Kaylee – Page 4 – Storytelling and Identity

I really liked the flow of the conversation we had as a group in class. We went from talking about our past experiences to how we hope our future experiences within the class go. When it came to our past experiences, people made great points about leadership and how someone usually steps up to the plate so to speak.

We then talked about how there are certain leadership qualities that a person or people might have such as:

Keeping people on task
Being a “grounding” force
Listening to ideas
Having respectful discussions

Everyone who spoke agreed that working in a group (as long as everyone does their share of the work) is one of the best ways to get things done and to work towards a common goal. Our discussion highlighted how there needs to be an emergent leader for the group to function the best as well. When talking about emergent leaders one of our classmates told a story of when their friend was an emergent leader and was able to plan a trip for them.

Toward the end of the conversation, we talked about grading policies and how different ones work. Most students are used to a more standard grading system, but some interesting ones were brought up and conversations happened around them. One grading system that was mentioned was a contract system. The contract system allowed students to think about their attendance and the effort they wanted to put into a class. If you miss one class and put in a certain level of effort, you can agree to get an A. If you miss many classes and barely put in any effort you can agree to get a D. Basically you decide what your grade is, but you must agree to and meet certain criteria. Another grading system brought up was a more “secret” system. Students don’t know their grades, instead, they just know that they have to be on their best behavior and try their hardest. People agreed that it would be nerve-racking, but that it has the potential to be a good system.

Grades are something that is on everyone’s minds, especially at the University of Richmond. During the discussion today I believe that our class was able to come together once again for a great discussion where many great ideas/stories were shared. We talked about how it’s truly the mastering of skills that are reflected in grades. With this mastery in mind, I believe that this semester is going to be a learning curve for us all, but overall it will be a great learning experience.

Prep Note for August 31st

By Kaylee Wyrick

On August 30, 2023

In Kaylee, prep note

Whether it’s in a classroom or in an extracurricular setting, working with others is a great way to get things done. There have been many times when I’ve successfully created something with a group. For example, during my senior year, I did a lot of work with the members of a club I was in. I joined the TAFE club during my freshmen year, and by my senior year I was the president. I had known some of the members all four years of high school and we became very close. We all had similar interests, and it just so happened that Halloween was one of everyone’s favorite holidays. Every year in October my high school did a trunk-or-treat party where all of the clubs get to decide on decorations for a car and passed out candy. In previous years, our club would often just buy little skull decorations and stick them on a car or do something similar. Although our car always got a good turnout, last year we wanted to do something a little different. We decided that we wanted to pick a theme and decorate it with handmade decorations. We landed on “Monster House” and got to work. Everyone in the club had a different role. Whether it was drawing, painting, or coloring, everyone did their share of the work. By the time we were done, it looked great, and our car was a hit at the party. It was amazing to step back and see how well it turned out, and how well everyone’s pieces fit together. Our group worked so well together because we respected and trusted each other. We were respectful of everyone’s ideas and what they wanted to bring to the table. We trusted each other with doing things and making sure it was done the correct way. It was wonderful being able to bond with the members of my club, and I’m still extremely proud of how well our project went.