EDUC

Service Learning
Journal Entries

Samantha Taylor
VISION FOR MY FUTURE

Here is what I want to accomplish this year:

Education: I plan to graduate with my associates degree and begin obtaining my bachelors degree. I
hope to be able to apply what I am learning now in my classroom.

Career: I hope to leave my part-time job and begin working within the school system by next fall as a
substitute or teaching assistant.

Family and Friends: I want to spend more time with my children and help them learn. I also want to
devote more time to my husband. I feel that my family and friends will encourage me and my career path.

Involvement and Service to My Community: I hope to continue serving the community around me by
organizing the food and clothing drives at my church to help those in need.

Personal Growth: I hope to learn and grow as a future educator. I want to benefit from any weaknesses I
may have and improve myself.
Service Learning Project

Name: Samantha Taylor

Course Title: EDUC 2010-001
Date: November 20.2016
Agency Name: Piedmont Elementary School

Agencys Mission Statement/ Grades Served/ Community Needs:

The mission statement of Piedmont Elementary School is By aligning our policies and procedures,
Piedmont Elementary focuses on achieving the schools goals for student learning and develops lifelong
learners and responsible citizens by providing educational and social opportunities. This school serves
grades Pre-K through 5th. It is a Title I school meaning many of the students who attend here need
financial help and receive free or reduced lunch.

Prologue: What do you expect to get from your service learning experience (i.e., how will this
experience help YOU develop)? How will it impact your learning and link to class materials? How do you
think the students and staff will perceive you? What goals do you have for the semesters Service
Learning experience? What fears do you have (if any) about service learning?
I feel that this experience will allow me to develop a sense of how to operate in a classroom setting. I
want to learn how to incorporate technology into lesson plans and can ask the teacher any questions or
concerns during my time. I think I will be able to see the different subjects I learn in EDUC 2010 during
my time in my service learning class and hope to be able to put the different strategies I learn to use. I
think the students will be excited to have a new face in the classroom. I hope they see me as someone
they can ask for help if they need it. I think the teacher will be glad to have extra help. I hope they know I
am ready to help as much as possible and willing to learn. I want to be seen as a professional and not as a
nuisance or in the way. My goals for this service learning experience are to apply the lessons I have
learned in my education classes and to prepare for what the experience may throw my way. The biggest
fear I have is not knowing what the teacher expects of me during my time with them.
Journal 1

First Agency Visit: (Overview of Events)

I met with the principal the week before I began my service learning to make sure I had all my
paperwork complete. During this time, she introduced me to Mrs. Lane, the teacher with whom I would
complete my service learning. After talking to Mrs. Lane, we agreed that the time I was available worked
with her schedule. Mrs. Lane teaches math and social studies in 4 th grade in a departmentalized group.
The first day I was there, the students were beginning to learn the standard algorithm of multiplication.

ABCs of Reflections

Affect: My first day in the classroom, I was rather nervous but excited to see what I would learn.
I was worried that I would not know what to do, but Mrs. Lane assured me that I was doing a good job.
She gave me some tips and told me to jump in and help however I felt most comfortable. I was also afraid
I would be in the way. Mrs. Lane informed me that she appreciated me coming into her classroom and
helping.

Behavior: When I first arrived, I quietly observed and tried to get a feel for what was happening
in the class. After the teacher had passed out the assignment, I walked around and helped any students
who needed help. The students were eager to have someone new to learn from, and I am glad I could be
that person. I was still shy when it came to helping however because I did not want to teach the students a
different method than they had learned.
Cognition/Content: I had learned about various ways to encourage students and could see that
Mrs. Lane is encouraging to her students and wants them to succeed. At-risk students require additional
help most of the time, and Mrs. Lane tried her best to meet the needs of these students. I learned that I
need to take the initiative instead of waiting to be told what to do. I saw how incorporating selective
seating could benefit, not only individuals but the entire class. The students were given the option to sit at
their desk when discussing material or to sit/lay on the floor. They were also able to pick their spot when
doing group work. Making the students comfortable is important and can increase what they can
learn.Journal 2

Third Agency Visit: (Overview of Events)

The third day of my service learning, I helped with paragraphs the students were writing to be
published in the newspaper. They were responsible for deciding if they wanted to be a pilgrim or Native
American and explaining why. They had to type and print this paragraph but only after having it checked
by Mrs. Lane or myself. After they had finished these paragraphs, it was time for me to leave.

ABCs of Reflections

Affect: The third day I spent in this classroom showed me how technology is necessary for the
class. Each student had their own computer making the process much faster and allowed them to research
the information for their paragraph. Each student had unique ideas about who they wanted to be and why.
Mrs. Lane explained to them that their information should make sense because it could be published. I
believe she did this to motivate them to try their best.

Behavior: When I arrived, I was immediately informed of the project they were working on. I
felt more confident on this visit than my other two visits and jumped in to help proofread the paragraphs.
Mrs. Lane was quick to encourage me and answer any questions I had even though she was helping
students as well. I read many of the paragraphs and made sure what they were saying made sense and
showed some of the students how to use spell check. I was more confident with helping the students and I
believe they were more comfortable asking for my help. Before I left, I helped Mrs. Lane check
everyones planner to see if they had written their homework down and had their parents sign it. If they
had both for the week, they received tickets that they can save and later turn in for a prize.

Cognition/Content: During this visit, the first connection I made to my class was the reward
system. The students receive tickets for filling out their planner, getting it signed, and making good
choices. They can save their tickets to get a bigger prize. I liked the idea of this reward system, but Im
not sure how fair it is to those students who have little parent involvement at home. Mrs. Lane also has
life skill reports that the students must fill out if they are caught making bad decisions such as being
disruptive, keeping their hands and feet to themselves, and not using their time efficiently. They were
given a warning, and if the behavior continued, they had to fill out the report explaining what they did
wrong and how they should act next time. I need to work on not giving the students the answers but
should instead make them use critical thinking skills to find the answer on their own.
Journal 3

Seventh Agency Visit: (Overview of Events)

By my seventh visit, I had learned all the students names and was saddened by the fact that I was
almost finished with my service learning. Mrs. Lane seemed thrilled to see me walk through the door and
explained that long division was not getting across as easily as she had hoped. She was getting ready to
show the visual chart she had made of a hamburger that said: Does McDonalds serve burgers?. This
chart explained the steps of divide, multiply, subtract, and bring down. After she had shared this chart
with the class, they seemed to understand it better and would say it out loud when doing their work. They
also watched a video showing these steps with a silly song created with Powtoon!

ABCs of Reflections

Affect: When they started working on the long division problems on their own, another teacher
came in to ask Mrs. Lane for help. She told the students to raise their hand if they needed help and I
would help them. Hands flew up almost instantly, and I began going around helping. One student was
struggling, but after I had stopped to break it down a little more for her, she understood. She had this look
of accomplishment on her face and instantly reminded me why I wanted to become an educator.

Behavior: As I said previously, I walked into a new subject being taught and students struggling
with the new information. I jumped in and helped the students try to understand and help them understand
where they made a mistake. I was more confident today than I had been before. Mrs. Lane continued to
be accepting and helpful as we tried to help the class work through the problems. Knowing that I would
be gone soon was saddening; even the students were telling me they were not ready for me to leave.

Cognition/Content: I wish I had asked the teacher how she found some of the information she used in
that lesson, but I am sure I could easily find it with some research. I was glad to see her incorporating the
different learning styles with visual aids, videos, and songs with this lesson. I found that the students
enjoyed the video and could hear them saying the steps to themselves. When they broke into groups, they
would tell the other group members the steps and assist each other if they got stuck. Seeing them work
together and help one another was encouraging for me. I think working together is important for students
to understand one another. It also gives them a chance to learn from someone besides the teacher.
Epilogue:

Reflect on your semesters service learning experience.

I enjoyed my time during this service learning experience. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and went
into a fourth-grade classroom when I usually prefer younger grades. I am familiar with the school I chose
to do my service learning through, but I was still nervous about meeting a new teacher and set of students.
Everyone was nice and helpful with any questions or concerns I had. The principal was very accepting
and willing to allow me to continue any future service learning through the school.

Revisit the prologue. Have your expectations been met?

My expectations were met and more. I learned more than I thought I would and was able to apply ideas I
had learned from class. The students excitement to have me in their class was so much greater than I
expected. Witnessing the students learning and the moments they understood the subject reminded me
why I want to be an educator.

How have you been surprised, delighted, or dismayed by the experience? Give specific examples.
I was surprised at how quickly some of the students caught on to the lessons. There was one student who
constantly flipped his pencil into the air and tried to catch it. When I would go to his desk and check his
math paper, he would usually have all his work finished and correct. The teacher informed me that the
student suffered in reading but made up for it in math. I was also surprised at how accepting the teachers
were of me. The teacher I was with told me to jump in where I saw I was needed and made me feel that I
was helping in a positive way. I was delighted at how excited the students were to see me. Every time I
entered the room, they would get the biggest smiles on their faces and immediately start asking me for
help. The only disappointment I felt during my time was having to leave. I enjoyed my time and was sad
to see it come to an end.

How could this experience be improved?

I cannot think of anything I would improve about this experience itself. I would change myself and how
nervous I was before I stepped into my service learning classroom.
VISION FOR MY FUTURE

Here is what I want to accomplish in the next five years:

Education: I will be finished with my bachelors degree and will hopefully have my masters and
possibly begin to pursue an ED. S degree as well. I hope that I never stop learning and am learning
something new from my students every day.

Career: I hope to have started my career in education. I want to make a difference in the lives of my
students. I want to be an encourager and support my students in any way possible.

Family and Friends: I hope to (as a family) begin building a house and hope to add a new member to
the family after I finish school. I want to continue spending time with my children and husband.

Involvement and Service to My Community: I will continue serving my community through the food
and clothing drive I help organize. I also want to be able to help the students in the community
surrounding the school I work in.

Personal Growth: I hope to continue growing as an educator. I also want to listen to the advice of fellow
teachers and use what I find valuable.
REFLECTIONS
Here are the Knowledge and Skills that I have acquired as a direct result of taking part in this Service
Learning project:
I witnessed firsthand the importance of making sure everyone is involved in the subject taught. I learned
how to run a classroom successfully to potentially benefit each student accordingly. I also witnessed how
meaningful learning looks in a classroom setting and how to apply different techniques.

Here is how this Service Learning project ties in with my EDUC 2010 Psychology of Human
Development for Teachers class:
One of the first things I noticed was the reward system used in the classroom. Students would receive
tickets for getting their planners signed for the entire week or for being caught doing good. Getting tickets
encouraged the students to do what they were supposed to. I saw the effects of meaningful learning rather
than rote learning as well. I also saw the use of selective seating. The teacher let the students chose if they
wanted to sit at their desks or on the floor while learning new lessons,

My Contribution to the Community

I have devoted 20.25 hours to my Service Learning project. Here are four lasting experiences that are an
outcome of my Service Learning project:
1. I could see the difference in different techniques such as meaningful learning and see the impact they
have on the students.
2. I am certain teaching is the career I want to have. Being a mentor and encourager to students is
important to me. I have never wanted to do anything more than educating children.
3. I see how every student learns differently and how important it is to help them succeed.
4. Meeting new teachers showed me that it is good to have a great support team at the school. Trying to
do it alone is hard and having fellow teachers who know what you are going through is encouraging.