Service Learning Week #8 Peter Fairbrother

Peter Fairbrother
12/1/11
Service Learning Week #8

This past Tuesday was our second to last service learning at Shea High School. To begin our lesson we past out a survey with some questions on it in order to get a better perspective about how the students think about the building structure of Shea. I also had time to ask the students when we were going through the lesson about Shea. The information that I gained during this service learning is going to go a long way towards completing my final paper. Next week I just need to meet with Dr. Lord the school principal one more time to finish my interviewing process.
Now when it comes to the actual lesson that we were teaching the students it was about time management and using an agenda or planner to keep track of assignments and meetings one has to go to. I was shocked to hear how many of the students did not use their planners because Shea gives each student a planner at the beginning of the year. This means that they do not take advantage of something that was given to them so we tried to get them to see how important it was to keep track of one’s appointment and assignments. Unfortunately I do not feel that the lesson got through to the students. I feel as though the main purpose now of the Shea EXPLORE! program has become a social event after school where the students get to interact with the volunteers. They like asking questions about college but I feel that they only go through the motions of the lessons which we are teaching and they do not take anything away from it. I hope that I am wrong, however, I hope that these weekly visits will help the students become motivated and better prepared for college.