Leading the Way

What is being a leader? It’s not just about carrying the superb title. As Stan Lee said, “with great power comes responsibility.” The responsibility of being a role model is having to set good examples to others.

The dysfunctional trio

Being the oldest out of three, I have learned that many of my actions have great affects on my siblings. Being the oldest has its good and bad though. Sometimes I feel like the whole world is on my shoulders because of the amount of responsibilities I have in the house. My siblings look up to me in every way, so I know that I must always lead by example. 

I talk about my little brother a lot. A little too much actually. So why not write a blog post about the one person I talk about the most? My brother Rayan, who is now 5 years old, copies everything I do.  Now that he is a bit older, he has found his sense of dependency and does his own thing around the house (I hate to see him grow up, but the birdies have to leave the nest one day!!) When I used to come home to do my homework, he used to sit beside me at my desk and pretend to write words on a piece of paper… leading by example at its finest!! I know that I am closely watched by Rayan, so I try my best to set an admirable example since I have a great influence on him. However, it is pretty hard to pretend to act like a perfect role model; like the times when I am forced to eat the broccoli at the dinner table, just so that Rayan will eat his veggies too. Yuck. I’m not a huge fan of veggies.

Me having to fake a nap so that he would fall asleep.
 As you can see, I was frustrated at the
 fact that he wouldn't take his nap.

Great attempt, huh?

Teaching is an essential key to being a leader. Educating others is one of the main focuses serving as a leader. Since my brother is learning new things day by day, he needs someone to guide him throughout his most precious time of development. Things as  simple as telling him to put on his shoes the right way or even reminding him to flush the toilet is an example of the leadership role I take in the household. As he was younger, I slowly started to teach him the alphabet. I also do this with my kids at the day care I currently work in, Little Acorn’s Patch (fun fact!!). I first taught him how to recognize letters and then the pronunciation. Of course, this was not a quick process; it took him a couple years to master the alphabet. Now that Rayan is familiarized with the alphabet, he is learning how to read. I must say, PATIENCE IS KEY when it comes to being in a leadership position. You need lots of it. Trying to improve or change something should be a priority in a leader's agenda and it may take time so keep in mind that you will need patience! If you ever need some advice on leadership skills, feel free to email me! I don't bite :)

Peep the Writing Center Shirt 

Stepping into Leadership

To me leadership is a riddle, a game, a dance between you and the person or people you are leading.

I revel in that middle ground- you know you are a leader, maybe even with a title and a handful of duties, but in practice there is more ambiguity. It’s about being a good influence, a role model, hoping that the people around you take notice of the things you do and say. You give polite, but firm suggestions, change tactics as often as you use them, and hope for the best. Sounds like something you are familiar with? It should. Tutoring embodies leadership in a couple of different ways, from individual sessions to its influence of the entire school community.

In my third year as a tutor, I love being available to give advice, feel like I have influence over the culture of my peers, but also be a friend and have the trust of my fellow tutors. Playing that line between making people feel comfortable enough to be real with me, but also hold them to a higher standard, its tricky. It’s the same line I dance in a tutoring session- Yes I know you are only here for the extra credit, but I’m still going to encourage you to apply yourself.

But entering a leadership role in the class, I got hung-up on (in all honesty I still get hung-up on) what it is that qualifies me to have the authority to make suggestions to other tutors, while I am still far from perfect myself. What I try to keep in mind is what we were told as new and nervous tutors, that it doesn’t matter if you aren’t the greatest writer out there, you could still offer a new perspective and facilitate good discussion for a tutee. It is also okay to use your resources and ask for help. While the leader vision of that might be up for interpretation, here’s what I take from it:

1. Leadership is needed even when it isn’t perfect
2. Be honest about what your challenges as a tutor are
3. Mistakes are essential to learning

Like writing, tutoring and leading are not perfect sciences, they are arts. It requires lots of practice, and probably some humbling mistakes before you get any good at it. It’s like learning a dance, and that should be intriguing and fun. Finding your rhythm might take some time, but falling into step makes it all worth it.

If you are a leader, or want to be a leader, in your writing center send me an email about it!

Why Gaming Is Important

            Imagine diving into a vast world of incredible and mysterious scenery with extraordinary and exotic creatures. This is what I do on a daily basis. Gaming has always been a big part of my life; I loved to game when I was even 7 years old and it has just carried on through the rest of my adolescence; it has actually taught me a few things here and there, and has helped me through a lot of things. A lot of people think gaming is just a simple pastime for entertainment, but it's much more than just that. Games have a variety of genres like books such as puzzles, trivia, sports, racing, role playing, and action or adventure. Obviously with that many categories, someone won’t be good at all of them. People have unique learning styles and the way they think things through or craft ideas, so most people will only be good or have a liking for one or a few types of games similar how to people will not be amazing at every subject at school.

Personally for me, gaming has helped me in a multitude of different aspects of life. Whenever times are tough, playing video games helps soothe my mind by making me focus on the game and having fun instead of worrying about my problems. The experiences gaming can provide you are just breathtaking. There are many different scenarios in gaming that require different plans, skills, and ideas to get to the objective. My favorite types of games are those that have a jaw-dropping adventurous storyline that requires teamwork, skill, and strategy such as League of Legends & Destiny. I would go more in depth about these games, but I’ll save that for another time or you can go out and play these games to find out more about them yourself! Anyways, as a result, from playing these game I’ve learned to compromise, listen and be open to other’s ideas, and how to lead people. Often times, I have to assume a role of leader to take charge for those in my team to be able to get the objective done. It has given me the confidence and experience of becoming a leader. With all of that going on, gaming can give you new perspectives on things as you view strange and exciting lands that the creators of the game worked hard to conjure and develop. Gaming really provides you a unique experience that the harsh reality of our Earth can’t and it has definitely made me level up as a person. 

Contact me at jpavia24@gmail.com if you would like to talk about anything!

Santa?!

When I sit down and think about it, it really disturbs me to think about the image of Santa Claus.  Not that I find him scary or offensive, but he is simply not representative of Saint Nicholas of Myra, off of whom he is based.  We started off with the coolest bishop who ever lived (mainly because he literally beat the crap out of Aryanism), but he somehow ended up as a big bowl of jelly who sits around making toys all day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Well, regardless of what he is (or what he was), one idea very near and dear to my heart arose from our dear friend to the North: the Santa Claus Effect.  Similar to the ideas in the movie The Santa Claus, starring Tim Allen, the Santa Claus Effect attempts to examine the changes that occur in Freshman-through-Senior organizations.

When freshman first enter high school, everything seems fresh to them: more challenging classes, more daunting social routines, and afterschool activities.  The latter is where Santa lives: the seniors, with three years of experience and knowledge.  These new freshman, in all their eagerness, are massively off-putting to their elders and are seldom accepted into their respective groups right away, whether it be track, band, football, or the anime club.  Even so, the freshmen still try to model themselves after the visibly popular seniors.  After all, they are the most skilled, and if you act like them, won’t everything else follow suit?

When Sophomore Year rolls around, things begin to change.  The “Santas” that led them through their first steps into high school are gone, the ones who showed them where all their rooms were, told them when they were acting stupid, and helped them get better at running/throwing footballs/playing sonatas, and it feels as though something is missing, and doubt fills their minds.  It’s akin to the feeling of sneaking downstairs and seeing your parents eat the cookies you set out for Santa: you wonder if he was ever there at all (or, in this case, if they were even that good at what they did).  Just in case, they start buying gifts for their friends, in case he did ditch them.

Still, there is a newfound acceptance from the now juniors and seniors, one both unexpected and pleasant.  Now able to safely navigate the halls without Chris Cringle, they find themselves enjoying their newfound freedom.

When Junior Year comes to pass, it is very apparent that Santa was a phantom of the imagination: they set out the presents for your younger siblings, a large portion of them you bought with the money from their summer job, and they keep most of the cookies for yourself.  Maybe even you start to wear the Santa suit around town, mocking the thought that they ever believed in Santa at all. 

For the first time in their career as high schoolers, the juniors realize why they were so dejected as freshman: there is a massive amount of work to be done!  A boatload of AP courses, college essays to write, long-term relationships that eat up ALL of their time, making toys (wait, making toys?) and a bunch of other things.  Under stress, though, they perform, they excel even, and it does not go unnoticed: the freshman in their organizations can tell that they really know what they’re doing, and they begin to ask for directions, for help with their geometry homework, and even watch when they’re doing some extra practicing. 

Finally, when Senior Year comes around, the Seniors have grown rotund, their cheeks rosy, and know everything there is to know about the holiday season; they have become Santa Claus, with all the rights and responsibilities that it entails.  They are out recruiting new freshman for their organization, pushing the people around them to their limits, and, most importantly, setting the example for the Freshman.

While they thought going into the year they would be breezing by, the workshop is in full gear.  Not only do they have to take care of their own homework, they have to do college applications, college visits, apply for scholarships, grow a beard (yes, grow a beard), and provide leadership to the people younger than them.

So perhaps Santa isn’t so ridiculous after all.

 

Do you think Santa’s fake?  Are you the Christmas Hero of your school organization? Let me know:

Matt45luvdr@gmail.com