Here’s a poem that has given me a lot of Hope recently:
One of my biggest challenges coming up this quarter is I am not your typical writer. My thoughts are not linear or even set a direct path. That comes out in my writing more than anywhere else, because of the speed that it takes to get my thoughts out. I want to convey and help you to understand where I am coming from. So, ask questions, get curious! I love interacting with people and chasing after the answers. (All I ask is that we keep this productive and positive, as online it can be easier to feel that we can say things with a mean tone without meaning to. And I am just as much to blame as anyone else is.) I hope that all of you out there will be able to help me grow in this new version of Connection.
This week seems to have circled around scheduling and time management. I am pushing myself harder than ever to keep on task and within the given timelines, even when there are no assignments due. But for Entrepreneurship (ENTR), I have been using and testing out some of my web building skills. I have created several websites before, but all of those were more creative and personal than what we have to accomplish now. This blog itself was a long endeavor to get online and posted. The amount of writing for the rest of the website was also a long series of tasks to accomplish. But, I am over the moon with the new way of connection and creativity this will give me in the long run. I believe that this skill and quarter will push me to gather and develop new skills rapidly, as every quarter has. Therefore, I am glad to start this quarter off with a jump into the deep end of a challenge. It feels amazing to have something to push towards and work on after the anxious mess of a break I had.
I am also looking forward to seeing how this class pushes our networks to nourish and grow. In my life I have found that in times of uncertainty and fear, people tend to grow closer together, metaphorically speaking. The students and community that comes out of this time will be stronger and reach farther for their goals than who they were before this pandemic. Which means, I have loved the team meetings that I have been a part of, but would have loved to reach out more to the E1s. Coming into this community online is just one more piece to add to their anxiety, and I wish I could have found more ways to connect and treasure those looking to develop their skills.
Finally, I feel I have learned more about how to coach and mentor others. During the meetings, I wanted more than anything to chime in and become a member, but taking a step back and letting them hash it out themselves gave them a better answer. I want to learn more about listening, I want them to come to me, I wish to give them the confidence that they have accomplished their goals with their own strengths. It was amazing and powerful to be the person they looked to when they needed help, but it was even better when they found the answers themselves and grew as a team. I want to learn and grow as a coach in this new setting.
The Orange