Charity vs. Change

Where is the Power?

The reading by Kahne and Westheimer "In Service of What" opened me up to an entirely new perspective when it comes to service learning.

Often times when schools from suburban, wealthier areas try to give back to their community, the classes will develop a sort of  "savior" complex. By this, I mean that because there isn't much intimacy between the students and whomever it is that they are helping, they assume that only the ones that are underprivileged are benefiting from the situation. in 

this case, the service learning is more so an act of charity.

Charity is a great way to give back and help others, however it is a short term solution to a much larger problem. But the United States government LOVES to instill this idea that it's citizens should give to the less fortunate without questioning. By not asking questions, or not placing yourself in the shoes of whomever is is that you're helping, you won't be able to make any changes to the root of the problem.

And that is exactly what the government wants you to do. "Give food to the poor!", they say. but by solely doing that, yes less people go hungry, but nobody questions why there is so much poverty to begin with. Which means, the government won't have to put in the extra work to tackle the issue.

Government: "yess do the work for me"
 

One experience that I have had with service learning that I hope to recreate in one of my future classrooms, was in in 4th grade. Every month my teacher would walk us down to the local nursing home and we would simply spend time with the residents. The teacher simply prepared us by saying that some of the folks there had a few memory problems (such as Alzheimer's) and to simply ignore it if they repeat themselves too often. As 4th graders, we benefited from this experience because we got to interact with some amazing people and listen to their stories and advice. As an elderly person, I later learned that they are not always visited by their families and can be lonely. It opened my eyes at a young age that the elderly are not always respected or treated well. 

Safe Spaces

The Term "safe space" is often one that stirs up controversy. Some feel like today's youth is too sensitive and that there should not be a need for a safe space. But the thing is, why wouldn't we want to create an environment that allows for everyone to feel comfortable?

However, August does not talk about safe spaces being an actual place, but rather an atmosphere. LGBT youth are not always represented or even respected in their school environments. 

I don't know about you, but I never learned about safe sex for LGBT people in health class.

And then they end up like this...

Social and psychological development progresses as youth move through our educational system. Not providing a comfortable environment for students that may be seen as different, can ultimately cause the student to feel as though they don't belong in that classroom. 



The question is, how do we create an environment for students of all identities to feel comfortable in?
This video demonstrates just how one educator implements this: Creating a Safe Space for Students

One thing that I've realized that may be the most difficult part about creating a safe space in a classroom setting is the fact that it can oddly stir up some controversy. The main problem is not students accepting these spaces, but rather their parents. Inclusion for diverse students will likely inevitably be followed by someone trying to exclude people with identities that are much more different than themselves.