Rough Draft for My Argument for "Community Service"

 

 

 
Rough Draft for My Argument for “Community Service" by Gerry Josephsen

 

When considering the need for change in the public school educational system the problem has been addressed by many educators and authors that there really needs to be change.  We see this everyday in the students by their boredom, listlessness, and need to have entertainment in order to function.  To help students become good people, good citizens, and make each student his or her personal best a community service program should be implemented into school curriculum and be a required course before graduation. 

 

In the article by John Gatto, a former New York City Teacher,  “Against School: How Public Education Cripples our Kids, and Why,” he states, “I taught for thirty years in some of the worst schools in Manhattan…….I became an expert in boredom.”  He goes on to say, "if you asked the kids, as I often did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it. They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around." Boredom is the source of many students downfall in the society. When a student is bored, many times they think of naughty things to do.  When they are no longer bored, they then start to feel a sense of belonging, a part of something, and feel good about themselves.  Community service is the ticket to take away from the doldrums of boredom.

 

Another issue with the system is that the teachers need more involvement with their students other than just giving information and expecting the students to just memorize it. In his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed “The Banking Concept of Education” chapter 2, Paolo Freire, a 20^th century educator and philosopher, tells us that, “Those truly committed to liberation must reject the banking concept [teachers give the information and the students receive it in] in its entirety, adopting instead a concept of men as conscious beings…….They must abandon the educational goal of deposit-making and replace it with the posing of the problems of men in their relations with the world.” When students are out in the community working with others and doing for others such as: working for the county picking up trash, going to nursing homes and reading to the elderly, planting flowers for the Rotary Club, or helping the Chamber of Commerce with fund raisers, and their teachers are guiding them or giving them ideas, they are learning what the "problems of men in their relations to the world" are, as stated above. The teachers and students are then working together forming a bond with each other and those in the community.

 

 According to Jerry Large, columnist for The Seattle Times, in his article titled “Gift of Grit, Curiosity Help Kids Succeed,” Paul Tough author of “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character,” says that “Tough pulls together research and real-world experiences that indicate the relentless pursuit of higher test scores…..if you want success, build character and the rest will follow.” He continues with, “Grit is one of the characteristics of successful people. Here’s a list of the others: self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity.” There is no better way to build character than to get out there, working in the community, picking up trash and serving others.  It is not only building character but very humbling and eye opening to see that the community needs our next generation to know how to work and be part of making a successful community and world.  Community service builds that grit it takes to succeed in life.

 

In the article, A Real Education, written by Barry Boyce, editor in chief of Mindful: Taking Time for What Matters magazine, he says, "listen attentively to what someone is saying, negotiate, and confidently persuade; think through problems effectively while considering others' perspectives."

There are many activities in our community that could use the help of students and their teachers. Habitat for Humanity has a program that helps lower income people to build their homes.  A person has to qualify for the program, then help with the building of their home.  After or during theirs is getting built they help others with their homes.  So it is a type of passing forward for the future.  Students can learn many skills through this program:  learning to listen to a boss, being the gofer and cleanup construction site person, responsibility, initiative, plus the benefit of a job skill. 

 

In the book Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom by bell hooks, an American author, feminist, and social activist she states that, "Thinking is an action" and "the heartbeat of critical thinking is the longing to know-to understand how life works. Children are organically predisposed to be critical thinkers"(7). When students are given responsibility they are more apt to think through the problem and become a problem solver.  Critical thinking develops and matures students physically, mentally, and spiritually.  When asked to step up to the plate, most students at first, would balk on it.  But after taking on responsibility it matures them and helps them to become decent and well balanced human beings.

 

There are possible objections to adding a community service program.  The first one is funding and time.  Where would the money come from to start this type of program? That’s an easy solution.  Incorporate it into the classes that are in progress.  A teacher could take one day out of the week for getting the students together and go to the local food bank and hand out groceries. Of course, it would take some prep time and a phone call to the local food bank and the gas to get there.  But the benefits would out way the cost.

 

Another objection could be that it is the responsibility of the parents to get their kids involved with the community.  Some parents don’t even think about it.  But what better way to build good character, make great citizens and future leaders of our community and world. To help students become good people, good citizens, and make each student his or her personal best a community service program should be implemented into school curriculum and be a required course before graduation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Gatto, John. “Against School: How Public Education Cripples our Kids, and Why.” Harper's Magazine. September 2003

Freire,Paolo.   “The Banking Concept of Education."  Pedagogy of the Oppressed.  New York: Continuum, 2007

Large, Jerry.  “Gift of Grit, Curiosity Help Kids Succeed.” Seattle Times. Seattle Times, 23 September 2012.

Tough, Paul.  “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character.” Houghton Mifflin Harcort Publishing Company. 2012. Print.

Boyce, Barry. "A Real Education."  Shambala Sun. The Mindful Society. (75) May 2012.

bell hooks. "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom." Routledge. 16 September 2009