R.

Jacob Gilbert

EDLP 520

28 October 2015

Mid-semester Review

University 101 is an amazing experience at all three levels: as a pupil,

instructor, and peer leader. Thus far in my collegiate career, I have been

able enjoy University 101 from both the student and the peer leader level.

Serving as a peer leader is an amazing experience, and fortunately, I have

an amazing co-instructor to guide me along the way.

My co-instructor is an amazing and caring lady. We discussed the

strengths and weaknesses of our class, and the strengths and weaknesses of

each other. My co-instructor explained that she appreciates my

communication with herself and the class. She said that she believes that

our group chat has helped foster community and interdependence among

the students. She also appreciates how both herself and I are able to

communicate in a timely manner with one another via text. Additionally, my

co-instructor said one of my strengths is my student-perspective in the

classroom. Being a student, I am better able to assess the problems that our

students are facing and assist them in ways that she is not as well equipped

to handle.

On the other hand, my co-instructor said that both she and I need to

better explain the purpose of our assignments to the class. She thinks that

sometimes the assignments may seem like busy-work to the students, so

we need to explain the actual purpose and usefulness of the assignments to

the students. My co-instructor really likes how our class is going. The class

is very social especially with each other (whereas many of her peers

classes are not as outgoing). Also, she thinks the students are connecting

well with me.

So far, being a peer leader has been a rewarding experience. One of

my proudest moments was when one of my students texted me and asked

for advice about school. The student was having an issue with a class, and I

talked with him about it and explained all of his options. He genuinely

appreciated my advice, and has since talked with me about other issues.

Above all, my greatest reward from this class is being a mentor who is

appreciated by the students.

One hurdle that I am facing with my class is that I am not as well

connected with all of the students as I am with others. I know that different

people have different personalities, but I would like to be better connected

with them. Fortunately, I completed my one-on-one interviews with the

students, and that was a great stepping stone for making a better

connection. In the coming weeks, I will work with my co-instructor about

arranging a way for us to meet with the students later in the semester, next

semester (or possibly later next year) to see how they have acclimated to

college life.

I am greatly honored to have been selected to serve as a University

101 peer leader. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life
and I am disappointed that the semester is more than halfway over. This is

the first time that I have made connections with others as a mentor and as a

leader, and it is a very satisfying experience. I hope that my students, co-

instructor, and I work on building an even stronger relationship that we can

reflect upon in the future. I also hope that this is not my last year as a peer

leader!