by Claire Bailey
(Beta Phi, Bowling Green State University)
While on a recent shopping trip I noticed the various back to school items displayed all over the store. Pens, paper, markers, and all of the other necessities were on sale and ready for purchase. As I instinctively reached for the pack of college-ruled paper, I realized that for the first time in 18 years my back to school shopping list looks much different than before. I did not need to be searching for a book bag or the perfect binder/folder combination set. I in fact needed to be focused on how many business casual outfits I could manage to cram into a suitcase and how many pairs of shoes were really necessary for a three week long travel schedule.
I am not sure if after graduation I was truly ready for what was to come. My life had been so protected behind the walls of that higher education I did not know what to expect in the “real world.” I had never found it so difficult to pack a suitcase as it was before my first chapter visit. I found it a struggle to allow myself to put down the tools that had helped me through my undergraduate experience and allow myself to work off of the knowledge that I already had gained. I knew that there was no book list for being a chapter consultant and no manual in the world could contain all the necessary information needed. This was not a pass/fail type of opportunity. My back to school journey was about to look much different than in the years past.
However, upon arriving at my first visit my fears were calmed and my worried subsided. I quickly learned that the joy of my position is that I have the opportunity to be the student and the teacher all at the same time. I am indeed going back to school! I have the opportunity at each visit to learn something new from each chapter advisor, president, executive board officer, and member. I believe that being open and honest about my desire to learn more helped me to gained the respect and trust of the women I visited.
What I needed to understand is learning does not always take place in a classroom, just as teaching does not need to be confined to what is on a syllabus. Some of my most interesting and valuable teaching moments so far have been in the president’s room at midnight while looking over ICS. Just because I have an idea of where I want to go with a meeting or workshop, it does not mean that we can’t end up in a different place and still have a valuable session. I now know that being open to a new type of unconstrained learning in a different and ever-changing environment is going to be key throughout the year.
I think that it is so important for our collegiate members to know that just as they are starting back to school and a new year of curriculum, we as consultants, staff, and volunteers are also starting a new year of learning from them. I look forward to a year full of learning. I am excited for the teachable moments and the times I can stop, watch, and learn. Our Alpha Chi Omega women are fantastic teachers and yet still very open to the suggestions! I am looking forward to sharing, learning, and growing from our ladies over the next year and throughout the rest of my Alpha Chi Omega experience, all while looking fabulous with only two suitcases and a carry on!
This entry was posted
on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 4:13 pm and is filed under Collegians, The Consultant Chronicles.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.