You Must Fake It, Then You'll Make It

Becoming first-time parents, probably the time that at one point most of us are going to have to fake it. According to Gee we all have Discourses, which he defines as “an identity kit with a costume on how to act and talk by taking a certain role that people will recognize”(7) or as Professor Flewelling describes it in her blog, “it's everything. The way I sound, the way I walk, the way I dress, the values I hold, the way I interact with machines and people and data”.

One time that I had to mushfake was when I got a position as a mentor for students in the Autism Spectrum. After a series of phone calls and emails, in which I was probably faking it too, I was selected by the Co-cordinator of the program to become a mentor. 

There I was, my first day as a mentor, wearing dress pants, a blazer and short “office type” heels. I still did not know what to expect so I was trying my best. I had also read multiple times what the first session with my mentee was going to be about so that I could learn some of the vocabulary. I had no experience as mentor, nor did I have ever (of my knowledge) communicated with someone in the Autism Spectrum, so I did not know what to except. I was terrified of looking like I didn’t know anything because this was my first “job” and I had to be friendly and simile with everyone. 

Thankfully, my first day as a mentor was not as bad as I kept thinking it would be. I was only in charge of two students with mild autism, which made it very easy to handle and learn.  I also had someone with actual experience with me all the time, walking me through the process and everything. 

Although by the first months of being a mentor I had still not mastered the Discourse, because as Gee states Discourses are mastered “by enculturation (“apprenticeship”) into social practices through scaffolded and supported interaction with people who have already mastered the Discourse”(7) and I was not actually interacting with many people that completely new the Discourse I now, after reading Gee’s article, believe that I have not just acquired a Discourse but that I have actually acquired a Dominant Discourse. As described by Gee, “Dominant Discourses are secondary Discourses the mastery of which, at a particular place and time, brings with it the (potential) acquisition of social “goods” (money, prestige, status, etc.”. I say I have acquired a Dominant Discourse because after having being part of this experience I have learned vocabulary and a sense of what a psychologist has to look like and talk like.  Being a psychology major student, this will actually help me in the future. It’s a window no open into more interesting experiences. 

Lastly, this is just a picture to show you guys that right now I'm not faking it. All of this was true. This is how I found out I was going to be a mentor. For some reason the picture is blurry but I'm sure you can at least read "Congratulations, Peer Mentor!" :)