Honors 100 Peer Educator
Fall 2019
Peer Educator Reflection
I feel that being a peer educator was a really great experience for me, it was something I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was one of the highlights of autumn quarter. At the beginning of fall I had a pretty different idea of leadership and how I would expect this class to go. My idea of a leader was like someone who is dominant and has control of everything in the setting they are leading in, while this idea did change somewhat over spring while we were making lesson plans and learning how to facilitate a class, it truly changed once I found myself in the classroom setting. I feel like as a leader, I was directing the class but not in a controlling way but more like guiding the class. I think this leadership style worked pretty well for me, I was able to guide the class but also able to maintain a balance between being too bossy and letting my class go off on any and all tangents.
After this experience I feel like I like to lead a group that has initiative and works well together and like to take part in the trajectory of the class or the work they are doing. I feel like every group does not always have that kind of initiative and you need to motivate your class to do that somehow. I think relating to my class really helped with that, like just because I am leading a class does not mean I have to give the impression that I am perfect at what I am doing and in every other way. I feel like putting that out there really helped because it helps the class understand that we all are around the same level. I have learned that I like to be perceived as a leader that works with the group, I like to be a cooperative leader and like to keep everyone including me at the same level, so my opinions are not more important than anyone else’s and we make decisions as a group instead of I making the decisions. I think doing this in practice comes down to being connected with your audience and making it somewhat clear that we are all in the same boat.
I think what I took away from my self-evaluations was that everything does not always go the way you plan it, actually it almost never goes the way you plan things. Over the course of the quarter I feel that I learned how to be more and more flexible with my lesson plans and how to manage deviations on the spot because a lot of the times even back up plans don’t exactly work out. Additionally, I feel like I initially struggled a lot with pacing and organizing my notes, that was something that I got better at over the course of the quarter, I was able to come up with more realistic time frames and learned how to keep notes organized in a way that I don’t have to spend too much time looking for things. Another thing that I also learned was that I had become good at figuring out what works well for my class and what does not. For instance, I learned that my class is really good with small group discussions but gets a little uncomfortable if I ask them to discuss as a whole class. The self-evaluations helped me figure that out and go with what worked best with my audience.
For future experiences, I feel that something that I really want to focus on is making it a good experience for everyone. I feel that more than the information conveyed, people remember how the experience was or how much fun they had in it. Yes, the information is important but if presented in a way that focuses too much on the information itself on not on making the experience fun, I feel that the audience won’t pay as much attention. I think as a peer educator, making the class more fun really helped me a lot. I feel that I was still able to meet all my lesson plan goals though I had to make small compromises here and there because my class would go off on tangents at times. Sometimes I felt okay with letting things go off track for some time because it felt like my class was enjoying it. Though I realize that also comes with a fine balance between going too off track and controlling the discussion. I feel that in this case I was able to keep it in the middle by steering back the discussion when needed but otherwise let my class take it where it went even if it meant a little off topic for some time.
I feel like this was a very rewarding engagement, I really loved the experience! I feel that I had a great class and I am really thankful for that. I also feel like I could see a lot of my students change over the course of the quarter, I saw my class engage with each other a whole lot more as we went through the quarter and I really liked seeing how reflective they became. I think my best day in the class was the portfolio presentations. I feel that my students exceeded the expectations and also engaged with each other’s presentations which was great to see. My class made me a card as a thank you which was the sweetest thing ever and it made my day!
I feel that being a peer educator was a really great experience for me, it was something I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was one of the highlights of autumn quarter. At the beginning of fall I had a pretty different idea of leadership and how I would expect this class to go. My idea of a leader was like someone who is dominant and has control of everything in the setting they are leading in, while this idea did change somewhat over spring while we were making lesson plans and learning how to facilitate a class, it truly changed once I found myself in the classroom setting. I feel like as a leader, I was directing the class but not in a controlling way but more like guiding the class. I think this leadership style worked pretty well for me, I was able to guide the class but also able to maintain a balance between being too bossy and letting my class go off on any and all tangents.
After this experience I feel like I like to lead a group that has initiative and works well together and like to take part in the trajectory of the class or the work they are doing. I feel like every group does not always have that kind of initiative and you need to motivate your class to do that somehow. I think relating to my class really helped with that, like just because I am leading a class does not mean I have to give the impression that I am perfect at what I am doing and in every other way. I feel like putting that out there really helped because it helps the class understand that we all are around the same level. I have learned that I like to be perceived as a leader that works with the group, I like to be a cooperative leader and like to keep everyone including me at the same level, so my opinions are not more important than anyone else’s and we make decisions as a group instead of I making the decisions. I think doing this in practice comes down to being connected with your audience and making it somewhat clear that we are all in the same boat.
I think what I took away from my self-evaluations was that everything does not always go the way you plan it, actually it almost never goes the way you plan things. Over the course of the quarter I feel that I learned how to be more and more flexible with my lesson plans and how to manage deviations on the spot because a lot of the times even back up plans don’t exactly work out. Additionally, I feel like I initially struggled a lot with pacing and organizing my notes, that was something that I got better at over the course of the quarter, I was able to come up with more realistic time frames and learned how to keep notes organized in a way that I don’t have to spend too much time looking for things. Another thing that I also learned was that I had become good at figuring out what works well for my class and what does not. For instance, I learned that my class is really good with small group discussions but gets a little uncomfortable if I ask them to discuss as a whole class. The self-evaluations helped me figure that out and go with what worked best with my audience.
For future experiences, I feel that something that I really want to focus on is making it a good experience for everyone. I feel that more than the information conveyed, people remember how the experience was or how much fun they had in it. Yes, the information is important but if presented in a way that focuses too much on the information itself on not on making the experience fun, I feel that the audience won’t pay as much attention. I think as a peer educator, making the class more fun really helped me a lot. I feel that I was still able to meet all my lesson plan goals though I had to make small compromises here and there because my class would go off on tangents at times. Sometimes I felt okay with letting things go off track for some time because it felt like my class was enjoying it. Though I realize that also comes with a fine balance between going too off track and controlling the discussion. I feel that in this case I was able to keep it in the middle by steering back the discussion when needed but otherwise let my class take it where it went even if it meant a little off topic for some time.
I feel like this was a very rewarding engagement, I really loved the experience! I feel that I had a great class and I am really thankful for that. I also feel like I could see a lot of my students change over the course of the quarter, I saw my class engage with each other a whole lot more as we went through the quarter and I really liked seeing how reflective they became. I think my best day in the class was the portfolio presentations. I feel that my students exceeded the expectations and also engaged with each other’s presentations which was great to see. My class made me a card as a thank you which was the sweetest thing ever and it made my day!
Protips from a Peer Educator:
- Everything won't go according to plan, just accept it
- Bring snacks, students love it :-p
- Don't forget to have fun while you teach
Spring 2019
The Peer Educator training has been a rewarding and unique experience for me. I have been passionate about teaching but this is the first time I am getting to do it in such a formal setting which is a little daunting but also something I am looking forward to. Throughout this experience I have grown in several ways; as a leader, I have learned a lot more about the type of leader I am and the fact that not all leaders lead in the same way. This has been one of my biggest realizations, I learned that a leader does not have only one style of leading and the stereotypical leader we imagine is not really how all leaders are.
Additionally, I have learned a lot more about the role I have to play in a class setting as a teacher and in what ways can I be good at it. I also got to reflect and realized how do I see a student as and what role do I think I have to play in their success. As a teacher I have learned that I have a huge role to play in class in terms of building community among my students. I have also realized that how successful a class is in terms of learning the content that is being taught is also related to how well I manage to build community among my students. Especially in my case, a lot of my lesson plans and activities depend on forming a good sense of community among my students, while a lot of my activities in the beginning of the quarter are more focused on building community and that is what ice breakers in every class will also help with, a lot of my discussion and content heavy portion of the class depends on the students forming a good sense of community and finding this class a safe space to discuss in.
I also feel that I like to teach visually compared to other mediums, this is evident in my lesson plans wherein I had a supporting presentation for the majority of my components of each lesson plan. I like having a presentation because it helps me give better examples and have something to point to and ‘show’ things, additionally, I feel that it also gives me cues and helps me stay on track. A weakness I identified in my mini teach was that I did not make things interactive enough, I have tried to address that my making my slides a little more engaging and having a discussion or questions for my students as I teach.
I think that another very important part of this experience was the people who were in it with me, the community I found in this class was really great for it was full of supportive peers and while we all had very diverse backgrounds, I feel that we all got along with each other pretty well. One of my most cherished memories from this would be the retreat, I walked in not really knowing a lot of my peers but over the course of a day, learned so much more about the people in my class and really got to bond with them.
When it is time for me to teach in Fall, some things I think I will keep in mind is the various ways I can build community in a classroom, this would include using food as a way to build community, forming a comfortable seating arrangement that looks less like a traditional classroom and maintain a good level of enthusiasm while teaching the class. I will also work towards creating a safe environment for my students where they feel comfortable and safe to discuss what is on their minds, I will achieve this by setting certain expectations in the classroom and being explicit about how we want to treat each other with respect and understand that everyone does not need to think the same way as us.
All in all, I am pretty excited for the Fall, I feel ready for the most part but I am also a little nervous to see my students for the first time. However, I think that this is the good kind of nervousness and I think it will motivate me more to perform better!
Additionally, I have learned a lot more about the role I have to play in a class setting as a teacher and in what ways can I be good at it. I also got to reflect and realized how do I see a student as and what role do I think I have to play in their success. As a teacher I have learned that I have a huge role to play in class in terms of building community among my students. I have also realized that how successful a class is in terms of learning the content that is being taught is also related to how well I manage to build community among my students. Especially in my case, a lot of my lesson plans and activities depend on forming a good sense of community among my students, while a lot of my activities in the beginning of the quarter are more focused on building community and that is what ice breakers in every class will also help with, a lot of my discussion and content heavy portion of the class depends on the students forming a good sense of community and finding this class a safe space to discuss in.
I also feel that I like to teach visually compared to other mediums, this is evident in my lesson plans wherein I had a supporting presentation for the majority of my components of each lesson plan. I like having a presentation because it helps me give better examples and have something to point to and ‘show’ things, additionally, I feel that it also gives me cues and helps me stay on track. A weakness I identified in my mini teach was that I did not make things interactive enough, I have tried to address that my making my slides a little more engaging and having a discussion or questions for my students as I teach.
I think that another very important part of this experience was the people who were in it with me, the community I found in this class was really great for it was full of supportive peers and while we all had very diverse backgrounds, I feel that we all got along with each other pretty well. One of my most cherished memories from this would be the retreat, I walked in not really knowing a lot of my peers but over the course of a day, learned so much more about the people in my class and really got to bond with them.
When it is time for me to teach in Fall, some things I think I will keep in mind is the various ways I can build community in a classroom, this would include using food as a way to build community, forming a comfortable seating arrangement that looks less like a traditional classroom and maintain a good level of enthusiasm while teaching the class. I will also work towards creating a safe environment for my students where they feel comfortable and safe to discuss what is on their minds, I will achieve this by setting certain expectations in the classroom and being explicit about how we want to treat each other with respect and understand that everyone does not need to think the same way as us.
All in all, I am pretty excited for the Fall, I feel ready for the most part but I am also a little nervous to see my students for the first time. However, I think that this is the good kind of nervousness and I think it will motivate me more to perform better!
Here is my Second lesson plan, this is my favorite because it involves a scavenger hunt that I am really excited to do. Also this icebreaker is one of my favorites :-)
After School Tutor
My first experiential learning activity was a after school tutor at the Boys & Girls Club in Columbia City. I tutored children aged between 3 and 10 and helped them with their homework in Math, Science and English. This was a unique experience for me becasue I had never worked with such a young group of people.