Service Learning: First ideas
Posted May 19th, 2006 by Steven Norton
In the early May PTO meeting, we talked about some options to expand on service learning. Some of them focused on ways of showing kids the impact of the work they are doing: for example, to help deliver the lunches made in “Lunches with Love” to see why they are doing it, or to follow through with charitable fundraising to see what is being funded.
Other ideas included expanding on community service work such as keeping the park clean, ecology-related projects and even projects that might link to the science curriculum (such as a focus on energy efficiency).
Comments
Garden Club?
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Thoughts on "Lunches"
For those of you who missed it, one of the touching parts of the last PTO meeting of the year (where volunteers were thanked) was the presentation made by the executive director of Food Gatherers to Kathy Koehler, the BP parent who started “Lunches with Love” 10 years ago as part of a service learning initiative.
It was bracing to hear how important an agency such as Food Gatherers finds the consistent help of students at BP — and how much an impact it has had as the program was emulated nationwide. I don’t know quite how things are presented to the kids (I haven’t helped with it personally, so all I know is what my son chooses to tell me!), but I bet it would be really great for them to understand why this is so important and to see the impact they can have with what may seem to be a modest program.
And, I have to say, it made a real difference to me as a parent to realize the kind of difference they were making. The kids wouldn’t be the only ones learning something! Just my $0.02.
Steve Norton
parent of Jamie (1) and Alida (K)
PTO info tech co-chair
Ideas welcome
Thanks to Julie and Joel for taking this on. I just wanted to emphasize that the discussion of what can/might be done with service learning is still very much open. We particuarly welcome ideas about how some of the existing activities at the school could be expanded to enrich the experience for the kids.
I think Joel and Julie will really appreciate expanding the conversation on service learning.
Steve Norton
parent of Jamie (1) and Alida (K)
PTO info tech co-chair
Service Learning
I’m delighted to report that Julie Lawson-Timmer and Joel Dalton will be co-chairing our Service Learning Committee. The two of them met with Kelly and me and the ideas were flowing fast and furious. As of now, it looks like we’ll be offering an after-school service club that will meet monthly perhaps and will enable students to have a voice in what service projects they pursue. Also, the Service Learning Committee will oversee an expanded in-school program, including increased opportunities for students to be involved in pre-existing annual programs, such as Lunches with Love, Salvation Army goods & food drive, and Halloween costume drive. Additional new topics for in-school programming may be pursued as well.