Another word on my "One Word"

Teri Bump asked on Twitter: How has your #Oneword2011 impacted your year--so far? My word for this year is DEMAND, which I deduced back in an earlier post of mine from January. Since July 1 marked the start of the second half of the year, I thought I'd reflect back to see just how this word has impacted and influenced my first six months of 2011.

As I mentioned in my post, the word came from a quote I tweeted as my 2000th tweet (wow, to think I reached 2000 in January and recently hit 3000 in June, more than 1000 tweets in 6 months!):

"The hope of the world lies in what one demands, not of others, but of oneself." -- James Baldwin

One indelible mark Jesuit education has made on my life is a commitment to make the world a better place. Social justice is a hallmark of the Jesuit educational tradition, and the giving of one's self through service is an infectious outcome of Jesuit universities' commitment to that tradition. I am a person who has always maintained high expectations of myself, and I have seen first-hand the legacy that can be left by adhering to a philosophy of being the change one wishes to see in the world (thanks, Gandhi!). To me, the key word within Baldwin's quote is the word "demand," which goes above and beyond the Gandhi's "be the change" perspective. "Being" is a passive verb; "demanding" is an active verb, often done toward someone or something. Making a demand means expecting returns (often from others); making a demand of yourself means you have to produce results for the biggest critic you will ever face in life.

This year, this has mainly applied to moving toward starting my doctoral program. I feel like I got into the best PhD program I could have, and much of this is due to what I demanded of myself in the application process. Now committing to a program and working toward a terminal degree will require a demand of myself to produce the best academic work I ever have in my life. And I want the challenge. I look forward to graduating, when I can look back and reflect that I had pushed myself farther in my life than I ever had before. I've accomplished something very few people in this world have even started. I'm also pushing my comfort levels a bit too in picking up and moving to a city that is fairly intimidating (Los Angeles). It's shaping up to be a major test, but I know that with immense stretching will come immense growth.

Another area where I'm demanding much from myself is my half-marathon (and soon marathon) training. I'm already seeing some growth in that area as I run longer and longer distances. This Saturday I'm planning to run 7 miles, which will surpass my 6 mile run from June 25 as the longest distance I have ever run in my life. That's the part of this process that has amazed me the most: every other Saturday, when I go for my long run, I realize that I continue to beat my personal record for longest distance ever run in my life. It's an overwhelming but empowering thought each time I complete a longer distance. It makes me look forward to beating that record two weeks later.

Now, demand does not mean forgetting about self-care either. If you are demanding high returns from yourself, you also understand that not taking care of yourself diminishes the results you can continually provide. I have a lot of forces pulling me in many directions right now (pending move, marathon training, fiancee, pets, work, church commitments, wedding planning, etc.) which can become very overwhelming to think about all at once. Amidst all this, I have to make sure I'm giving myself enough time to sleep, as well as eating healthy (which I could improve), taking time to do things I enjoy, and otherwise finding enough balance that I don't physically, mentally, or emotionally fall apart. The half-marathon training helps as physical exercise is generally the main item of which I don't get enough, and sleep is the second; knowing these helps me maintain a bit of focus and balance in my life. You may even consider self-care as an item I demand of myself--I demand to keep my life in balance!

Did you choose a "one word" for 2011? How have you seen that word shaping your first six months of 2011? If not, what word would you choose as your "one word" to define how 2011 is shaping up for you?

Bryce
Follow me on Twitter: @BryceEHughes

What I'm reading right now: Mentor, by Laurent Daloz

I feel blessed that my Student Affairs position (and functional area) allows me the opportunity to maintain longer term relationships with the students I serve on campus. Compared to my colleagues at the community college where I work, this is a fairly rare opportunity as our student affairs are oriented more around Student Services, so many of them handle long lines of students requesting services, rather than providing prolonged support or mentorship.

I am currently reading Mentor by Laurent Daloz, and though I am only into the second chapter, the book has already given me enough to think about that I've been inspired to write. Lisa Endersby and I have been involved in a long-term conversation regarding mentorship within student affairs, including planning a presentation for the upcoming 2012 NASPA conference. As a greater proportion of the students we serve in the community college are adult learners (compared to my four-year counterparts), I'm finding the book extremely relevant and descriptive of how I conceptualize my work. Granted, I will only be in this position for another month and a half, but the book was purchased for departmental usage and my reading validates it as a valuable resource for our work.

Daloz is using mentorship as a framework for working with adult learners in reaching their educational goals. In particular, he uses the metaphor of journey to describe the educational path of adult learners, and he describes mentors as the guides on that journey. I've had many conversations about the role of mentors in the lives of underrepresented and underserved students as these mentors can provide the type of guidance traditional students receive before and through their college experiences, but I haven't given as much thought to this role in the journeys of adult learners. In particular, I love how he describes the role of a mentor as engendering trust, issuing a challenge, providing encouragement, and offering a vision (p. 31). (Anyone notice challenge and support there?) These themes are of particular importance to adult learners as it respects the life experience they bring to college but recognizes that they too are students who want to learn and are looking to maximize their time "out of life"--not immediately focused on family or work--that they are on campus, in college. My experience working with adult learners is that they simply need reassurance to rebuild their confidence as students--that they are on the right track--rather than the more intensive needs that traditional students bring as emerging adults trying to figure out what will happen next for them in life. Often when adult learners return to school they fear they no longer have the same energy/ability/capacity to be students again, and simply need to be shown that yes, they do, and moreso, their life experiences can provide even better preparation than those moving from one school to the next.

Daloz also does a fantastic job balancing the content of his book--application of developmental theory, framework for mentorship--with stories from his own experience as an educator. As I continue to read I may come across more blog inspiration, but for now all I can say is that I highly recommend this book. Check it out from the library, or convince your director to add it to your departmental resources!

Bryce
Follow me on Twitter: @BryceEHughes

Reference: Daloz, L.A. (1999). Mentor: Guiding the journey of adult learners (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.