In the Service of What?

 

     Connections

   Service learning has been a great experience so far. I am in school so I can teach kids some day how to build houses. I thought that the service learning experience was going to be a drag. I never thought that this would be something I would actually enjoy. The kindergartners can be difficult and sometimes it can be difficult to have a conversation with them and teach them things. However, they are quite developed for their age and are much more aware of the world then we anticipate. The service learning experience gave me, and many others, the opportunity to go into schools and work with students and help teach them concepts. It is a win for everybody. The students get to come in and help the teacher, as well as work with kids and get a better understanding of obstacles that may be encountered throughout a career of teaching. The students that I get to help out during my service learning experience are just excited to have you there to help them out and learn.

   I have had the opportunity to work with some great kids so far this semester during my service learning. I really enjoy getting to work with the fourth grade students especially. I enjoy helping the out with their math work and trying different methods to get them to understand the content. It is important to be given the opportunity to work with kids one on one. As a teacher, you are usually working with a large number of students and you aren't going to be able to ensure that everyone knows what is going on throughout the entirety of the lesson. As service learning workers, we are able to give that teacher the little bit of the break that they might need. And at the same time, we get to gain some experience working with kids and helping students in a classroom environment. I think the service learning opportunity is great for aspiring teachers, as well as beneficial for the students that are receiving the extra attentions that they might need.