Podcast with Elaine Lewis

http://taylormiller1.podbean.com/

Personality Test

One of the surveys that incoming freshman take is a Personality test to help them understand the way their brain works and what best works for them. We also took the test and the results were extremely accurate.
There are four types that are opposite of one another.
-People who prefer Extroversion vs. Introversion.
-People who prefer Sensing vs. Intuition.
-People who prefer Thinking vs. Feeling.
-People who prefer Judging vs. Perceiving.

I took the test and the results I received were E.S.T.P. There are sixteen different possibilities among these four categories. My configuration means: Action orientated, energetic, and realistic. ESTP's work well when they can participate fully, enjoying challenges and attempting to eliminate obstacles through a logical way pragmatic, no-sense approach. They like to solve problems, work to achieve immediate results, and be where the action is.

I really liked this survey! Even though I already knew these things about myself it was nice to take a test and get the same results, I think freshman taken this will fine that its a great thing to do.

Counseling Services: Sexual Assault

The topic of sexual assault is a touchy subject but it still needs to be talked about, too many women and sometimes men are taken advantage of. Being a peer educator sometimes we are faced with issues that we can not help with and that we need to direct to the counseling services on campus, two ladies came and talked to our class about ways to help and provided us with staggering statistics and facts about sexual assault. 

-The most vulnerable class of women on a college campus are freshman. 

-In the state Kansas, if someone is intoxicated it is deemed he/she cannot legally give consent for sexual relations. 

-Women whose partners abuse alcohol are over 3.6 times more likely than other women to be assaulted by their partners.

-In 2002, more than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 were victims of sexual.

-Between 62% and 84% of survivors knew their attacker. 

-In a study by U.S Centers for Disease Control of 5,000 college students at over 100 college, 20% of women and 4% of men answered "yes" to the question: "In your lifetime, have you been forced to submit to sexual intercourse against your will"? 

-Washburn's Counseling Services' office may see 1 to 3 women each academic year that report she believe she was given a date rape drug.

 

MAP-Works

MAP-Works is a retention computer program that helps with student success. It helps us better reach our at risk students, it also includes tools so that the faculty and peer educators can better communicate in a efficient way. There are many benefits to working with this program, students sometimes are hesitant to admit they are struggling whether it be in school or in their personal lives. When a student signs up for WU 101 they are automatically put into the system, students take an array of surveys to gauge their study habits, academic confidence and social issues and concerns. MAP-Works also has a risk indicator it goes from green, yellow, red and double red. Green means the students is a low risk and double red means the student is at very high risk of being unsuccessful. MAP- Works is an extremely beneficial program to peer educators and faculty at Washburn.

Activity Building

A part of peer education training is activity building, creating activities with each other to play with our students in the fall. We are split into groups and have the choice from a list of topics to create activities with. So far my favorites have been bad decision making and ice breakers.
A group in my class gathered together and had the topic bad decision making, one girl found a video about a young man who was underage drinking with a couple of his buddies and jumped from a moving vehicle. He is now paralyzed from the waist down, one stupid choice changed his life forever. This goes to show students how one lapse of judgement can effect your life, I felt like this video would really hit students hard and make them think twice about decisions that they make.
Another activity that I really enjoyed was under the topic of icebreakers and the game is called the Snowball game. The game goes like this, everyone in the class takes out a piece of paper and writes down where their from, a family tradition and something most people don't know about you. Then the classroom is split into two groups and each group stands on either side of the room then..throw! When all papers have been thrown everyone picks up a piece of paper and tries to guess who's paper is who's. This game allows the students to get to know one another and not to judge a book by its cover, I thought this activity would be very effective and the students would really enjoy it and it also allows the peer educators and the teacher to get to know the students as well!    

Thus Far

My experience thus far has been fantastic! I love the program,and I really wish we had training more than once a week. I'm building relationships with other p.e. and I'm learning so much about myself and ways to reach out to others that seem to be struggling. We've had the luxury of having quite a few guest speakers like veterans in the program and staff on campus that also help students in other ways that we as peer educators can't. I was not aware of how much went into becoming a p.e., you are entrusted with personal information to better reach the students. I'm very happy that I decided to become a part of this program. I'm looking forward to what the future holds!

 

Peer Education Video

Peer education is not something unique Washburn other schools use this technique as a tool to reach their students as well. I found a video that documents students that are involved in different groups that focus on one topic. 

Interview with Shannon Van Hercke

After my interview with my instructor Mr. Dahlstrand I figured I would also interview a fellow peer educator to see what provoked them to join the program. I chose to interview Shannon Van Hercke.

Q: Who was your WU 101 teacher first semester?
A: "Dr. Fye" He is the Instructional Librarian at Washburn.

Q: Did he have any effect on your decision to become a peer educator? If yes then why.
A: "No, he wasn't able to keep my attention during class and he always referred to history and I don't like history".

Q: What were your main reasons for wanting to be a peer educator?
A: " Garrett and Tiana, they were my peer educators and I really connected with them and they definitely made the class more fun"

Q: What are you most excited about for the fall?
A: "That I will be able to touch lives and make an impact even if it's with one student".

Q: If you like the program in the fall can you see yourself continuing throughout your years at Washburn?
A: "I will see how next year goes then go from there, but if it's something that I enjoy then I will definitely keep doing as long as I can"
 

Interview with Mr. John Dahlstrand

I had the pleasure of interview Mr. Dahlstrand who is the Assistant Dean of Students Success and my instructor. I asked him a series of questions about the program why he thinks its beneficial.

Q: How long have you been at Washburn University? 
A: Since August 2011. So three years.

Q: How did the Peer Education program come about?
A: "The class Washburn 101 (WU 101) which is designed for a teacher and a peer educator needed a program to gather students together to assign students to classrooms. At first we only had eight peer educators and one of the biggest challenges was to figure out what to do with them in the classroom. Another challenge was to figure out how long training needed to be so that they were prepared to handle students in the appropriate way. It started off with a one day training course but we soon figure out that wasn't long enough for we extended it to a two day meeting. We quickly saw this wasn't enough either, in the spring of 2013 we had the first full semester training class".

Q: What stands out to you about the program that made you want to get involved? 
A: "The programs connects peer educators with each other and they have the chance to learn about WU 101 from behind the scenes and allows a different way to approach students.

Q: Do you think having peer educators on the classroom adds to the learning experience of students? If so why?
A: "They have to chance to learn more about the students and makes it easier for the teacher and the peer educator to better help the students, it also allows the foundation for more relationships with both the teacher and the students".

Q: What would you say to a student that was on the fence about joining the program? 
A: "It's a great way to get involved and get paid, it's also a different experience from a job. It can help with public speaking and you have the chance to help out with events".

Q: Who you say there are lasting effects for being a peer educator? If so what. 
A: "It's an opportunity to impact students and having lasting experience and being able to see the classroom from a different standpoint".

Q: Do students tend to come back to the program? (from the training to being in the classroom and veterans) 
A: "Yes, people tend to come back about 75% rejoin the program, thankfully we haven't had to let anyone go.

Talking One-on One with students

Talking to students is one of the most important skills that a peer educator must possess. The training experience provides us with the knowledge to better our relationship with our students. We are taught different tactics to reach out to the students. You should never make the student feel inferior, or make them feel like what they have to say is not important. For this reason we are given coffee cards and they must be used to buy a student coffee or a muffin to enjoy while we talk to them about their experience in college so far or what they may be struggling with.
Within a classroom there will always be two or three peer educators and it is crucial that they are all on the page and have laid out plans on how to reach certain students that may need a little more help. The benefit of having multiple peer educators in a classroom is having a diverse perspective on issues. Even though it is our job to help students there is only so much we as peer educators can do and when we are unable to help that is when we direct the student to our resources on campus.

Duties For Being a Peer Educator.

According to the developers of the Peer Education program at Washburn University the definition of a Peer Educator is as follows: 
-A student who has been selected to aid first year students in their college transition.
-A person who is trained in ways to reach out to their peers who may be struggling.
-A student who assists others in attaining their academic goals.
-A student who encourages their peers to persist, and helps students to problem-solve.
-A student who listens to others and uses their own personal knowledge to help find solutions.
-A students who serves as a good role model for others.
-A person who accepts their peers and helps others without judgment.

Being a Peer Educator also has its own expectations to ensure us to be successful in our positions. Those are as follows: 
-Training Session (one semester)
-Appropriate behavior in the classroom.
-Using office hours effectively
-Group Meetings
-Passport/Special Events
-MAP-Works
-Professional Peer Educator and student relationship.

Washburn takes being a peer educator very seriously. This program is intended to be a learning experience for the peer educator, the students and of course the teacher within the classroom. It was very important that the peer educators and the teacher have a open relationship to better assist the students.

Introduction to my Blog!

Hello, my name is Taylor Miller and I am a freshman at Washburn University and this is my blog following my adventure through my peer education training this spring. I got accepted to the program right before winter break started and I couldn't be more excited. I will actually be in the classroom next fall with two or three of my fellow peer educators. I will be posting about my experiences and events that I am required to attend, I hope you enjoy this experience as much as I will!