District focuses on service learning

By Tiffany Chang
Associate Editor

Since service learning was introduced to the West Contra Costa Unified School District as a new addition to graduation requirements for the classes of 2008 and beyond, it has elicited panic and confusion among many students who are unsure of how service learning hours may be acquired.
What is service learning?

“It is content [learned in the] classroom [that is used] hands-on to help the community,” said leadership and social studies teacher J. Whitlock, who coordinates service learning efforts at Hercules High School.

Beginning in 2008, graduates will be required to complete 20 hours of service learning to walk the stage. This requisite can be fulfilled in a number of ways.

“We are going to allow classes like Journalism, Yearbook, Leadership and Teacher Cadet to count because they are directly service learning courses,” said Whitlock. “For instance, in Journalism, you’re learning journalism techniques, then you’re actually doing it, and putting out a product. This can be identified as service learning.”

Hours acquired through various club activities or personal projects will count if they meet the criteria for service learning.

For students who cannot attain their hours through classes or clubs, there may be an annual project through the Government and Economics classes. In a pilot service learning program last year, seniors worked all day in a homeless fair in Richmond.

Students must write a reflection piece detailing their service learning project objective and their individual progress and turn it in to their Government or Economics teacher to be approved.
“[Service learning] generally involves some work before – trying to decide what it is they’re going to do and, [for example] if it’s feeding the homeless, who are the homeless and identifying the problem. Then, we come back in the classroom, do a reflection, a write-up and thoughtful sharing with the class,” said Whitlock.

Also, hours acquired in past years involving classroom activities can fulfill the graduation requirement if students complete a write-up.

People may wonder why the district suddenly adopted this graduation condition, but service learning has actually been a topic of discussion for nearly four years since its introduction by Pat Player, former school board president, and School-to-Career officer Devi Jamison.

“They think that students need to get outside of the classroom and get some hands-on experience in the world [to receive] a more well-rounded education,” said Whitlock.

Whitlock believes this is a great way for students to rekindle their interest in school because “it is artificial just sitting in the classroom reading a book and listening to the teacher talk and watching movies…, but once they get out there and start using some of the skills they learned in a classroom, they realize, ‘well, I might need this,’” said Whitlock.