School and society are interwoven. not separate entities. Therefore, the goats of schools should be integrated with those of the surrounding community and society as a whole. Middle school student service helps integrate those goals

Ediger, Marlow

English

The University of Nebraska, Omaha

University of Nebraska OmahaDigitalCommons@UNOSchool K-12 Service Learning9-1993Community Service PromotesMarlow EdigerFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slcek12Part of the Service Learning CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the ServiceLearning at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion inSchool K-12 by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO.For more information, please contact unodigitalcommons@unomaha.edu.Recommended CitationEdiger, Marlow, "Community Service Promotes" (1993). School K-12. Paper 44.http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slcek12/44• for::~.' ·:~·,-:; i ... :~E:rnlng 1954 Dufo ci F·;oorn F\290 Community Service Promotes St. Paul, MN ss·toS-6197 \b ~~oo Community service links the school with society and should be a part of the middle level curriculum. S chool and society are inter-woven. not separate entities. Therefore, the goats of schools should be integrated with those of the surround-ing community and society as a whole. Middle school student service helps integrate those goals. The school environment is, in some ways, separate from the "real world." Students follow mandated schedules and rules and interact with basically the same people each day. They choose who they will have lunch with, who will be their partners in square dancing, and who they will sit with on the bus. But, once they leave the campus-at the end of the day or at the end of their formal schooling-they walk into a different environment with different rules and myriad kinds of people. Schools can help prepare students to function effectively and make a significant contribution to this com-munity away from the school campus through community service projects. The following are descriptions of middle level community service programs. 24 till Schools In the Middle September 1993 v. 5( l) Adolescents and the community By Marlow Ediger One public school student teacher who strongly believed in involving her sixth graders in the community established the following service projects. Nursing Home Presenting a program at a nearby nursing home gave students the op-portunity to interact with and enter-tain its residents and to incorporate some of the lessons they had learned into other areas of their lives. The stu-dents had just completed a unit on creative writing and based their pro-gram on that unit. .The students discussed how busi-ness and industry could help r~medy the garbage problem and how people in general must learn to dispose of waste products in an acceptable way. Student Awareness The sixth graders became more concerned about the environment-a concern that seemed to permeate the building and the community. • A student read aloud a student-composed tall tale. • A student read his quatrain poem about cold weather and shared his illustration of the poem. • A student read a legend she had written about Kit Carson. • Four students presented a skit about the Mayan religion, which they had studied in social studies. • A student read a diamante poem written by the class as a whole on hibernation of frogs. • A student read a haiku about nature. After the program, pupils visited with the nursing home residents. When they returned to the classroom, they evaluated the program, offering each other general suggestions such as "speak loudly enough so all can hear" and "practice reading before~ hand so the selection is tluicl." Police Department The sixth grade class wrote a letter to the dty police department asking that a stop sign be placed directly south of the middle school, at an intersec-tion that students found particularly hard to cross. When a policeman came to the classroom to tell the students their re-quest would be brought up at the next city council meeting, the teacher asked him to come back the next day to talk to the student~ about bicycle safety. The next day, he showed the class a filmstrip about bicycle safety and answered student questions. He also gave each student a pamphlet on safety procedures. The students wrote a thank-you let-ter to the policeman, paying special at-tention to the format, spelling, hand-writing, c~pitalization, and indentation. Ten days later a stop sign was erected at the intersection. The Environment The sixth grade students had often commented about the litter on the street directly north of the school, and, at the teacher's suggestion, decided to pick up the trash dur-ing four recess periods. They also kept track of the kinds of trash they picked up, such as paper bags, cans, etc. At the end ol' the four cbys, the students discussed what types or garbage they had picked up. These included quite a few sort drink con-tainers; aluminum cans: and napkins, paper plates, and plastic utcn-si Is from fast rood carryouts. Conclusion Community service links the school with society and should be a part of the middle level curriculum. By i~le­grating community service into the' academic program, schools can en~ sure that middle level students be-come active participants in improving themselves and their community. A Classroom in the community By Barbara S. Hamilton and Watseka Hanna As a result of former President George Bush's emphasis on "The Points of Light" program and materi-als produced by Kraft Foods, a teacher at Florence Middle School and her students began a special community service progran1. The Points of Light pro-vided the motiva-tion. and the mate-rials from Kraft Foods provided the process through which a highly Schools in the Middle September 1993 f'1ll 25 successful volunteer program between school and community developed. Under the direction and supervi-sion of a certified teacher and the nursing home's activity director, mid-dle level students visit the local nurs-ing home and interact with its resi-dents on a weekly basis. Prior to the first trip to the nursing home, the activity director visited the classroom to explain to students some common diseases and problem behaviors among the elderly, and the policies and procedures of the facil-ity. To meet volunteer requirements, students were given skin tests for tu-berculosis. The students are involved with the residents in a number of ways. They: a Assist the nursing home activity department with fund raising • Provide seasonal decorations, birthday celebrations, and hand-made gifts a Write letters to residents and send birthday greetings 11 Help' residents relive history and val-idate their lives as students encour-age them to talk about their pasts a Talk with residents and write notes to communicate with the hearing impaired a Play games with residents or take them for wheelchair walks • Serve refreshments. Benefits for Students and the Elderly This program benefits both the stu-dents and the nursing home residents. Benefits for the students include improved: a Social and educational development a Self-esteem and self-confidence as they bridge the gap between the youth and the elderly and make a dif-ference in the residents' quality of life a Understanding of the elderly • Ability to adjust to a variety of settings a Understanding of mental illness a Opportunities for acknowledgment and recognition, and a feeling of being needed. The nursing home residents bene-fit because the program: a Allows them to become involved with the youth of the community. 2q 1111 Schools In the Middle September 1993 IIi Gives them something to look for-\Yard to on a regular basis. l.l Improves their bask communica-tion ski !Is 11 Fills a void in the daily routine and helps decrease feelings or isola·· tion, boredom, or depression o Improves residents' alertness and activity. The positive interaction between students and nursing home residents h<ls grown steadily since the first visit. Staff members report that resi-dents' anticipation of the weekly visit motivates them to stay out of bed and be better groomed for the visit. The educational value of the pro-gram is also significant. As students write summaries of each visit, they develop skills in written expression. They develop higher order thinking skills as they write about and discuss their experiences. This program heightens adoles-cents' social awareness and their awareness of community needs. It also offers students a feeling of success and, as a result, helps keep them in school. 

Community Service Promotes

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Community Service Promotes

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