Honors Peer Educator

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to become a Peer Educator. When I started attending HONORS 397 in the Spring, I had no idea how much I would grow as a person over the next two quarters.

I have had a few experiences in leadership, from running school clubs to helping lead non-profits, but in all of those positions, I had someone who was watching over my work. I was also working with the team I led – so rather than feeling like a leader over the people I worked with, I felt like an equal.  However, as a Peer Educator, I am less part of a team and more leading a team. I am also the only educator in the classroom, and though I have the support of the HONORS 100 advisors (Claire and Nadra) and my fellow Educators, I was the sole leader in the classroom.

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Because of these differences, I had to revaluate how I approached leadership. I had to acknowledge the fact that I was responsible for leading 14 people through HONORS 100 and realize what that meant for me. Prior to being an educator, my primary goals in any leadership position was to guide my team to a certain goal through delegating tasks, and to make sure that every voice was heard. However, as a Peer Educator, it’s just as important to foster community as it is to make sure that all the content gets delivered (and the ‘goal’ of teaching HONORS 100 is accomplished). I started thinking about whether I was giving space for my students’ opinions, if the content I was teaching could be digested by every student, and how I could balance teaching with fun activities. More than anything, I wanted to embrace what it means to be a Peer Educator, which I interpreted as being a fellow student that students feel comfortable talking to, but still a good guide and resource for everything Honors related.

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In HONORS 397, I got a lot of help in determining teaching strategies and how I could foster community. Developing icebreakers with my peers, implementing inclusive teaching strategies, and practicing lessons were all very useful activities that helped improve my lessons. When I actually started teaching in the fall, I went into class every day thinking “How can I make this space better for everyone?.” Sometimes this included handing out useful resources, other times it was by playing a game to take everyone’s minds off of midterm stress. Regardless, I tried to balance content with community. Despite the stamps of approval I got on my lesson plans in the spring, and how much I had practiced delivering the lessons, I was still insecure about how effective of an educator I actually was. I had doubts about my ability to effectively delver content and form community, and was worried that my students would finish HONORS 100 confused and feeling lonely.

However, seeing my section grow closer and closer over the quarter, and hearing how much students valued HONORS 100 during their portfolio presentations, I had a huge confidence boost and was glad that I could provide some help on these students’ journeys through the Honors program. One aspect of being a Peer Educator that I did not expect was how amazing my students would be. They are all kind, compassionate, and driven, and I cannot wait to see what amazing things they achieve. They made my classroom a vibrant and inclusive community, and experiencing their positive energy pushed me to be a better educator for them.  

 

If I were to do other student leadership programs in the future, I want to prioritize community as much the other goals the program might have. Looking back on my own experience in taking HONORS 100, I don’t remember much about the content, but I do remember the friends I made and the general happiness I felt in the class. After seeing how much better section felt after students started making friends, I know that community is important for people and for teams in general, because it can positively impact everyone. I appreciate the emphasis HONORS 397 put on how educators can create community, because I hope to take those strategies and develop them in future leadership positions.

Overall, being a Peer Educator was an amazing leadership experience and has taught me what it takes to balance community, content, and fun in a classroom. It also reminded me how amazing in person communities can be, because getting to bond with my section and the other Peer Educators was just amazing. I treasure the time I’ve had as a Peer Educator, and I hope I get to accomplish more fulfilling projects like this during my time in the Honors Program!