Contents
Homepage
PA News
News from Around the School
Socially Responsible Shopping
Service Learning is Fun
Summerbridge Notes
Upcoming Events
SFDS Classifieds
SFDS Calendar
Lunch Menu
Week Ahead,
Dec 1 - 8
|
Service Learning is Fun!
By Chris Corrigan, Service Learning Director
Over the course of several weeks, the seventh grade advisories worked on a service learning unit focused on poverty and hunger. This unit included in-class simulations, discussions and projects as well as trips to the San Francisco Food Bank. While at the Food Bank, we sorted through donations, assembled grocery boxes for senior citizens, and labeled canned goods for distribution. Every time we went, several students told me how much they enjoyed the work. Their productivity was matched only by their good spirits as we approached each weekly task. The kids bonded with each other and got to see their teachers and, in some cases, their parents in a different light as we packed, cleaned, and sorted the wide array of foodstuffs warehoused at the Food Bank.
The students impressed me with their insights. "I never realized that it is not easy to afford good, nutritious food." "I never really knew who struggled with hunger and always thought those who did brought it on themselves. I realize now that this may not always be true. There are people out there who are working two jobs but still have a hard time making payments and providing food." "I thought poverty in San Francisco was not a problem at all. My assumption changed after the first activity we did." These are just a few of the ideas the students expressed. Some eyes were opened and awareness levels raised.
There are many rationales for doing service and reaching out to the community. There are the purely altruistic reasons: It's good to help those in need-- from those to whom much is given, much is expected. There are those who link service the value of diversity education. Who can deny that it is important to expose students to experiences outside of their own? There are even somewhat self-serving justifications for doing service. The student who reaches out to his greater community is better equipped to think critically about the world and therefore better equipped to succeed in it.
These reasons are all valid, but I find that the most powerful motivator, especially for pre-adolescents, is that community service is FUN. As Service Learning Director my goal is to help propagate a culture of sharing and caring. As a teacher my rationale for this mirrors those mentioned earlier: building altruism, diversity and critical thinking skills. But as someone who spends the majority of my time with kids, my main tool for accomplishing all this is appealing to their sense of fun.
As the holidays approach, consider taking a day out of your winter break to have fun with your family while doing something good for the community. The following Bay Area organizations would welcome your help.
- AIDS Memorial Grove (gardening), 415-750-8346
- Haight Ashbury Food Program, 415-566-0366
- Hamilton Family Shelter, 415-665-2354
- San Francisco Food Bank, 415-282-1900
- St. Anthony Foundation (dining room and other programs), 415-592-2748
Check out the SFDS Service Learning page to learn more about more volunteer opportunities.
Return to SFDS eNews Homepage |
