Blog # 5

In the Service of What? By Kahne and Westheimer

1. Our goal is not to replace consensus with conflict, but rather to point out the various ideological, political, and social goals that can be promoted by service learning activities in schools.

This statement to me says, that service learning projects should encapsulate not just a grade. Ideological, as in how do you see the world now that you have worked with others less fortunate than yourself? Political, as in what can you do to change the world in which you live now that you have seen a differing perspective? And social, as in where do you stand as a human among other humans? As for replacing consensus with conflict, I think conflict in this situation is necessary for change, all schools should have some atmosphere of community assistance, but the approach needs to be one of learning and not just of passing.

2. Unfortunately, in many service activities, students view those they serve as clients rather than a resource.

I really like that Kahne and Westheimer included this, this is something, that I believe needed to be addressed. Some students will inevitably turn a service learning experience into a job, just something that needs to get done. Also maybe over time this could happen, like a desensitized kind of situation, where it is a “I have to...” as opposed to “I would like to…”. I don’t know if I am expressing myself clearly, lol. What I mean to say is that service learning should be an expression of self betterment, and community betterment, students should be taught what a valuable service they are providing, and why.

3. They never discuss their experiences as a part of a course. In fact, many legislative proposals have a minimal reflective component - sometimes for fear that such an orientation would diminish the focus on altruism.

I like this statement because it illustrates the picture that forced service learning projects for students, if not done correctly, turn into a grade. If students are participating in community activities simply to obtain a grade they will not be taking all that they possibly can from the experience. Some students will take the experience to heart and others will just do the bare minimum to pass, this is a sad truth. When I was in high school I had a class in which we had to do ten hours to pass, I took nothing from this. I had previous helped out at my softball league so I used that, and I passed the class. We never discussed it, we didn’t even have to write a paper just a signed log of hours. However taking this class, and discussing it and reflecting on me experiences through class discussions and a personal journal, I am now truly taking the experience to heart, and it is effecting my person in a positive way.