Jenna Jacobik

EDLP 520

Emma Reabold

October 23, 2019

Mid-Point Reflection

Being a U101 Peer Leader throughout this semester has been a completely new

experience for me. There are certain aspects that are similar to other things I have been involved

in, such as being a resident mentor among freshman residents, but for a majority I am constantly

learning new things from my students. Aside from the similar aspects, my students are

consistently teaching me new things not just about myself as a leader, but also how to handle

being in a position like this one. I can also recognize that my U101 peer leading experience has

been different than most so far, and all of these changes have also challenged me in ways that I

was not expecting when I accepted this position.

As we all know my co-instructor is leaving the university after the last week of October,

and therefore, I will be teaching my U101 class on my own. Yes, my co-instructor and I planned

out our semester, and we have agendas made for all of these topics, but through all of the

planning it was meant for two people to be teaching. Now there will only be one of us in the

classroom, and I am just going to say it… it is sort of weird. I am going to be teaching a class of

freshman while still being in my undergrad myself, but at the same time I also feel strangely

prepared. After speaking with my co-instructor, I feel even more confident about the change that

is about to take place. We did talk about feedback for each other, but it was feedback that is

given at the end of a partnership instead of at the middle. Some of the things that Luci told me to

remember as I go forward in this semester were about taking over both responsibilities, but the
major thing was remembering why I was in the class to begin with: to give the students another

student close in age who they can relate to. She told me that so far I have done a great job

connecting with the students, and being able to offer a student’s perspective on certain topics that

Luci has not had to experience for awhile. She also mentioned that not only do I consistently

offer students my perspective in the group, but I have also done a good job at getting to know

and relating with the students on a one on one basis. Yes, I am going to be taking over some of

Luci’s responsibilities, but I need to remember that I also have to continue my rapport with them

as a fellow student.

I decided that I wanted to get anonymous feedback from my students, so I sent a google

form with a few questions asking about how I have been doing with my different responsibilities.

Most of the feedback from my students was really positive but reading some of their suggestions

has really opened my eyes. All of the students who participated wrote about how much they

enjoy being in our U101 class, and how having such a small close-knit community built-in has

made it easier to transition into college. One of the suggestions given though, was to find ways to

make class a little bit more fun, like having more classes outside of the classroom. As of now, I

have already started looking ahead at our syllabus to find days where it is not completely

imperative that we have class inside so that we can incorporate more fun excursions. The other

major piece of feedback that I was given was to “focus more on the angle of us being peers and

so similar instead of thinking she’s more of a superior”. Reading this feedback made me realize

that ever since I realized I would be teaching the class by myself, I have slightly forgotten the

whole reason I am in this class… to be a student that these freshman can relate to and not just

another instructor. I know that moving forward this will be what I focus on the most.
 As for my feedback to Luci, there was not a large discussion only about feedback because

thankfully we have developed a relationship where we can share how we feel about something in

the moment. An example of this is from when we were dealing with a student of concern, and I

did not feel like I was being fully supported by Luci. I talked to Luci about how I was concerned

when dealing with such a serious topic, and yet she did not respond to me in a time that allowed

me to have her help with the situation. After talking about it we were able to come to a

conclusion that allowed for both of us to get what we needed. It is moments like this one that

prove to me that Luci and I were a really great fit. There was another time when I told her that I

wanted to have more responsibility in the classroom, and she was more than willing to give it to

me. Not only has she been listening to what I want, but she helps put it in action as well. She

does not just say yes to something and then forget about it, instead she sits down and will plan

things out with me so that I am not left to flounder. We meet as many times as we need in order

to get things done for class, and I am very satisfied with how my relationship has been with my

co-instructor. As excited as I am for Luci and her new opportunity, I cannot lie and say that I am

not disappointed that we will no longer be teaching together and continuing to grow in these

positions as a team.

After receiving the feedback from Luci and my students, I think that moving forward

what I need to focus on is the connection that I am building with my students. Yes, they are my

students, and I am going to be taking the primary role in the class, but at the forefront of all of

that I am still a student, and that is going to be how I continue to foster a relationship with my

students. I will continue to do one on ones with them because they have expressed that those

have been one of the best parts of the class. I will continue to offer open and honest information
to them when they ask, and even when they don’t. I want my students to have the best experience

possible, and with all of the feedback I know that I am on my way to accomplishing this.