In The Service of What? - Kahne and Westheimer

Extended Comments

 

I thought Nick's blog got right to the points about "In the Service of What?" article which is why I choose to write extended comments based on his blog relating to this article.

 

Service learning as a whole like nicks mentions has both its pros and cons and the way you approach it matters. For example nick brings up the points about Mr. Johnsons and Ms. Adams classrooms and how Service Learning was a big part of the curriculum. Picking how to handle, manage, and solve possible problems such as homelessness in which talks about relating to the article and this problem is a huge concern because yes service learning provides possible solutions in which the students identify but if may not be serving the greater good. There are tons and tons of people homeless and I agree with Nick's points about how it is a great experience for these students but it also has other sides that need to be seen in order for Service Learning to gain its true "respect and identity" so to speak. This I feel is the most important factor that weighs in this service learning experiment. The points Nick brings up are very good because it is very true that Service Learning is for experience and to see things that one has never seen before and without eventually helping the greater good it may not be as worthwhile. Like Nick said the making of the survival kits for a few homeless individuals probably help them a ton but ultimately impacting a wider an bigger group is what Nick is trying to say here as well as how he interpreted the article. I thought his points were very precise and he stuck with the overall theme of service learning and helping the majority which is why I chose to do extended comments on this particular blog.

 

 

 

Connections: Personally this article and Safe Spaces were very similar. Opportunities for LGBT in Safe Spaces by August resembled closely to this because it all becomes what you make of it. LGBT fighting for who they are resembles a cause as does Service Learning. They are both out to show why they belong and why they are important and I believe making adjustments along the way will only help better each of their causes. For example like Nick said, seeing the greater amount of homeless with only better the Service Learning project to where it may eventually reach the point of serving a more widespread population of people who are homeless.

Points to share: In the Service of What was an interesting article to read because it talked about Service Learning and the outcomes it can have. Although they may not always be the best or be seen as the best these certain situations are new experiences that need to be experienced for one to actually know and feel what is going on. I have never had to tutor before but Service Learning has allowed me to do that and that's helped me see a different perspective of tutoring young children.