Talk about an eye-opener...

A little eavesdropping can really change your outlook on certain things you never really thought about heavily before.  While hanging out in the office today waiting for my supervisor to come back, I caught a very touching conversation between the Duke counselor and a Tipster.  The student was in the office because he suffers from asthma and was unable to participate in the evening study because his zoology class was going on a nature walk.  So the student was in the office during that hour.  While he was there, the counselor came in and just began to have a regular conversation with the student.  


He began to slowly open up with her and talk about his experiences.  I was amazed observing how the counselor phrased questions, listened for his responses, and then dug deeper to get more information from the child.  She truly has a talent for counseling.  Anyway, the child began to open up about his interests, experiences, and feelings.  He shared how he is bullied in school and is often scared to speak up about it.  His main worry about coming to the Duke TIP program was being bullied...thankfully he said that had not happened here.  He spoke about being verbally and sexually bullied.  He said that for a very long time he didn't say anything to his parents because he was frightened, and even after speaking up, the teachers monitored for about a week and that was the end of it. That's so sad.  


He also mentioned that he was homesick but would give the TIP program a shot before giving up and going back home.  The counselor had him share some things that he missed back at home like his pets and siblings.  When asked what was keeping him in the program, he responded that he didn't have any friends back at home and here at Duke TIP, people actually converse with him!  He shared that back at school, he has no chance! If you're not a "dumb athlete" you basically have no shot.  The kid is very intelligently gifted which pretty much puts him in the worst place, socially--according to middle school kids.  


It's great that for three weeks he can escape his miserable experiences at home and enjoy his time with other children that are similar to him and actually give him a chance.   It was so heartbreaking because he said at school, the children don't even give him a chance to carry on a conversation.  


My eyes began to water as I listened to this child open up about his experiences.  I can't imagine ever feeling like that and to be 13 or 14 years old, it's so much to handle.  I commend him for being brave and going to school and challenging himself, especially by coming to a program like TIP.  He truly faced his major concern and is such a respectable gentleman.  School is supposed to be a safe, fun, enriching environment and this child is getting harassed on a regular basis.  It's so unfortunate that he is tortured because his has talents and is gifted.  Although, I've known that bullying is a terrible thing to experience, hearing it from the voice of a child first-hand really opened my eyes and made me aware of the situation. I know that he is definitely not the only child being bullied and there are many, many students just like him scared to speak up about their experiences. I really appreciate our counselor for being there for him and allowing him to speak and share with her.  She in turned listened to him and gave him a means of escape.  He will never forget his summer at the Duke TIP program and I just pray for his safety and wellbeing when he returns back home. 

For more information on bullying check this out!

:) <3 cds

Duke TIP....Day 1

my term 1 tipsters!

The tipsters are here!!! 

Today, I was reminded why I love the field of Student Affairs.  I truly enjoyed being in the heat for the majority of the day, watching parents and kids unload cars of luggage, move into their home for three weeks, and make new friends in such a short amount of time!  It was really amazing to see the kids (7th & 8th graders) leave their parents and immediately  begin to socialize with the other students on their floor.  For the next three weeks, I will be the Residential Counselor for a group of 12 girls. I will be primarily responsible for evening programming and their residential experience as a Duke TIP student.

I'm pretty excited about the experience I am about to have.   First of all, these aren't your regular kids.  They are gifted and they know it--they refer to themselves as nerds and geeks, seriously.  I asked what they like to do for fun and multiple students replied with "reading and writing".  While we were watching Finding Nemo, they totally took a harmless Disney movie and analyzed every scene...really ruining the movie for me.  But it was really interesting observing them interact and noticing how differently they think.

To think, this is just day 1!  I'm really in for a treat!

:) <3 cds

What's this all about??

Welcome to my blog!  


Today, I was at UNCC and I saw Allan Blattner and he reminded to keep in contact.  I assured him that I would.  It wasn't the first time a professional staff member at UNC Charlotte has told me to keep in contact so I thought it would be beneficial for me to create the blog instead of sending out frequent mass emails. 


As I begin to transition from undergraduate life at UNC Charlotte to graduate life at Michigan State University, I definitely want to keep people informed on my life events. So...I've decided to create this blog and hopefully a website coming soon! That way you'll never miss a beat with me! 

So... here you go! Feel free to leave comments and, of course, words of encouragement and I will be sure to keep you all posted! 

:) <3 cds