Communication

In class this week, we discussed the importance of communication skills. I believe this is one the most important skills for a peer mentor to possess. It is the cornerstone of learning in general. It is evident that we all have valuable experience and advice that we can share with the incoming freshman, but if we can't effectively communicate those things, we're not going to help anyone.

I also enjoyed the Vin-diagram activity we did in class. It's interesting to look at all the different ways of teaching and decide when to use which to be the most effective educator.

Awareness

This week we completed a little awareness assessment. I wasn't surprised by most of the categories. One that did take me aback was physical awareness. I have always considered myself to be in pretty good shape. I run almost everyday and lift three to four times a week. I realized fast from the questions that were asked in this category that its not just about working out. Other areas of my life are most likely affecting my physical health. The lifestyle I live is evidently not the best for me. I would like to work on taking better care of myself.

Values

Last week we talked about self-concept and getting to know yourself. A big part of this is knowing and understanding your values. What do you really value in life, and of those values which ones are the most important to you. An interesting questions was asked during the discussion. "Where do your values come from?" This seemed like an insignificant question to me at first. I soon realized that it is important to understand how you came to value the things that are important in your life. You need to know that many events take place in your life that influence your set of values. Once you know this, you know that most people aren't going to value the same things you do. They haven't lived the same life. I believe this could be a big step in acceptance of different points of view.

Reflection

Last week I conducted my first class starter and class discussion starter with the help of Hannah. I guess it went alright for our first time. I found that the hardest part was actually getting the class to engage in a real discussion about the the topics at hand. They stated their thoughts on the topic as small groups, but there was really no interaction amongst the mentors as a whole. I realized that it was up to Hannah and I to raise questions and theories that pushed them into meaningful discussion about the material. I feel this could be a problem next semester when I'm trying to get the incoming freshman to engage in a class discussion. This could very well be an aspect of teaching that I'll need to improve upon.