Monday, April 29, 2013
AHHHHH! Pairings!
“It’s only when we can work with something that brings out our strengths that we’re of any real use.”
― Henning Mankell, The Fifth Woman
This week we finally found out our pairings for next fall and.....(drumroll please!) I am paired with Sir Tyler Main! The fall should be awesome and our mentees will for sure get a full perspective on journalism (we may start a newspaper out of our section, no big deal.) The puzzle for the reveal was really clever and cute! I think we're all matched up really well! The discussion on Facebook was also pretty grand!
Wednesday's class also featured the revealing of our final product for DST and it turned out great! Thanks everyone for all the hard work you put in!
The previous peer mentor panel was a really informative discussion. I learned a lot about what to expect (ANYTHING) and how I can prepare myself! It was great to have their perspective! It was great to be able to ask them questions and see how they all still connected with one another!
The retreat yesterday was awesome--thanks again to Allie for hosting all of us! P.s.--you have the most adorable dog ever! It was great to be able to relax outside with everyone in the beautiful weather! It was a really laid back retreat and we all got to relax and bond--that's really important going into the summer....plus, you know, the two truths and a lie game was kind of a bombshell...so yeah. :)
I'm excited for the details of the fall retreat to take shape and for the summer read!
See you all in class Wednesday (or tomorrow night at van training!)
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership
"A woman has to be intelligent, have charm, a sense of humor, and be kind. It's the same qualities I require from a man."
Catherine Deneuve
Well, here we are! So close to the end of the semester! It's gone by so quickly!
This week we were asked by Chelsee to blog about a paper we read titled, "Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership" by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis. The paper pointed to 7 qualities that help make a good leader. They are: empathy, attunement, organizational awareness, influence, developing others, inspiration, and teamwork.
Two qualities of social intelligence that I feel I excel at are attunement and organizational awareness. I feel that I naturally am aware of how people are feeling most of the time and I adjust my demeanor to fit their needs. I often find that the emotions of others influence how I feel so I make an active effort to keep in mind why that person might be feeling that way. Organizational awareness is a skill that I have developed a lot more in college. I have had many experiences working with diverse groups at Iowa State and that has given me a lot of perspective on how to handle different cultures and what their norms or feelings on different topics may be. Living with two Chinese roommates this semester has definitely put those skills to the test in my day-to-day life.
One characteristic of social intelligence that I feel I can improve is influence. I feel that I have the ability to influence others but most of my training for my career teaches me to remain objective and not try to persuade people to one viewpoint over another. I think I can use influence as a peer mentor, however, as long as I remember that I can influence the first-year Hixsons to begin their experience at Iowa State in a positive way.
Glad we finished up filming today! Hope everyone had a happy VEISHEA!
Catherine Deneuve
Well, here we are! So close to the end of the semester! It's gone by so quickly!
This week we were asked by Chelsee to blog about a paper we read titled, "Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership" by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis. The paper pointed to 7 qualities that help make a good leader. They are: empathy, attunement, organizational awareness, influence, developing others, inspiration, and teamwork.
Two qualities of social intelligence that I feel I excel at are attunement and organizational awareness. I feel that I naturally am aware of how people are feeling most of the time and I adjust my demeanor to fit their needs. I often find that the emotions of others influence how I feel so I make an active effort to keep in mind why that person might be feeling that way. Organizational awareness is a skill that I have developed a lot more in college. I have had many experiences working with diverse groups at Iowa State and that has given me a lot of perspective on how to handle different cultures and what their norms or feelings on different topics may be. Living with two Chinese roommates this semester has definitely put those skills to the test in my day-to-day life.
One characteristic of social intelligence that I feel I can improve is influence. I feel that I have the ability to influence others but most of my training for my career teaches me to remain objective and not try to persuade people to one viewpoint over another. I think I can use influence as a peer mentor, however, as long as I remember that I can influence the first-year Hixsons to begin their experience at Iowa State in a positive way.
Glad we finished up filming today! Hope everyone had a happy VEISHEA!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Ethics and etiquette!
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.
This week were were asked to blog about the five ethics qualities that are most important to us from Students Helping Students. Here are my 5:
1. "When in doubt--consult1"
This principle is very important to me because I know that our Hixson staff has a lot of expertise and if I ever have any questions I can go to them or refer students to them. It's really comforting to me to know that although I am chiefly responsible for helping students, I have a great network of support!
2. "Knowing and managing your emotional response, while helping another, is crucial to your own well-being and to your ability to help."
I think of myself as a very empathetic person and I can imagine that during two-on-ones next fall I could hear some information from students that is very different than what I had imagined based on seeing them in class. Knowing that I need to be able to control my reactions is important both as a peer mentor and as a journalist, so that's a skill that I find really important.
3. "Take responsible action if you learn about illegal behavior."
We talked about this one in class quite a bit, but I think it's really important to remember our role as professionals as well as educators.
4. "Remember that as a peer educator, you are a role model!"
This one is obviously VERY important! I can't imagine trusting or confiding in someone I knew was acting irresponsibly in some aspect of their life, so it's important that the mentees know I am a responsible and respectful person whom they can confide in!
5. "Show respect and dignity for other individuals."
Kind of going back to #4, being respectful and responsible is literally crucial to our role as peer mentors, we have to be role models in our actions as well as our words, and that means treating everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of the situation.
The etiquette dinner was super fun tonight! It was great seeing everyone in a semi-relaxed atmosphere! Plus I picked up tons of useful tips that just might help me land a job someday!
-Albert Camus
1. "When in doubt--consult1"
This principle is very important to me because I know that our Hixson staff has a lot of expertise and if I ever have any questions I can go to them or refer students to them. It's really comforting to me to know that although I am chiefly responsible for helping students, I have a great network of support!
2. "Knowing and managing your emotional response, while helping another, is crucial to your own well-being and to your ability to help."
I think of myself as a very empathetic person and I can imagine that during two-on-ones next fall I could hear some information from students that is very different than what I had imagined based on seeing them in class. Knowing that I need to be able to control my reactions is important both as a peer mentor and as a journalist, so that's a skill that I find really important.
3. "Take responsible action if you learn about illegal behavior."
We talked about this one in class quite a bit, but I think it's really important to remember our role as professionals as well as educators.
4. "Remember that as a peer educator, you are a role model!"
This one is obviously VERY important! I can't imagine trusting or confiding in someone I knew was acting irresponsibly in some aspect of their life, so it's important that the mentees know I am a responsible and respectful person whom they can confide in!
5. "Show respect and dignity for other individuals."
Kind of going back to #4, being respectful and responsible is literally crucial to our role as peer mentors, we have to be role models in our actions as well as our words, and that means treating everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of the situation.
The etiquette dinner was super fun tonight! It was great seeing everyone in a semi-relaxed atmosphere! Plus I picked up tons of useful tips that just might help me land a job someday!
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