As some of you, blog readers, may know, I attend a service learning-based high school….a school dedicated to volunteering and community outreach. We have a weekly service learning program which puts every student out into the community to volunteer. While we have made a tremendous impact locally, the work of Quest Early College High School students reaches beyond even international borders.
Several years ago, Quest’s Assistant Principal and current REEP student, Ginger Noyes, traveled to La Finca de Los Niños, an orphanage in the mountains of Honduras. At the orphanage she discovered the welcoming arms and loving hugs of excited children. Beyond the happy faces of the children was a situation of dire need, however, as Noyes quickly learned that the orphanage lacked sufficient and stable food and clothing for its orphans. Seeking to provide for the children, Noyes reached out to a large group of passionate individuals whom she knew would be happy to help: the students at Quest.
For at least the past four years, the students at Quest have been instrumental in raising funds for the children at La Finca de Los Niños, and projects and donations have included everything from food to school supplies. The connection between the students at Quest and the children at La Finca de Los Niños is special because all donations and funds collected by the students are personally delivered on a yearly basis by Noyes. Several Quest students have even accompanied Noyes to Honduras to assist with the delivery and distribution of supplies to the orphanage.
Additionally, this on-going service learning project has enabled students to make meaningful connections between what they are learning in school and what is happening in the world today. Last year, Quest’s Spanish classes wrote Christmas cards to their friends in Honduras as a project, a project that meant more than a grade. It is this type of connection and sense beyond grades which truly engages my fellow Quest students and me. It is this type of connection and learning which I feel truly engages all people!
For teachers seeking to bring service learning to their own classrooms, what do you think about using Noyes’ project as a model? Or, for teachers seeking service learning on a smaller scale, why not write holiday greeting cards as the Quest students did, but instead distribute them to local retirement communities or hospitals? To the students reading this blog: do you feel like you might be engaged by service learning? And finally, to all readers, what do you think about the global service-learning being done at Quest? Leave a comments and share your thoughts with us.
Hi Micaela,
Thanks for sharing the experiences of Quest Early College High School students in service-learning. My perspective is that service-learning can be especially powerful when the students and teachers who engage in it adopt an attitude of mutual sharing and learning with those whom they serve. The ostensible “benefactors” (the students and teachers from the USA) usually benefit as much if not more from their service than their “beneficiaries”.
Just because we have a higher economic standard of living does not mean that we have a higher quality of life as compared to those in developing communities. We have a great deal to learn from those in these communities. I mention this because sometimes students and teachers from USA approach service-learning opportunities as charitable work for those less fortunate, especially when working with developing communities. Yes, we can donate goods and services but we also receive a great in return. Often, that which we receive in return is priceless.
A related issue is intrinsic vs. extrinsic reward. It is my hope that we under-emphasize the extrinsic rewards (good grade, recognition plaques, class credit, etc.) for students and teachers who engage in such service-learning. To rob them of the joy of serving others and of connecting to the real-world in an intense manner is to inflict an injustice.
Thanks for your posting.
Hello Mr. Han,
I am glad you enjoyed the post! Thank you very much for your comments, I entirely agree with the points you made. One of our goals at Quest is to instill the attitude of giving AND receiving, the idea that every person in every nation has something positive to contribute and experiences to share.
I greatly appreciate your attention to the extrinsic awards which are so often gained through service and charity; I agree that such awards should be under-emphasized. It is important as volunteers and change agents in our community that we maintain a humble attitude and remain aware of our roles not as “saviors,” but rather as “servers;” we serve by sharing our personal talents with others and in turn learn from others’ talents.
Thank you again for your post!
Micaela