Service Learning

At this point, Cookie Monsters is becoming more of a quarterly report than a weekly reader.

The greatest irony is that I really need a little more CM ethos in my life -- clearing out the clutter, getting back to basics, and celebrating small pleasures. I've spent the better part of fall semester working on lots of new work projects, dealing with two curve balls that kept me out of the office for a while (my grandmother's death, a brush with bronchitis), and just feeling sort of boring and dull.

One of my new projects this fall has been to launch a new Service Learning initiative at Trinity University. Several years ago, I attended a workshop on Service Learning hosted by the Vermont Campus Compact. The whole idea of service learning is to give students a "real life" hands-on experience to use the theories and skills developed through coursework. Projects have a partner in the community -- and the project should be mutually beneficial to the organization's needs and the students' abilities. Thus, the project should be symbiotic, allowing students to give back in a way that helps an organization. The project can really come in any shape or size, last for an hour or for a thousand hours. One working definition is:

"Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful
community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning
experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities."

Anyone who has ever taught understands the value of applied learning. Not only do students have the opportunity to internalize and use skills, but working with a real partner gives the project authentic value, intrinsic worth. Therefore, even if you overlook the benefits to an community organization, it's a great teaching strategy with substantive merits.

It was easy for me to conceptualize service learning in the context of the education department. Whenever someone approaches me to talk about becoming a teacher, the first thing I do is to send them out in the field to get some confirming evidence. Before you apply to a teacher ed program, you really should spend time in a local school or working one-on-one with kids. This class gives formal structure (and academic credit) to this exploratory experience. Plus, as a small, private liberal arts university, many of our students are community service minded. They are already active volunteers -- I just wanted to find a way to support that, academically.

Therefore, students have the freedom to design and execute a project of their choice. They pick the partner, decide when and how to serve, and define their own goals. It's very open-ended, but also entirely responsive to student interest.

This fall we're piloting the course. With 35 active participants, and each committing to 20 hours of service, the members of course are on track to contribute 700 hours of volunteerism to the San Antonio community – working with schools, hospitals, tutoring organizations, individuals, and shelters. I am really touched to see this good work up close, admiring my students' commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.

As part of the "work" of the course, students write a proposal and a reflective final paper. Also, during the semester, they must make two contributions to our class blog. Also on this note, my friend Mike has written about class blogs and I've found his insights to be very valuable.

Yesterday afternoon I had some drop-in time for students to come in and talk about their work. I helped brainstorm ways for students to find additional hours (if needed) and had a chance to hear more about their successes.

Two students told me about the experience of mentoring at-risk middle school students. I have both of these students in my urban education class -- two motivated, involved young women who happen to be thoughtful, talented, and hardworking. One student is a cheerleader and another is an aspiring pre-school teacher.

One student told me about her mentee, a 15-year old 8th grader, who was repeating the grade for the third time. Another is working with a "tough student," known for her attitude and reputation for cussing at teachers and getting into physical fights daily, both at home and at school. They talked to me about seeing a pregnant 7th grader walking through the hallway. These are real life, at-risk kids. We don't know how their stories will end.

It sounds like the Trinity students are actually making headway, connecting to their 8th grader and establishing some sort of (unlikely) bond. Independently of each other, they told me that when they leave the school, they always call their mom or dad to check-in. They talked about the guilt they feel, for their stable homes, support networks, and positive opportunities. When they talk about their mentees, both almost cried.