Narrative

“Do you think it is important to introduce Noah to community service at an early age?” I continued, “Do you think it will make him a better all-around person?” My husband answered, “No, I think it is a waste of time. It’s the government’s job and they pay people to do it.”

====Sitting in my living room one night, my husband and I were watching our two year old son, Noah, playing with his toy monster truck. I found myself thinking about his future. What sort of person would Noah grow into? Would he have a kind soul and be empathetic to all people and their situations? What decisions am I making now that will affect the sort of person he will become? These are questions I think of often. I have encountered many parents who I would deem as doting and devoted to the wellbeing of their children, only to see those same children develop into delinquents. What was missing? The answers I was seeking by asking my husband those questions were, did he feel that volunteering was an important thing to do with our child? and is there value in volunteering that would have lasting positive effects on Noah’s character and thought processes?==== ====To build the framework for this question I need to talk about my own upbringing. I was raised in a low income household where many abuses and addictions took place. I lacked the role modeling that we often consider a necessity for a child’ssuccess, yet, I showed resiliency and grew to become a person I would consider empathetic and compassionate to those less fortunate. I put thought into action and became a grade 5 teacher in a community school as well as a volunteer in my community. My husband on the other hand,was born into an upper middle class family where no volunteering was introduced or took place. My husband is a good person, he will lend a hand whenever asked, albeit with a little complaining, but you will never see him actively pursuing service to others. I infuse myself in our community; I want to know the issues concerning our neighborhoods and where I am best suited to serve. I believe I am a lifelong learner and trying to better myself personally and professionally to aid and address our community and its needs and issues. I consider community service to be an act of responsibility and not merely an act of generosity. I have found it extremely rewarding and essential to my personal and professional growth. It is an investment in the future and the wellbeing of a community. Essentially,when you volunteer you are taking ownership of the place you live.==== ====Being a grade 5 teacher in a community school means the majority of my students come from low income families where many different types of abuses take place. My students lack the motivation as well as determination to succeed in their studies. There is an absence of ownership for their futures and community. We, as a school staff, have attempted or used all of the latest initiatives to improve student scores but have yet to see the results we crave. I believe this is due in part to the students not seeing the true meaning or essence of why doing well now, will pay off later. For many of my students, being financially supported by Social Services is an acceptable means of income. I feel as an education system we have come to the juncture where there is no longer room or time for excuses. Blaming bad attendance, no breakfast, they were not read to at home, they do not care, and so on, is no longer acceptable. We see our students for a minimum of five and half hours a day, five days a week. This is not including breakfast, lunch and after school programming to which the bulk of our students attend. If we know that the values needed to be an active member of society are no longer being taught at home, then I feel it is our responsibility as a community school to give students the experiences to build these values to root their own belief systems.==== ====Education can no longer be taught only from the textbook, we need to introduce them to community actuality, and how society works and what enables it to function productively. I am convinced that introducing students to community service will help us on this endeavor. Doing jobs and activities that will be self-sacrificing and gratifying at the same time should only boost a student’sesteem as well as show them that there are others who are less fortunate than themselves. The results of building one’s self esteem could only encourage good in other areas of their life such as academics and social conscience. We have a reservoir of untapped resources and we need to stop treating them like victims or delinquents and give them the opportunity to demonstrate theirhumanity. The province of Saskatchewan has outlined three Broad Areas of Learning they believe reflect the goals ofeducation. These areas are Building Lifelong Learners, Building a Sense of Self and Community and Building Engaged Citizens. Community Service performed by students would meet and reinforce these three learning areas.====