As course selections are approaching, put Friends in Learning down as your first choice. Often seen as an “easy A” class that people look over on their course guide, Friends in Learning is actually just as beneficial to you as it to those you are a friend to.

In Kindergarten, I told my parents I wanted to be a teacher. I would even stand in front of our stone fireplace and “teach” my parents about the shapes of each stone. While the subject of teaching had shifted over the years, I seemed to always wander back to teaching.

Junior year, I began taking classes at school to help solidify my career path. Among those classes was Friends in Learning. I was placed in a class called Peer Interactions, where students who struggled in social settings learned and grew their social skills.

As a Friend in Learning, I was there to help my peers understand what they were learning, but they taught me as well. I’ve learned how to relate to peers and understand situations from their perspective. I also learned not to judge people. Yes, I knew not to judge people before, but it’s difficult to block all of it out. Now, I see how the comments others make affect my peers.

Every day in class, we had the opportunity to share and talk about both positive and negative situations my peers have faced or could possibly face. The Friends would listen to what our peers had to say, and we were able to offer up suggestions and advice on how to react in the given situation. By sharing, I learned not only about the situations they faced, but how much it actually hurts.

Being a friend in learning has made me realized that everything I say and do impacts someone else. You may just think you are talking to someone about their day but to a peer, it can mean so much more.