Joining the PowerPlay Peer Coach Program has been one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. Not only did I learn from my coach but also from the kids I worked with and my fellow peer coaches. My coach taught me how to engage with younger audiences with limited social interaction. The kids taught me what it’s like being an elementary student in 2021 and my fellow peer coaches taught me how to relate things that are going on in high school to our peer coaching experience. Overall, I’m so blessed to have this opportunity and reap the benefits of it.
My coach, Raven Dowling, was so supportive and a great role model for the kids she’s teaching. Something that I learned from her was to make sure that your tone and inflections are just as engaging as the lesson plan you created. Whenever she spoke, I noticed her bright and enthusiastic voice that illuminated the room. Even when on the zoom call the kids would see her and say “Omg! Hi Coach Raven!” and I knew the kids really loved her. Furthermore, she wasn’t just a great role model to the girls but also to me. Something that I caught on when working with Ms. Raven was how organized she was. She keeps all of her tasks down in a planner and had all of her lesson plans thoroughly planned out roughly 2 days before our zoom meetings. Not to mention, she’s a pre-k teacher who’s so young and is efficient at what she does. Altogether, I’m very grateful I had her as my Coach and even like a mentor during the peer coach program.
Being an elementary student in 2021 is so much more different than in 2015. I remember having a computer class once a week and the only other time that I’d touch a computer was to play online games. It impresses me how self-sufficient kids are now. When I taught them a lesson I asked them “What do you do when you don’t understand a topic in class?” and they said that they use Google. I’m so happy that kids know how to turn to alternative resources if they don’t have family members around them to explain topics. All in all, I enjoyed getting a new perspective during my peer coaching experience and learning about the younger generations.
Having the other peer coaches around me helped me to draw connections between my current classes and this peer coach program. We discussed topics such as being a mindful communicator and making sure that we effectively communicate with the people around us. Especially because school is online and we have limited communication. Likewise, we discussed ways that we teach. We were able to find things that work and things that don’t work. To sum up, they were another great addition to the peer coach program that made it great.
Lastly, I cannot forget about the bi-weekly meetings that taught me about myself. I learned my management style, the kind of team player I am, and how I handle conflict. I will continue to take the information that I learned from this program and apply it to all kinds of situations I come across in the future. Ultimately, the PowerPlay Peer Coach program was definitely a highlight of my sophomore year and I recommend it to anyone in need of guidance, responsibility, leadership, and support.
