My Experience As A Resident Assistant

693 Words2 Pages

Teaching means more than just giving students information about a subject. Teaching is about building relationships, and finding ways to support students in their pursuit for learning. Support can be both in the classroom (or the setting where the learning takes place), and outside of this realm. I have gained skills pertinent to support and relationship building throughout my experiences as a resident assistant, peer advisor and a peer tutor. Being a resident assistant has meant that I have to open my doors and my life, in a vulnerable sense, to support those around me. I take pride in the fact that as an RA, I would leave my door open for anyone to approach me – to tell me about their day, or to discuss their problems. With my door open, I would often hear upbeat stories about my residents’ days. However, residents who popped in did not always bring a positive experience. Stories of death, hardship and sexual assault would walk through my doors. In those moments, I willingly dropped whatever it was that I was doing and listened. I would listen to them, comfort them, and then move forward in the most appropriate manner. All throughout, I had to be willing to be vulnerable as well. I had to remember that building relationships, and supporting the system, meant that I had to continuously be willing to keep myself open and transparent as well. As a peer advisor, I once had to engage with a student about my experience with the LGBTQ community at Duke, and how that community supported me throughout my transition. This student opened up about their experience at home, and at Duke, and I had to be willing to share my experience with them – in hopes that they could see a place for themselves at Duke. After this conversation, I began to see this student open up about their personal life, and become more comfortable with them across campus. My vulnerability started a conversation that did not

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