Adam "Oak" Adison

Student or Teacher?

I have many titles such as Student leader, AmeriCorps member, Pima Community College Adult ED ambassador, student, teacher, mentor, tutor, colleague, teacher’s assistant. Some of my titles have more responsibilities than other and take up more time. Most go hand‐in‐hand for example teacher, student, tutor and mentor all allowed me to work harder. It's not only my education that's just affected. If I teach someone the wrong way that might affect them of asking me for help in the future. I like to remind the students that I’m also a student and I will make mistake. As a student leader

I hear what students want to change or if someone just needs to talk, I also give my ideas when it is asked. Many of the students know who I am. They see me around. Some people feel comfortable enough to tell me what's going on in their lives. Which works

really well when they ask for help. I've tutored students who says they can't do it or they don't know how to tell the teachers they feel that they going too fast or they didn't understand what was going on. Sometimes I am a mediator between student and

teacher which helps both them. Sometimes I help my coworkers with problems. I like to keep myself busy. I work with about 60 students a week. I have five classes and three student councils. Each class is very different even though two are reading, two math and

one is English learning. All of them are different levels. To keep jumping from one

subject to the next is hard but rewarding. If there is something I don't know in one class

usually being taught in the next different class that I'm in. Working with students on a

weekly basis allows them comfortable with me working with them. Some of the tools I

use in teaching are handouts from other classes. Having patience to sit down and go

through what they're having trouble on. Understanding that this is a process that can't

be mastered in a day. I walk around the classrooms to see who's as having trouble.

Some call me out my name asking for help. Some wait until I walked by to ask. Some I

have to ask if they need help. It's interesting to see both sides of the situation.

Sometimes I ask for help sometimes, sometimes I'm the one helping. I feel like this is a

great experience.