My job as an advisor has already started.

I have four female advisees: Tina and Tara are boarding freshmen girls; Anna is a returning senior (day student), who chose me as her advisor (Dominican Republic trip), and Jenny is an international student who received a grant from her country to study here and continue on into college. All four are my French students. Jenny is a post grad (PG) which means she's one year older than a typical senior. The reasons why people do an extra year of high school are varied: sometimes it's to take more classes (sciences & math), sometimes it's a requirement for sports if the student is going to pursue athletics in college, and sometimes it's to reapply the following year to better schools (aka: Ivy League). There's a handful of PGs here.

I met the international students Friday morning. Jenny is adorable! She's quiet, still struggling a bit with her English, but she seems to understand what I say. I made sure she knew my international background, because I wanted her to know that I understand most of the transitions she's going through. All new students have a weekend packed full of activity and informational meetings. Reading her schedule made me tired! Thankfully, she's been in the US for two months so she's not dealing with the 12 hour jetlag. I helped her through the registration process: the forms, the signatures, the textbook pick up, the health center, the business office, and finally to her dorm. She was already moved in, but missing a few boxes (thanks to Irene?). She told me she didn't have a towel or shampoo. I encouraged her to let her dorm supervisor know. The dorm was eerily quiet since international students move in earlier than the rest. I hoped she wasn't too lonely.

That night, I went to bed and started dozing off when I suddenly remembered Jenny's towel situation. I looked up her dorm supe. It was late, but I called anyway, assuming Jenny would be too shy to ask to borrow one. I left a message, hoping I didn't wake the baby. This morning, I got a message from Jenny thanking me for all my help and the towel business.

As advisor's, we're in charge of the student's academic and personal wellbeing. That's a lot to ask because relationships and trust take time. Plus, since I don't live on campus, I'm afraid it will take more time and effort for me to be involved in their already full lives. We're encouraged to meet with our advisees formally and informally, as a group and individually. I don't know what other groups do, but I'm going to collect ideas.

So far, I've come up with a few "musts".
-I must remember their birthdays!
-I must greet them and chat with them "casually" whenever I see them around campus, in the dining halls (without being pushy or just plain annoying).
-I must pray for them and for an openness for a relationship to develop.
-I must bake & cook for them, take them out for coffee (in town), and pizza. (I still don't know if I'm allowed to take them in my car for an activity. My guess is no.)
-I must write them handwritten notes, "just because" and especially before a big game, or around exam week. Handwritten notes are so much more special to receive. I did a quick google search for candy grams that you can include in notes. Here are some favorites:
Exam week: Be sure to reach for the stars! (milky way), Great job going the "Extra” mile (extra gum). Don't "Krackle" under pressure! (Hershey's krackle)
Getting to know you: We will have “Mounds” of fun. (Mounds), “Chit Chat” is what we love to do (KitKat), Whenever you are in a “Crunch” please call me! (Crunch)
General encouragement: Sending you "Joy" in your day (Almond Joy), “Treasure” each moment in your life (treasure chocolates), and "You are a "mighty" and "marvelous" young lady (M&M).

We have advisee reports to write in October already, giving us just over one month to get to know them. That's not a lot of time, especially considering the incredible business of each start of the school year. But, I need to remember that being there for them is far more important than planning ahead or getting all of my non-priority work done and off the checklist. I need to remember being in their shoes and wishing someone would reach out to me. I need to remember to check the athletic schedule to see when their games are so that I can either watch them (not my favorite), or ask them how they went. I've already decided to knit them a scarf for Christmas. (Which reminds me to find out what is their favorite color to wear.)

I think I'm more ready for this role than I am for my actual teaching role. Given all of the new hats I have to wear this year, it pains me to say that I'm going to have to plan for class the night before. I hate it, but how it's gotta be until I can juggle all of my responsibilities without dropping everything.