Service Learning - A First Encounter

My introduction into the world of service learning has been hurried, and my experience with it brief, but I am already able to understand the position within, and appreciate its importance to, our educational system and our community as a whole.

My professional background includes coaching; my academic background a firm base of business with a sprinkling of higher education and teaching. No where, however, has there been this concept of “service learning” as a sustainable entity of its own. Needless to say, my crash-course has provided me certain foundations to build off of, and so my viewpoint, and thus my shared growth, starts from the beginning.

I first found the mission statement, hoping for a quick and easy answer when prompted to explain the goals of my new position.

To enhance student leadership and civic responsibility through the collaboration, promotion, and sharing of service learning opportunities and activities.

Even in my initial interaction with service learning, I understand that there is much more to be gained by the students, teachers, and communitites involved. Where “enhancement” may marry itself to civic responsibility, “creation”…”fostering”…even “nurturing” hold more close to the truth of not only student leadership, but self-awareness, confidence, and strength.

When given the outline of what NSA offers students, (http://www.nsslc.org/Pages/ServLearn.htm), the value of service learning is exposed.

Intellectual Growth follows as the normative focus of the educational setting. Service learning, however, may spark that critical thinking and decision making into consideration of global influence. One may always have the inclination to problem solve with regards to personal effect, but service learning opens the individual's thought process to that range of that effect.

Through this new outlook, each individual is now faced with a new reflection on his or her previously “understood” self. This additional variable creates a greater depth to personal decisions. With actions following this awareness, values and beliefs may be challenged or confirmed, and personality may enhance itself through confidence and self-esteem. Once those qualities take place comfortably within the individual, the promotion of Social Growth becomes much more natural as the newly energized young man or woman seeks out ways to test and share new powers.

All of this internal development leads to a greater sense of belonging, of Citizenship, and of responsibility and pride within a choice of career. As is true with any educational setting, a foundation of belief in oneself, and confidence in abilities, will help students face challenges more bravely, and help them find success, even despite occasional setbacks.

So as I start my own journey into service learning, I find it hard not to recognize its parallels to the opportunities I will help provide to our students. This blog will serve as both a list of our activities and reflection on them, hopefully providing some ideas for your own service learning program, or inspire new involvement in service learning. I will do my best to provide as much insight from our students’ perspective as from my own, as we all dive into experiencing the benefits of service learning together.

Ben Price
Service Learning Liaison
North Shore Academy

Please feel free to comment here or email me (bprice@nssed.org) any questions, comments, or suggestions.