In Service of What?

Kahne and Westheimer give a very interesting analytical breakdown of service learning and its many goals in the article "In Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning." I have decided to do extended comments on Marissa's blog this week because I feel that she made a few great points worth emphasizing.

In connecting this week's article to Kristof, Marissa said in terms of the homeless, "I just help them out even though they don't know that I do... I wish they knew who I was sometimes." Although some people may interpret this as wanting recognition for service, I believe Marissa is trying to say that she wishes she had a connection with the people she was helping. Many organizations run food drives, clothing drives and more where people donate stuff but never come in contact with the people their donations are going to. For years I did my service through working behind the scenes in food pantries, creating Thanksgiving baskets, and other more indirect services. However, last year when I attended Iona College I did something called the 'midnight run' and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I ever had. Not quite midnight but around 10 PM until midnight myself and other students brought clothing and prepared meals to the homeless in New York City. I can't lie, I was very hesitant to go and wanted to back out. So many negative notions about the homeless had been placed in my head through media. I was very nervous. However, the people I met completely altered my opinions. They were wonderful people who were not anything like what I had imagined. Making these personal connections to those I was helping taught me a lot but also was more rewarding than any other indirect service project I had done. 
This photo is from a midnight run in NYC.


Another point both from the article and that Marissa talks about in her blog is that parents often are the ones who put these negative stereotypes in their child's head. By telling them "be extra careful when you're in this neighborhood", one is suggesting that because it is a neighborhood in poverty that everyone is dangerous. Comments like these may seem harmless but they are what create stereotypes that simply aren't true. Like Marissa said, "any neighborhood can be bad." Bad things happen in "good neighborhoods" all the time. 

 https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-high-schools-require-community-service
This link is to a website where people write opinions on certain topics. According to the site, less than half of people feel that community service should be required to graduate.

 What do you think? Should service learning  be a graduation requirement? Why or why not? 

Comments

  1. Christian McElroyOctober 28, 2018 at 2:33 PM

    I liked your connections that you made to Marissa's article. I like how you interpreted what she was writing about.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 28, 2018 at 5:27 PM

    thanks for connecting to my article :)
    and that's a really good question you have. My opinion I think they should offer it that you can help them if you want to, just to get you community service hours done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily GiulianiOctober 29, 2018 at 7:02 PM

    The projects you've done sound really amazing. This was a very good and inspiring post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownOctober 30, 2018 at 1:30 PM

    I likes your style of blog (extended comment from Marissa's blog) I like to read different blogs each week. I enjoyed how you talked about the project you did in New York City. I feel like I too would be a little nervous at first especially in a place like New York where the homeless get a lot of bad media.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Serena BobolaOctober 30, 2018 at 6:37 PM

    I really liked how you discussed Marissa's blog in yours as well as the connections you've made. The question you bring up is very interesting. I know when I was in high school, some students were irritated that this was apart of the requirement because it took up time and also in some cases, it was hard to find community work. Overall, excellent organization and an enjoyable read!

    ReplyDelete
  6. KyraOctober 30, 2018 at 6:49 PM

    Amanda,

    I think you did a really great job of extending Marissa's thoughts. I want to respond to your question, because this was a question I asked myself when reading as well. I think by high school graduation, students should engage in a service learning placement of their choosing to help expose them to the real world, while making a difference. I think there should be a reflective component like the article suggests, to ensure the students are learning.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownOctober 31, 2018 at 11:13 AM

    hi Amanda, I like the way you did your blog. you did a nice job both making connections to the texts we've read and also personal experience. I think for your question that it should be requirement since it gives kids an opportunity to be a part of their community while expanding their knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ideschenes1213November 7, 2018 at 11:10 AM

    Your blog is a good follow up to marissas blog and makes good connections between your experiences and hers.

    ReplyDelete
  9. christopher JorgeNovember 11, 2018 at 1:37 PM

    Very descriptive

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownNovember 17, 2018 at 6:48 PM

    That was a great post, the midnight run sounds really interesting. To answer your question, I do think community service should be required to graduate. I know it's a hassle but I think it's important. I think some people who volunteer just to graduate find they really like it and continue it after high school. That was the case for me, I volunteered in a state run home for adults with disabilities when I was a senior. I ended up getting a job there and working there for a few years.

    ReplyDelete

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