Service Learning Reflection Essay When it comes to service learning I have always found it to be a rewarding way to challenge yourself as well as a better way to connect with and understand your community. I am actually not associated with any religious organization, but I have been doing community service for the better half of my school career. In the past and in the case of this courses requirements I volunteered my time at schools who are always in need of people who are willing to help the staff and students. I spent my ten plus hours at Faubion Middle School in Mrs. Phyllis Madison’s humanities classroom. This was a seventh grade classroom full of kids who had been labeled as troublemakers and slackers by the administration, but while …show more content…
As a person who has grown up in a middle class family I have never experienced what some of the kids I worked with have faced in their lives and I was able to help, connect and empathize with this kids who came from a much more difficult and strenuous background. Being able to experience something through these kids is almost surreal in that I was able to and I find that anyone who works with underprivileged kids can connect with their issues and understand the hardships and challenges they face every day. I think everyone should have to contribute to some form of service learning in their life just to see and experience what other people go through who come from a different background. It is immensely insightful and I have always found that to be the …show more content…
I do know for example that community service is an integral part of Christianity and as an outsider I believe that if you wish to be an authentic Christian you should take time to serve others and help your neighbors or community when you are needed. I think that this is even more important than reading the Bible. Jesus was a man who lived to serve and truly sacrificed everything for the good of the whole. I truly believe though that community service is something that should be experienced by everyone no matter their religious
At the beginning of the semester, I did not know what the "Service Learning and Social work Practice" course mean. However, through the process, with the accompaniment of Professor Preeti Charania, I understood the course and noticed a lot of transformation in me through the semester. The following are some of the changes and growth I have seen in me from class readings, discussions, group works, and working with the Church World Service (CWS) agency.
This course has taught me a lot about the role human service workers have in communities and what communities need from human services. I learned about why this type of work is so important and was able to seen that importance first hand through my observation hours at the Dorothy Day Center.
Service-learning is defined as a “course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995).
Christianity means more to me than a religion it is my lifestyle. Being a Christian has taught me so much in my 17 years of life. I have erudite where I came from and where I belong. I have learned how to be a optimistic person and spread positivity with others. Recently I went to Puerto Rico to visit my family and there I met a numerous amount of vagrant people who did not food on a daily basis nor a home to come to after a elongated day. I felt so pleased to be able to bless those individuals with nutrition, water, and clothes. Before I developed into who I am now I did not have goals and accomplishments I did not really have a determination in life. Learning who Christ was helped me become more linguistic, kinesthetic and spatial. I can learn more of him through the scripture, to feel his power and presence and to witness his miracles. These learning styles do not only help me in my spiritual life but also in my scholastic
The functional area of service-learning is currently emerging as an acknowledged department at an institution of higher education. The theoretical roots of service learning go back to John Dewey, and the early twentieth century. However, current research on service-learning pedagogy dates back only to the early 1990’s. Best practices for the field are still being created as more and more new offices are springing up on campuses throughout the United States and institutions internationally. The reason this functional area is becoming ever popular is due to the positive impact it has on students and most all educational outcomes.
As a Christian, one is led by the teachings in the Bible. By reading the Word of God, we are compelled to act in the ways we do. For example, one of the most known aspects of the Bible is the Ten Commandments. People of the Christian faith follow these commandments in order to live a righteous life. Yet, if you are familiar with those Ten Commandments, you know that saying grace or blessing a meal is not written in these.
Waldstein, F. A., & Reiher, T. C. (2001). Service -learning and students' personal and civic development. [Electronic Version]. Journal of Experiential Education, 24(1), 7-13.
What connections do you make between your service-learning experiences and some of the themes addressed in class (justice, love, rights, responsibility, relationships, etc.)?
Selecting to do my service learning at Harvest Hope Food Bank was a very impactful experience. This was so, because of the fact that I have never volunteered at a food bank until now. The organization was able to connect me with the required skills I will practice throughout my career as a professional social worker, therefore better preparing me for assisting clients who may be dependent on my services.
I really think that having the service learning-project in the Unity and Diversity class is great. In class we have talked about minorites and disadvantaged groups, and volunteering in the minority places has everything to do with our class. The suggestions I have for revising the requirements of the service-learning component in a future class would be to require more theories and concepts into our papers. I think you should require more terms in our papers, so that we look more into our books and notes. Other than adding more concepts into the paper I don’t think anything else should be changed.
Following participation in an Engaged Department Institute sponsored by Campus Compact, a service-learning requirement was instituted for all majors in the department studied beginning Fall 2002. All faculty were encouraged to incorporate service-learning in their courses. A training session on service-learning was the centerpiece of a departmental retreat in January 2002. In order to develop closer relationships with community agencies, the department hosted a faculty-partnership luncheon the following fall semester. Potential community partners were invited to meet with faculty in an effort to forge new relationships with the University. In order to institutionalize service-learning, all recruitment advertisements specifically mention service-learning and all new hires are expected to include service-learning components in their courses. As a consequence of these efforts, this department has gone from teaching only a few courses with service-learning components to offering twenty five different classes (thirteen courses) by Fall 2002.
Each school, because of government mandate, has to provide services for exceptional students. The textbook Human Diversity in Education defines exceptional students as “those eligible for special educational services” (Cushner, McClelland & Safford, 2011). There are several categories for exceptional student but they all fall under the Ability/Disability continuum. Some of the categories for exceptional students are the: intellectually gifted, specific learning disability, emotionally handicapped, hearing impaired, visually impaired, mentally handicapped, and physically handicapped. In this paper the specific type of students that will be discussed, fall under the disabled side of the continuum. As one can see from the list above there are various types of disabilities that can affect students. One of the disabilities that affect many students in schools today is known as the Learning Disability (LD). Students with learning disabilities, also known as specific learning disabilities, tend to be of at least average intelligence. Of at least average intelligence is the key phrase. A learning disability is defined as “a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information” (National Center for Learning Disabilities,). Learning disabilities can affect students in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and spelling, reasoning, and mathematics. A student that has a learning disability can at times suffer for a social anxiety. Though social anxiety can be something minor, for students with this disability 2011it can cause major problems. Their social anxiety is caused by fearing that they will not fit in because they are unable to understand or process the information a...
In order to fulfill the 12 hours of community service requirement for Nutrition course 139 I applied with five organizations on the approved list. The organization that replied me the fastest was Open Heart Kitchen, they mostly operate in Pleasanton and Livermore areas. Their application and signing up for shift process gives a feeling that this organization is massive, and many individuals really care about the less fortunate. From observation and conversations with the site supervisor, I believe this organization relies on individual donations, small business donations and large corporate donations such as Safeway and Walmart. This organization also relies on volunteers to work every day, they get workers from students fulfilling their hours and resume, individuals fulfilling court orders, and those that just want to help the less fortunate.
I think this entire experience has been amazing and everyone should volunteer at least once in their life. It might even change their major! I had already planned on working with my community, specifically in the behavioral/mental health area, so this experience just opened my eyes to how much of a difference I can make by such simple gestures. This class was a way for me to get out of my comfort zone and now I will continue to volunteering even after this class ends. I will be moving to Lexington soon and will find even more volunteer opportunities there! I realize that each community has needs as should everyone else, volunteering can really open your eyes to
Its a very useful, promising, and beneficial experience that every teen should want to be a part of. Volunteering gives people a sense of fulfilment, and the joy of knowing that so many people need help and being able to be that person to render those services makes a better person. Community service should not be a burden for any teenager, but a special gift being given to the community by a special individual. Community service should be a mandatory high school graduation requirement because it builds ones character, limits the rate of teenage delinquency, and establishes a path for a better future as an individual.