A time I was at my best

Recently in a freshman recitation class that I co-teach for the Hixson Opportunity Scholarship Program we assigned our students to blog about a time when they feel they were at their best. At first I tried to consider what the students might choose as the time that they were at their best, so I thought of some typical scenarios I would expect to read about. Later that night the thought crossed my mind again, but instead this time I directed the question towards myself and asked "When was the time that I was at my best?" I thought back and  remembered that I had a successful high school career. I graduated with honors, was a member of the National Honor Society, had a successful experience with high school sports, and had a semester of college credits completed. I went on to Iowa State and had success with my classes, and was a promising member of the Iowa State Dairy Science Club. On June 30th, 2009, following my freshman year I made a decision to no longer be a bystander and enlist in the United States Army as a member of the Iowa National Guard and my life changed forever.Anything I'd done before then wouldn't even come close to what I consider the time when I felt I was at my best.The time I was at my best was on July 18th, 2011, the day I came home from a year long deployment to the Nuristan Province of Eastern Afghanistan.
        On August 3rd, 2010 myself and the rest of the men of Charlie Company, 1-133rd "Ironman" Battalion said goodbye to our families, friends, and loved ones to train for a roughly a month at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Following Camp Shelby we spent a few weeks at Fort Irwin, California. I didn't know exactly what to expect once we arrived in the theater of Afghanistan, so like most of us, I mentally and physically prepared for the worse case scenario once we arrived in theater. To be honest all of us were all ready to stop shooting blank ammo, and bandaging fake wounds; It was time for something more real.

         The deployment was long, but it was a good infantry deployment. In some ways it was a lot of what I expected it to be, but at the same time I couldn't have dreamed up half of the things that went on. We can a number men from Charlie company go home early from injuries sustained in IED blasts, among other instances of troops in contact, but in the end everybody made it home to their families and went on to live their lives to the fullest.

        On July 18th at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls we were finally welcomed home. After a year of never feeling at home, always being on alert, and physical separation from those who mean the most to us, the noise finally came to rest. For once those feelings were replaced with security, love, and eventually beer. I was in the best shape of my life, I had a loving girlfriend that I'm still with today, and had a few more dollars to my bank account. I was registered for classes at Iowa State in the fall, and was ready to take on anything life in the civilian world could throw at me, because it had to be a hell of a lot easier than what we just went through. This was the time that  I was my best.   

         

        

     

Diversity

Last week Denise Williams guest lectured to the Hixson peer mentor class and Hixson student board about diversity. I've heard many lectures about diversity throughout my college years and time in the military, but I'd say her lecture was by far the most insightful and entertaining. The topic is interesting to me because every day in Ames we experience diversity in one way or another whether it be race, religion, political affiliation, socio-economic status, etc. Along with diversity can come preconceived stereotypes, some negative and some positive. Something I've never really thought about until this lecture is that not only negative but also positive stereotypes can hurt. How do individuals feel when they're labeled with what's considered a positive stereotype, and that person doesn't "live up" to that positive stereotype? In my mind that's equally if not more hurtful than a negative stereotype.

Despite our country progressing throughout previous decades to try and break down prejudiced feeling towards others with different backgrounds, stereotyping will still exist. With stereotyping still existing for the majority of us, because it's in our nature, what we need to do is try and keep an open mind about everyone until we've actually met that person and then truly evaluate the content of that person's character. This is exactly what I have done, and will continue to do for next fall as a peer mentor. We Hixsons are a special group, with a wealth of diversity and experiences, that's why we were selected to be in the position we are today as Christina Hixson's Hixson Scholars. 

Ethics

I'd first of all like to say Alex and Easton did a very nice job with their lesson on ethics. I liked how the questions we were asked to answer could directly be related to our future experience as Hixson peer mentors next year. The underlying message that I picked up from the lesson was where do we as Hixson peer mentors draw the line between being a peer mentor and being anything other for our students next fall. I think we of course need to be friendly, polite, encouraging, resourceful, available to be contacted outside of class. What relationships can we have with our students outside of the Hixson program? I don't think seeing a student once or twice outside of the Hixson setting would be a problem if it's for the right reasons and intentions, but I really don't think we should spend time with our students outside of class that would compromise the relationship between peer mentor and first year Hixson. 

      My advisor here at ISU gave my Ageds 310 some really good advice about high school education that I think would transfer over well to next year. If we meet with one of our students outside of class, it's always best to have at least a third person present, and what better person to have with you than your Hixson teaching partner, or another Hixson from the class if your partner isn't available. This way both we as Hixson peer mentors and our students are more comfortable with any situations that might require us to meet with our students outside of class. 

Campus Resources

I first want to say that Kaylene and Christina did a great job with their lesson tonight on campus resources and referral techniques. I liked the approach they took with the lesson by having the majority of the lesson being based on student interaction and keeping the lecturing to a minimum. This is an approach I want to take for my lesson with Megan coming up in a few weeks, and as much when co-teaching the recitation class next fall. 
       I'm really looking forward to teaching this exact lesson next fall because I know how helpful it's going to be for the incoming freshman, and with this being my fifth semester at Iowa State even I learned some new things about the services offered to Iowa State students. One of my favorite sayings is that "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," and I really think this is what the campus resources and referral techniques lesson is all about. Sometimes students can be hesitant to seek help, especially when they don't know what resources are available. With this lesson we as peer mentors can answer a lot of questions before the questions are asked, especially those problems or situations that seem inevitable  during a college career and especially freshman year. It's pretty safe to say that at least one student for each recitation class is going to need to see a doctor, have a prescription filled, drop a class, take a class pass/fail, have their computer crash the day before a final paper is due.  It only makes sense to let these resources at Iowa State be known by the students who pay for them at the beginning of each semester. This lesson is a great way to get the students out of classroom, enjoy the weather, and get better oriented with the campus. 

     

My thoughts on Twitter

Since our class on Wednesday I've tried to make twitter a part of my social media/communications routine with phone calls, texting, email, Facebook, and Linked In. I followed a few of my peers, KCRG News from Eastern Iowa, and Jim Cramer from the show Mad Money by having tweets sent to my phone. From what I've experienced so far with the mobile tweets I'm not a a big fan, mostly because I don't like receiving text messages that aren't going to directly effect me, it gets to be too distracting and counterproductive for me  It seemed like every other class period in the middle of class my phone would be vibrating with a text message about something that was irrelevant to me, and was more of a hindrance to my education and work.It's not that anybody did anything wrong, it's just not for me, and if I don't like it then I can just turn off the mobile setting.

Does Twitter have some potential to be an effective tool for members of a family, team, group, cohort, or business to stay better connected, and on the same page to become more productive and efficient? Yes, Twitter has major potential to be a very valuable tool, and will continue to become more widely adopted for years to come. So advice I'd give to thosewho might feel the same way as I do about Twitter is to not resist it, try to understand at least the basics, and find out what limitations with Twitter are going to bring you the most positive experience.

Week 7

This week our lesson focused on the group process. We did a team activity were one person was blind-folded and the other person had to talk them through a obstacle course. I liked this activity because it can be as easy or as hard the group members make it. It's a simple concept, one person can't see, the other person can. All it takes is two member who can communicate clearly, decisively, and with trust. If you can't be clear, decisive, and have trust in your partner then it's not going to be a very productive exercise. The same concepts of group teamwork from this exercise could be applied to the relationship we'll have with our other Hixson section leader, when communication will be so imperative to create lesson plans, prepare for class activities, and deliver lessons.

Week 6

During this week's class we took a survey to find out what our dominant conflict management styles are, and the results showed that my dominant style is avoiding, followed by collaborating. At first I wasn't sure if I answered the questions truthfully as to how I actually approach conflict, but after a second look at the questions    I knew this was my dominant style. My initial reaction to realizing my dominant style is avoiding was an overall negative feeling. When I hear the word avoid it makes me think of somebody who can't handle conflict, or doesn't have the courage to stand up for what they believe in.
      When I went on to read the survey's description of the avoiding style things really stated to come full circle, and allowed me to understand why this is my dominant style of conflict management. First of all I don't enjoy conflict, the fact that somebody doesn't agree with me doesn't always make me want to jump up and prove a point. This is especially true for the little things in every day life, that I view as minor details to the big picture. If the damage from addressing the conflict outweighs the potential benefits of resolving the conflict, then I've got better things to do with my time and energy. If there's an issue that I'm passionate about then I usually shift from avoiding to collaborating or competing, depending on the severity and importance of the conflict.
      Overall I really enjoyed Mike and Carly's lesson, and it helped me realize that although each person may have a different dominant conflict style, the dominant style alone isn't what determines  how effective a person is as a conflict  manager. The best conflict managers utilize all five of the styles we discussed; avoiding, accommodating, competing, collaborating, and compromising. The key is for an effective conflict manager is the ability to understand and apply the style that is most appropriate for each individual conflict they face. By understanding this I feel very confident that my conflict management style is avoiding, so that I can focus on what is important to me, pick my battles, and when the battles come shift to the most appropriate conflict management style.

Week 5

This week in class we discussed the difference between advice, and interpersonal communication. I really liked the topic because I can for see a lot of use for both advice and interpersonal communication with our role as peer mentors, and Wednesday's class helped me to better distinguish between the two. 
      As a mentor I expect to answer a lot of questions with advice in order to make the smoothest transition for my Hixson students, but if there's as opportunity for interpersonal communication I'll try my best to make sure the students are ultimately making their own decisions, because making your own decisions for yourself is part of growing up. The students are the ones who have to live with the results of their decisions, not me. If I can offer some personal insight that can help one of my students come to their best informed decision, then by all means I'll give my two cents worth. 
       Overall this week's topic for me was simple to understand, but ultimately very important. Effective peer mentors understand when to use interpersonal communication for a student to come to their own decision, and when it's most appropriate to simply give advice. Dylan and Lauren did a real nice and effective job with this topic, and it seemed like everybody walked out of class Wednesday feeling confident  and comfortable with the lesson.  

Week 4

I thought this week's discussion about diversity and working with people from different backgrounds was very productive, and important as we move on to next fall and will be facilitating groups of individuals that will likely come from very diverse backgrounds.
     What I feel I have the most to gain from this fall from my experience being a Hixson section leader is just simply the experience of working with around 10 different individuals, who all have different attributes. I think there's a lot of value for a leader to be exposed to as many personality types as possible in a professional setting, to better understand how to be the most productive despite differences.
     Something I talked with Carly about during the lecture that I didn't share with the class but think really rings true is that if you want to be more accepting to others from different backgrounds, the first step is engaging in conversation. It's so easy now a days to be in your own little world, and to stay within your comfort zone via ipod, cell phone, tablet, or computer. How often do you see strangers talking on the bus, doctors office waiting room, or in line for Panda Express? Usually people from our generation don't want to make small talk, they'd rather check in with their friends on Facebook, play Angry Birds, or have their headphones in. In order for our generation to start becoming more accepting to people from different backgrounds there actually needs to be some one on one engagement, and I feel like we're loosing that. Also don't be afraid to look somebody in the eyes, shake their hand, and tell them your name.
      From the reading I really liked the idea that we need to accept that fact that we're not all perfect, nobody is, and once we can accept that we can understand that the way we live our lives isn't the "right" way to live, but just one of many different ways. Accept the fact that sometimes people will do things not necessarily the exact same way as you would, but as long as the job gets done that's really what matters.

Week 3

On the 28th of January my fellow Hixson peer mentors and I went to the Iowa State Leadership Experience at the Memorial Union. I attended two sessions, and the one I found most beneficial was The Art of Interviewing, presented by Mike Gaul, the College of Ag and Life Sciences Director for Career Placement. It was your typical lecture over interviewing, what you should do, what you shouldn’t do, how to maximize your potential for getting the desired position as a result of your interview performance. I’m not going to blog verbatim about what advice he gave, but I thought he did a really nice job with his 50 minute lecture, and it made me a little more comfortable and knowledgeable about the interviewing process. If you’ve never had the opportunity to listen to a similar lecture about interviews, resumes, and cover letters I would highly recommend it to any student at Iowa State. Mike Gaul works with the College of Ag and Life Sciences, but every college at Iowa State has a professional in a similar position. So go ahead and talk to these professionals and have them look over your resume periodically, set up a mock interview, and grasp where in the jobs market Iowa State graduates are being placed, and with what typical starting salaries and benefits.
            It might be discouraging for some students initially to start doing some of these things because individuals might feel that they don’t have anything to separate themselves from their colleagues, or don’t want to accept the fact they they’re one step away from the real world. The truth is that all Iowa State students enter the job market as a valuable commodity, no matter which of the 8 colleges you graduate from at Iowa State. The top employers hire Iowa State graduates for many reasons, but notably because of the hands on experience that Iowa State captivates by using “Science with Practice”. This comes from university applied research, and internships with some of the biggest blue chip companies in the nation.
            That’s why I think it’s important to instill in the minds of our students from day one on campus that by choosing this university they have entered the professional realm, and the time to set yourself up for a successful career starts at day one, boots on the ground at Iowa State University. 

Week Two

This week in class we had did an exercise to share and discuss what common issues freshman often face during their first year at Iowa State. The more I think about it doesn't every freshman at Iowa State face some kind of issue at some point throughout the year? Something I'd like to discuss with my class this fall is that everybody needs help sometimes, especially during the first semester of college, it seems inevitable. The fact is that once you realize the problem what's been done is done, you can't go back to change it, you have to look ahead and say from this moment forth what do I need to do to improve the situation. If you don't know what that answer is then ask a friend, and if they don't know try and seek counseling from a trained professional. 
      The hardest part is sometimes accepting that you have a problem on your hands, because it can seem easy to talk yourself out of accepting it. If you have any doubt that there's a problem then share the situation with a friend or family member and see what they think. If you keep putting off the problem, 99%  of the time it isn't going to fix itself, and it will only worsen.
      An issue that I had earlier this school year was the amount of money I was spending on eating and drinking out. I knew I was going out more than I ever had before, and often bought meals and drinks for my girlfriend and other friends. I knew there was a problem with the issue after the first month of school, but I just made an excuse to myself that I was making up for the past year of deployment. Finally I decided enough was enough and added up the total charges on my bank statement for going out during a month, and calculated what percent of my income it was costing. I've since then set myself on a budget where I've established a weekly cap on the amount I can spend on going out, and if I meet the cap for the week then it looks like I'll be eating Hamburger Helper and renting a Redbox DVD for my entertainment. I wish I would have come to terms with the problem sooner than I did, the biggest hurdle was being able to accept it. 

Hixson Week 1

In the first chapter of our reading I liked how the author mentioned that although we as peer mentors have the potential to be one of the greatest influences to our students in their college years, we might not always know the answer, or feel like we can offer the best professional advice in certain areas. I think it’s important that we realize that as mentors sometimes the best advice we can give our students in the Hixson class of 2012 is the name and office number of a trained professional to deals exclusively with certain issues. Even if we need to discuss certain topics with our students that we feel very comfortable with, you can’t go wrong by giving out contact information to a professional for additional support.

                The second chapter about student maturation and the impact of peers really hit home for me, as I found myself facing many of the examples of students development my freshman year, while in the military, and even as recently as fall semester of 2011 after being away from college for 20 months.
                My freshman year at Iowa State I left behind a farm that I’d devoted my whole life to, a high school class of 35 students, and a structured life balanced between school, farm work, and sports. In exchange I was given the biggest university in Iowa, free time I’d never had before, and a love for the social life. As a result I had poor time management skills, less than perfect study skills, and an imbalance between work and play.
                My time spent in the military has opened up my understanding and growth of understanding others who come from different ethnicities, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds, both foreign and domestic. It was at this time of reflecting on my past three semesters at Iowa State and my military service that everything came full circle for me, and the picture was clear for what I needed to do academically and personally to become the man I want to be for the rest of my life.
                I returned to classes at Iowa State in fall of 2011, about one month following my deployment to eastern Afghanistan. I came back a much better student with developed study skills, better  time management, and a drive to achieve academically. I did exactly that and for the first time I made the Dean’s list at Iowa State with a 3.83 GPA while taking 19 credits. There were some major adjustments to being back stateside this fall and being out of the military mindset, but I’ve since adjusted just fine, and I’m happy to be back to myself and surrounded by the friends and family I’d missed for the past nearly two years.
                This second chapter of our reading is what it’s all about for me wanting to be a Hixson peer mentor, helping students adjust to their new environment, mature into a young adult, and grow into adulthood.