Ethics and etiquette!

A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.

-Albert Camus

 

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!