others of different races, it so often seems like differences are expected. I don't understand why it's such a big deal then when we, in our class, all look alike and have somewhat similar backgrounds, but we are still so vastly different.
The article that Allie sent out, Unpacking the Knapsack, was really powerful. It's amazing all the things I find myself taking advantage of. There are so many things that I do that I never even give a second thought to. It just floors me that I can be so ignorant of these things while so many others of different races and ethnicities are forced to face them all the time. I really work not to, but sometimes I still find myself judging others based on stereotypes, rather than getting to know who they really are, and just because it's so "obvious" that they are different from myself. I can't even pretend to try to put myself in their shoes, it's just something that I think is beyond what I could ever even begin to understand, but I can't imagine that I would enjoy what many people go through every day.
I am so blessed, but now I just need to work on being a blessing to others I come across. I think I can at least begin that by setting aside my judgements and any stereotypes I have been raised with. I won't pretend to be on the same level as someone else, but I will treat them as the equals that they are.
But another kind of awareness that we went over and I think is very important, is diversity. It's so important to see others for who they are, and not what they look like or where they come from. We can see so many differences between ourselves, even just in our class, but when people see others of different races, it so often seems like differences are expected. I don't understand why it's such a big deal then when we, in our class, all look alike and have somewhat similar backgrounds, but we are still so vastly different.
The article that Allie sent out, Unpacking the Knapsack, was really powerful. It's amazing all the things I find myself taking advantage of. There are so many things that I do that I never even give a second thought to. It just floors me that I can be so ignorant of these things while so many others of different races and ethnicities are forced to face them all the time. I really work not to, but sometimes I still find myself judging others based on stereotypes, rather than getting to know who they really are, and just because it's so "obvious" that they are different from myself. I can't even pretend to try to put myself in their shoes, it's just something that I think is beyond what I could ever even begin to understand, but I can't imagine that I would enjoy what many people go through every day.
I am so blessed, but now I just need to work on being a blessing to others I come across. I think I can at least begin that by setting aside my judgements and any stereotypes I have been raised with. I won't pretend to be on the same level as someone else, but I will treat them as the equals that they are.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Culteral Event
On February 8 I went to listen to Jeff Johnson speak in the Great Hall of the MU. He had many imteresting things to say on the topic of leadership. He said he would focus mainly on the black community, but that the problems are not unique to only them.
In Jeff's words, a leader is someone who will address issues an work to face and change issues or make issues known to people in positions of power. It is our responsibility to hold leaders accountable for what they say and how it affects us. He said he is "vexed" with the fact that so often today, more emphasis is put on attendance and giving speeches than actually doing something. He then went on to say and enforce that WE are in charge of creating a movement of change; we shouldn't leave it up to others.
If an action is disconnected from the agenda/issue, it isn't a movement, it's an activity. A movement brings about a change for the overall agenda/goal. He then said that most organizations are "wack" because students are not trained to face issues. They focus more on positions and meetings instead of strategies to make changes and actually face the fundamental issues. We also need to challenge our ignorance of others around us, but most often we opt out of it due to "political correctness." We should learn about others who are different than us. While we often see diversity, we often miss out on community. It needs to start with individuals.
When Jeff was winding down he brought up the fact that we were created with purpose. Our degree is a tool to fulfill that purpose and not what makes us who we are. What we've been through determines our leadership ability, but so many diminish their skills because they're waiting on a position. We need to take advantage of the time we are given for preparation and use our past experiences. He then gave the example of David in the Bible. He knew he could kill the giant because his past experience of having to kill both a bear and a lion had prepared him for it.
I thought that Jeff made some really great points in his talk. It really is important to use what you've been through before to teach and prepare you for what is ahead. We don't need to be in a position of power to make a difference, but since we are being given one, we should make the most of it next fall and even after.
In Jeff's words, a leader is someone who will address issues an work to face and change issues or make issues known to people in positions of power. It is our responsibility to hold leaders accountable for what they say and how it affects us. He said he is "vexed" with the fact that so often today, more emphasis is put on attendance and giving speeches than actually doing something. He then went on to say and enforce that WE are in charge of creating a movement of change; we shouldn't leave it up to others.
If an action is disconnected from the agenda/issue, it isn't a movement, it's an activity. A movement brings about a change for the overall agenda/goal. He then said that most organizations are "wack" because students are not trained to face issues. They focus more on positions and meetings instead of strategies to make changes and actually face the fundamental issues. We also need to challenge our ignorance of others around us, but most often we opt out of it due to "political correctness." We should learn about others who are different than us. While we often see diversity, we often miss out on community. It needs to start with individuals.
When Jeff was winding down he brought up the fact that we were created with purpose. Our degree is a tool to fulfill that purpose and not what makes us who we are. What we've been through determines our leadership ability, but so many diminish their skills because they're waiting on a position. We need to take advantage of the time we are given for preparation and use our past experiences. He then gave the example of David in the Bible. He knew he could kill the giant because his past experience of having to kill both a bear and a lion had prepared him for it.
I thought that Jeff made some really great points in his talk. It really is important to use what you've been through before to teach and prepare you for what is ahead. We don't need to be in a position of power to make a difference, but since we are being given one, we should make the most of it next fall and even after.
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