Teaching Day One: Lines 3 and 8

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."-Harriet Tubman

So last where I left off I was beginning to prepare to teach Lines 3 and 8 to the sophomore and junior women of our chapter. Well, today was the day, and to say the least, it was very successful! I'm pleased with the results of the programs. I feel there was room for improvement in terms of participations and staying on task, but I feel that will improve with time. Let me restate each line and give a quick summary of how it went.

"To cultivate acquiantances with many whom I meet.": In terms of this line for the sophomores, we examined how we use different networks today and establish those important connections. We discussed our futures and what we would like from ourselves. It was very great to see the sophomore women in our chapter come up with goals they would like to accomplish. I personally hope to see many personal applications come out of this because establishing those networks and connections are very vital in today's society.

"To covet beauty in environment, manner, word, and thought.": With this line for the juniors, this became more serious than I ever thought, to the point where I was moved to tears. This happened in particular with the Cross the Line activity. I will not go into details since this is very private, but it was amazing to see it in action. The activities the group did made them reexamine beauty in a totally different and complex way. It didn't only open their eyes, but my eyes as well. It made me remember why I want to teach and eventually move further in my career to counseling. Beauty is everywhere in these women, whether they see it or not; I truly hope they do.

The quote I have above connects to these two lines. Everyone has it within them to make their dreams into reality, by using those connections and networks discussed in Line 3. However, everyone also has it within them to use their inner and outer beauty to convey kindness to others and to establish self-confidence in order to reach these dreams, which is discussed in Line 8. The next lines, Line 4 and 9, will be examined on February 26th. I cannot wait to continue to teach this wonderful program to our women at Zeta Iota. Stay tuned.

Alpha Gam Love and Mine,

Heather

UPDATE

"A person can grow as much as his horizon allows"-John Powell

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"-Eleanor Roosevelt

So this coming Sunday is when I pick up where the past Gamma left off. I will be working on Line 3 with the sophomore women and Line 8 with the junior women of our chapter. As I begin to process how I'm going to go about teaching these lines, I want to first examine each of the lines...

"To cultivate acquaintances with many whom I meet": When I think of this line, I think of the people we meet and encounter in our everyday lives: college professors, coworkers, other students on campus, etc. I hope to teach these women how by forming these relationships are extremely important. This can relate to the quote above. Forming those relationships with those we meet can help us grow as much as will allow it to. I hope to teach our sophomore women to live out this line and form those bonds that can sometimes last forever (you never know!).

"To covet beauty in environment, manner, word, and thought": This line is one of my personal favorites. It examines seeing beauty everywhere and anywhere. It simply isn't how one looks or acts; it is also how she carries herself, how she presents herself to the world, and how she views herself. Furthermore, it examines how a woman should believe in herself and see that she IS beautiful in every way. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt above, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of her dreams".

These explanations are something I hope I can carry on to the women of our chapter this coming Sunday. I have high expectations for myself as their teacher and can't wait to see if what I have planned will be effective.

Stay tuned!

Alpha Gam Love and Mine,

Heather

Prologue: The Beginning

"This shall be my purpose, that those who know me may esteem Alpha Gamma Delta for her attainments, revere her for her purposes, and love her for her womanhood." -Alpha Gamma Delta Purpose, Line 12

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."-Chinese Proverb

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Hello all, and welcome to my blog! I will be chronicling my experience as the Gamma Experience Coordinator for the Zeta Iota Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta from the time I'm transitioned into office this December and when I graciously step out of office the next December! The previous Gamma did a blog of her own, and I decided to honor that by continuing the tradition so to speak.

Now, what I would like to say is that I cannot wait to officially take this office and teach the sophomores and juniors of our chapter! For the past year, I served as Ritual Coordinator, and the fact that I get to teach the Purpose is an incredibly fitting next step in my officer career. This is the beginning of a wonderful journey, and not only will the sophomore and junior women be learning, but I will be learning right along side them as their teacher.

As the Chinese Proverb states above, I plan to involve those in my program to the best of my ability. I'm an education major, and what I have learned is that learning is done best through experience and engagement. I will follow what the guides have to offer, but in terms of Ice Breakers and facilitation, I have great ideas in mind!

So join me as I embark on this journey that I believe will not only help me become a better teacher when I graduate next spring, but a better Alpha Gamma Delta woman. There will be many posts once I actually begin, and I cannot wait to share all of my happenings with you! Stay tuned :)

Living with Purpose,

Heather