Reflection For Service Learning Project

The experience I encountered during the service learning project was great. Throughout the weeks allocated for the service learning project, I tutored grade two and three pupils from three different schools under two agencies. The names of the agencies are Lion Catcher and MLK Community Center. This project gave me the opportunity to work with little kids for a long time. This provided me with the privilege to help and work with people who are enthusiastic about learning. Through my colleagues and me, we were able to achieve the goal of the service learning project. One of the goals is to work with minorities who needs help. This goal does not benefit our clients only but us also, it helped us organize and improve the way we think about supporting our client and managed good clinical judgment.

A Service Learning project is one of the project requirements to complete the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree through Ferris State University (FSU). My Service Learning experience was completed at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in November, 2014. This paper includes details of the facility along with the contact information for the coordinator of the project. A description of my role as a volunteer, critical reflection of my experience, and a synthesis of the Service Learning are also included.

Service is one of the essential pillars of the National Honor Society. While a member of the National Honor Society I have participated in many projects that have changed the way I see the world. While volunteering I have met many fascinating individuals that have different stories. Stories that have influenced my future goals to help and show kindness to everyone. While volunteering at Care one I have met multiple people who always have a smile on their face no matter how bad or good their day is going. Therefore the most significant moment that has impacted me is one story in particular. During the weekend I volunteer with an elderly woman. She is kind, friendly and has the biggest smile. While volunteering with her I have learned that volunteering

When I was a Junior in Methuen High School, I was enrolled in community service program in which I have to go to hospitals or nursing homes and take the old patients to other room, bathroom, or to their cars during the time they get discharged. During that time period I noticed that there were many old patients who didn’t had any family members who came to either visit them or take them home. The only people who were helping them were either volunteers like me or the nurses. So when it was time to decide that what career I am going to pursue, I decided to be a nurse and give the old people a family experience with my required duties and responsibilities.

For my service learning hours, I decided to assistant coach at Four Corners Charter Upper School. When I took on this task, being tremendously excited to work with the girls there and give back to this school. My role consisted of being the assistant coach to my sister Amanda Ramirez, helping her to guide and train the girls to learn the sport of lacrosse. Having experience in coaching high school girl’s lacrosse, I came in with drills and strategies to be the most effective assistant coach. The girls that decided to come out for the team haven’t ever heard of the sport, which became a good thing for coaching, giving us the upper hand for coaching and teaching the sport to the girls.

My role in my service learning position is at Tri-City Church (also Community Bible Church... as there is currently a merge going on) of Vista, CA. My position is primarily to care for the needs of children while the mothers are able to take a break to meditate on the sermon. This care includes feeding children, playing with them, soothing them, taking care of their toileting needs, and helping sign in and out the children to their parents or family members. While I am already fairly comfortable with this routine (as I have been doing it for some time now) there is still the occasionally apprehensive moment. Occasionally I have trouble connecting with the parent's if their new to the area. Earning parents' trust can be a difficult thing to do.

When my aunt asked if I wanted to help at the nursing home, I mainly went because I was bored. When I arrived, I helped the residents play bingo and I even painted a few nails. Even though it does not sound like a lot, I realized on that day how much I loved helping others and how I couldn’t wait to volunteer again.

For my Reflective Service Learning Project, I volunteered at Westminster Shores Community Living. Westminster Shores is a community living center, with independent living and assisted living. They hold many events for the residents that lives there, as well as involve the volunteers in discussion groups. In addition, on of the main goals of the volunteer program is to create a connection between the students that volunteer and the residents who Live at Westminster Shores. As a volunteer, I participated in discussion groups, Saturday morning activities, and a “Day of Friendship”. Originally, being introduced to this volunteer opportunity, I though I was going to be sitting and talking to residents while playing games and doing puzzles. Although I love those activities, I was very pleased when I learned that I was going to be involved in discussion groups and projects. One of the main goals of the volunteering program is to connect students with the residents, so being involved in communicating with the residents creates a connection. I was able to connect one on one with some residents, as well as chat in bigger groups. In addition, I participated in the set-up of the Holiday Market, which is held annually, and I met several female residents with tables, selling homemade items. I enjoyed and learned about them talking to them through set-up. Furthermore, during the “Day of Friendship”, I spent the day with one resident and am still in contact with him and his wife. Through

The service learning project that I participated in made me realize so many things about other people and myself. I gained skills in some areas that I would never expect myself to improve on and it motivated me to continue to improve on those skills. It has taught me that trying something new isn’t always a bad thing. It can actually open many opportunities and make you have new hobbies. This service learning was a huge success to my community and myself. Before I started the service I wasn’t so sure about it because it wasn’t something that I imagined myself doing. As I participated in the service and realized how fun it actually was, it made me change my whole opinion on it. I don’t regret taking part in this service because I feel more motivated, people were able to fight for what they wanted.

Coming in this semester this was one of only two classes I decided to take. I had never take any classes with ODU and want to “get my feet wet”. I can honestly say that if all my classes run as smoothly as this class has I will have no problem completing my Human Service degree.

Throughout the day working with each student I noticed myself stressing quality service with their patients, therefore the leadership principal I utilized in my role as team leader was “Build a Culture around Service.” Every patient has different needs and those needs should be addressed through the care we provide as student nurses. Our service applies not only to the patient, but to the patient’s family and friends who are there visiting too. Working with the students I tried to stress how important the little things are. For example, one patient was tired of being in bed and she wanted to look out the window at the snow falling. Together with another student we got her out of bed and extended her oxygen, IV lines, and pulse oximeter as far

According to Kathleen Flecky and Lynn Gitlow, service-learning is defined as, “learning that occurs in experiences, reflection, and civic engagement” (Flecky & Gitlow, 2011). In recent years more universities are implementing service learning into their curriculum. A key concept of service learning is civic responsibility. Civic responsibility can simply be defined as your responsibilities as a citizen. As will be shown later in this paper, service learning can have many benefits not only to a student, but also to the community members

The hospital environment is filled with an incredible variety of behaviors and attitudes. During my time for the service learning project, there were few that stood out to me. As previously noted, I was able to see the diffusion of responsibility among other volunteers when there were more working on the same shift. Additionally, I saw a very large amount of apprehension in the patients, especially among some of the patients being transported for surgery surgery. Their movements, posture, and tone of voice all spoke for how afraid they were and how significant this point in their life is. This has taught me to simply be more aware of how I’m carrying myself when in the presence of these individuals. It is incredibly important to carry yourself

Just off the top of my head I believe that throughout my college career there have been six other classes with some form of service learning. Yet, from these classes I can only recall maybe one or two days, with typically only one class period from those hours of service learning. Perhaps the only exception to this being my ELL strategies class where I work with just a few students over the course of three months with ELL support. Though, this service learning will definitely join the ranks as one of the few educational experiences from college I have actually seen personal growth in. Being able to work so closely with both my service learning teacher and my internship teacher’s PLC as a whole has truly been a rewarding experience. In terms of seeing the behind the scenes of what teachers have to do to ensure accommodations and planning, this extra time spent on the campus of Deltona high school has been very enlightening. While my service learning did start off a bit rocking with having to switch teachers after the first day, there was added benefit in being able to view regular classes after working so much with honors and AP students during internship.

From a young age, those who have the privilege to do service, seem to be taught that we do service because we have the ability to help and work for the community. This has always been how it has been told and taught to me that we do service to help others and that you do not gain anything for ourselves. Service is often seen as a “selfless” act, yet if this is how it's viewed everyone involved is missing a huge part of the service. Service needs to start being taught and viewed as two-way street, not a one way. The change of how we view service has to start with the education and conversations that often surround services. Starting at a young age, children have to be taught to see service as an act we do with a partner verses for a partner. Yet until this class, I was largely raised on the idea that I was doing service for the community not with. So I have to revamp my narrative of service, through the readings, discussions, and other experiences I believe I have a few tools to deepen my mindset with.