After observing and working with the students and the teacher of this second grade classroom I’ve had many valuable experiences. During this experience I tried to focus on the two main points that Kahne and Westheimer make in their article “The Service of What.” They describe both charity and change models. In “The Service of What” Kahne and Westheimer states that both charity and change is a question that “inevitably merits the attention of teachers, policy makers, and academicians who take seriously the idea that learning and service reinforce each other and should come together in America’s schools.” During my service learning experience I tried to keep both charity and change models in mind. I did the best that I could to try to help my students learn how to read better. At the same time, I tried to make it enjoyable for them since the classroom environment that they were in was very stressful. Many times I dreaded walking into the classroom because the teacher was so dysfunctional. But I tried to keep that judgment aside when it was just me and the two students.
When I would walk into the classroom the two students that I work with would have this relieved look on their face because they could escape from the chaos. Since I knew how much they enjoyed escaping I tried to take advantage of their motive to learn. I tried as hard as I could to make sure that I changed these students’ negative reading experience into a more enjoyable, comfortable one. When I walked into that classroom I tried strongly to not just be there for a charity model. I did not want to go there to just complete my fifteen hours that I needed to pass my FNED class. These students really needed someone who cared about them and needed someone with patience.
Many of the reading activities that we did were both beneficial and competitive. The activity that we did the most was timed reading. They were reading almost four books (reading them three times in a row) in less than an hour and a half! Since these students’ reading levels were so low this was a major accomplishment. We would read each book three times. During each try the students would naturally lower their timing.
Towards the end of my visits I saw a significant improvement and focus in both my students. Although the teacher hardly spoke to me during my time in this classroom, one day he pulled me aside and commented on the students’ production and improvement on their weekly reading tests. The first visit with them was a struggle because they had such a miserable experience with reading. But after our last visit I realized these students have improved tremendously also. Overall I tried to take seriously the ideological values between charity and change and put any selfish devotions aside. I hope I made a difference in these children’s reading experience.
Hi, Ashley! It’s sad to hear that your students are so unhappy with their education. They sound like they have been thrilled to be able to spend some time with you- so it’s safe to say that they really want to learn. Their low reading levels is probably not a result of a lack of desire to read. More likely, they have become disinterested in education because of the example we are setting for them. Reading your blog makes me think about the Ira Shore piece that we read in class. Shor speaks about the different results garnered from a unilateral pedagogy and a student-centered pedagogy. It seems like the teacher is practicing a unilateral authority: he gives information and the students are expected to take it without question. The students “bank” the information and never are shown how to critically analyze, which is pretty unfortunate. I remember reading that this type of pedagogy often leads students to “check out” and lose interest in their education. As teachers, we need to make sure we are practicing a student-centered and problem-posing pedagogy to keep them engaged in their education. They will also learn crucial skills such as how to analyze and question texts which will develop them as better students. It sounds like you really kept them engaged throughout your time there. They probably sense feel your genuine interest in education. Your commitment has most likely encouraged them to try harder!
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