In the Service of What? by Kahne and Westheimer

Quotes:

"As Lawrence Cremin explains, these educators believed that, by manipulating the school curriculum, they could ultimately change the world" (4). 

This quote clearly states that some educators believe that service learning can cause change in the world. In our FNED class, I believe that our service learning projects are helping us to look at things differently. We are all working at very diverse schools with many low income students, bilingual students, IEP students, etc. It is great for us because not only are these kids learning from us, but also we are learning from them. I feel that working with these students opens up our minds and helps us learn how to help people while also allowing them to help us as well. If everyone participated in projects like this, then maybe we could ultimately change the world.

"Unfortunately, in many service activities, students view those they serve as clients rather than as a resource" (7). 

After thinking about it, I realized how true this quote is. In the past, I used to do community service just because I had to. There is a golf course right behind my house, and my eighth grade community service project was to give the golfers water and lemonade when they drove by. I sat outside all day with a cooler full of water and lemonade and I gave them out to golfers as they passed by. I didn't learn anything from the project at all. I talked to a few golfers, but they didn't really teach me anything. And although they obviously appreciated the water, it was clear that they didn't really need my help. I only did this project because I had to do something, and it was the easiest thing for me to do at the time.

I didn't realize that community service is more than that until I volunteered at Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine is a free camp run by volunteers for children with terminal diseases and their families. My mother suggested that we volunteer, and I decided that I would, as I like working with kids anyways, and I also needed community service hours for school. By the end of the experience, however, I had forgotten about the school hours. To me, the trip was about making bonds with kids who needed me most. I learned so much from these kids and their families about perseverance especially, but also just about simple things like happiness and love. Being able to help these kids was a privilege to me, and it made me a better person. It is so important to view those you serve as a resource, someone you can learn from. (If anyone wants to volunteer at Camp Sunshine, I really recommend it! I might be going again this summer. If you're interested, definitely talk to me!)

"In addition to helping those they serve, such service learning activities seek to promote students' self esteem, to develop higher-order thinking skills, to make use of multiple abilities, and to provide authentic learning experiences - all goals of current curriculum reform efforts" (2). 

This quote explains the importance of service learning in the eyes of the one doing the service. There are so many benefits to helping others in a service project. Community service is about helping others, but it is also about learning from these people and becoming a better person because of it. There are so many benefits to the service learning program, and I am continuously seeing this as I continue my work at Mt. Pleasant High School.