Summary: Integrated Service Learning Experience

I volunteered as an AVID afterschool tutoring prior to becoming an official AVID tutor. I helped sophomore students mainly in World History. I would help them with their homework, essays, and helped them review for their history exams.

It is also a “boundary spanning” activity in that it requires active involvement from people both within and outside of the classroom context, often resulting in participant contributors who represent a variety of generations, ethnicities, social groups, and experience levels (Billig and Furco, 2002, p.vii). Service-learning is designed to reduce the boundaries between an institutional campus environment and the community around it. It is designed to connect learning to real experience through service and reflection (Ball and Schilling, 2006; Becker, 2000). As a baseline to facilitate this development, service-learning is distinct from other types of community service and civic engagement experiences in that the service-learning experience must not only have a service and reflective component but also be clearly tied to the curriculum through learning objectives and theoretical underpinnings (Bloomquist, 2015; Pritchard, 2001). As Barbara Holland, former Director of the U.S. National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, shared, “Service-learning is all in the hyphen. It is the enrichment of specific learning goals through structured community service opportunities that respond to community-identified needs and opportunities.” (Kenworthy-U’Ren, Taylor, and Petri, 2006: 121).

Service Learning is an educational strategy set in place to enlighten students with instruction and experience, in addition to improve learning , teach responsibility, and support the community. Service learning is vital to the development of the student, given that it intertwines academic and personal development together. It is aimed to enhance a student’s learning in all aspects of life.

Before commencing service learning, I had a number of misconceptions towards people with disabilities. Before volunteering, I had a lack of understanding, viewing people with disabilities as dependent and in need of constant help. Another misconception towards people with disabilities was focusing on the person’s lack of ability rather than the individual which consequently resulted in a one-dimensional outlook towards people with disabilities. Reflecting upon these views, I am appalled with these naive and prejudice

The second program that I selected to observe was the Head Start Program. The head start program serves 64 children on site. They also have the home base program that serves 12 children. The children ages range from 3-5 years old. The program serves diverse families. The program that I observed on site serves 16 children. It is a full day program. The types of services that are available to the family are; mental health services, workshops, and parenting classes. They also refer parents to various types of community resources such as SELPA, HEAP, WIC, TAD, 211 and job search programs. The programs philosophy statement is:

Interview: If there is a tutoring opportunity you might be suitable for, you will be scheduled for an interview. Please contact the Center for Academic Success (CAS)

After some research and deliberation, I chose Habitat for Humanity (HFH, 2016) for my service project. There were several reasons that Habitat for Humanity appealed to me. The first reason is that I consider HFH to be a worthy cause is that I appreciate that it’s for a lower income family that would not otherwise be able to afford a home. The facts that the beneficiaries are expected to help build their home or other HFH homes with sweat equity, they’ll pay a mortgage, combined with the way it’s set up so they won’t be able to just sell as a short term flip, gives me the impression that it’s not a freebie entitlement program, but a program that promotes responsibility with some life changing results.

The purpose of this service-learning project was to educate and provide evidence based knowledge to associates that work at ShopRite in Flemington, N.J. on easy ways to identify, selected foods, which are beneficial to a similar looking body part. For example, the kidney beans are beneficial to the kidneys except if someone has kidney disease. My aim was to increase the knowledge of ShopRite associates so that they will be able to identify and more importantly recall quickly while shopping what foods are good for what parts of the body. The importance of associating foods that looks like body parts help keep learning simple, fun and informative. The best way to learn is to engage in an activity where learning does not appear to be the objective. Accidental learning can ‘stick’ so that when individuals are trying to incorporate healthy eating options into their diet recalling it will be simple.

Some of these services include foster care and adoption programs, outpatient and in home therapy, residential treatment programs for both boys and girls, and three different alternative day school programs. This agency also has a partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to provide educational services to all children who are apart of the residential treatment programs.

At a young age, school work is sometimes not one of the main things on a child’s agenda. They can easily get distracted and would rather play games on the electronics or gossip with friends and find ways of getting around their school work. I’ve found that being an ARAC tutor is more than just a job. It allows for college students to make a difference on an individual level that can later on impact a whole community. Working in the Bibb County schools has provided me with insight into a community that is less fortunate than where I grew up. It has made me realize that I am giving these students more than just help with their education. I am providing them with an image of a person that provides a positive contribution to

The center has parents who pay out of pocket, however they also receive funds for subsided childcare. To assist with food, the center receives assistance from the child and adult food program. (CACPP) The director has a master’s degree in family counseling, and she really enjoys working with children and families. As mentioned earlier in the paper the center holds seventy-five children and 20 staff members.

I was assigned to work for America Learns at an elementary school in Roxbury for my service learning placement. America Learns works with students from kindergarten to third grade, the program is structured to offer both tutoring and an additional activity each session. The activity is intended to teach the children critical thinking skills, diversity and cultural awareness, and experiential learning, as well as help to improve basic reading skills. Twice a week each tutor works with a student through the entire program, both homework help, and the activity. The goal is that throughout the weeks of the program the tutor and student will build a relationship that benefits both parties involved.

The program works with children by visiting teachers and home visitors to help them acquire skills for academic success at school and social networking success. The program provides comprehensive health and nutrition services. In addition,

Initially, it was my understanding the article would discuss the positive impacts on a student after completing a service learning outside one’s home country. In regard to “hard questions,” I assumed the author would address challenges that arise while working with individuals that live in a different culture from our own, speak a different language from our own, etc. I thought the “impact” mentioned in the title was dealing with the student who was venturing out to complete the service work, and not the recipient of the service learning.

At Children’s Learning Center in Gresham, their organization is in an easy access to get into their location. When I went on to their website it was easy to use and locate information about what they do and their goals in the classroom siting. I noticed that they meet with public school district requirements, they follow USDA food center program for serving food, and they are child centered educational classes; when I sew that it was a good feeling that they are meeting and seeing the needs for children that are going to school. They offer care to Infant & Toddler, Preschool & Pre-K, Private Kindergarten, Before & After-School, and Summer; this is great for parents that have to work and cannot get their child(s) to school and after school.