The Value of Service-Learning

The Value of Service-Learning

Connecting and Building Community Through Acts of Service

BY: LAURA CASPER-TEAGUE, ED.D.

Martin Luther King Jr. often spoke on service. He said, "everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."

Service is simple. Education is not a requirement to serve. But combine the two - service-learning - and there is much a student can gain. Service-learning can benefit students because it connects them to the community and provides real-world and authentic experiences, leading to expanded career and personal interests, increased engagement with others, and development of skills.

For a community to thrive, it requires citizens to be aware of and involved with the needs of the people living in the community. By assisting others, students become more conscientious of those around them. Instilling the value of providing service promotes the greater good and benefits more than oneself. Creating a habit of offering service to others at an early age can lead to ongoing and continuation of service work throughout life, thus increasing opportunities for people to connect and remain engaged with each other for extended periods.

For many people with disabilities, once they age out of the school system, connections to others are lost or not as robust, leading to isolation. Loneliness and despair are not in the best interest of our community members. As social beings, connections and community are essential to social and emotional wellbeing. Service-learning is an opportunity for one to make a difference in others' lives, but it also enhances the well-being of the person providing the service.

The Westview School values service-learning and actively plans and carries out projects to provide opportunities for students to give back to the community; this promotes friendship, character building, and empathy while building deeper connections with the community through service to others.

One example of service-learning during the 2021-2022 school year was the annual collection of donations facilitated by Crystal Irvin, Middle School Social Studies Teacher, to support local families to have a holiday that would not have been possible without the generosity of The Westview School Community joining together to provide for others. The students caringly collaborated to plan purchases and shop for each family member based on personal needs.

They thoughtfully wrapped the gifts, and even though they were not the recipients of the gifts, they were rewarded with joy and camaraderie, representing the idea of connectedness so cherished and essential to a healthy and robust community.

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Service-learning is one way to build character while providing for others. Still, a well-rounded curriculum that promotes cross-disciplinary connections through academics and social-emotional well-being also promotes higher-order thinking skills. Through perspective-taking, reflection, and realizing how one's actions affect others, students can connect to and think critically about dilemmas, problems, and social issues explored in content areas such as science, literature, and social studies. This leads to deeper understanding and the ability to think logically, abstractly, and analytically about topics. The Westview School staff promotes the development of the whole child, which includes academics and social-emotional well-being.

Service-learning is a supportive practice to develop empathy and service to others. It offers an opportunity for students to practice and generalize the social, emotional, and behavioral skills needed to successfully interact with others leading to more connections and meaningful relationships that transcend the school environment. The intent is to develop students' ability to foster longlasting friendships and partnerships to support and grow their personal success and benefit the greater good.