Service and Learning Forever Connected

Service is easily related to learning because of how it applies to everyday life. Individuals can take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world. For example, actually visiting a Soup Kitchen as opposed to reading about one in a textbook is a more productive way to learn. By physically going somewhere students can experience first hand accounts of whatever it is that they may be learning. They can embrace themselves in their learning and gain a better perspective about various types of people and how they live their lives. Participating in a service project may cause someone to see something from a different viewpoint than they ever realized was possible prior to participating in the service project. The service experience may even force some students to reevaluate their own goals and values they have for their own lives. Depending on the service project students can learn about different cultures and compare them to their own. I think that as students, we must have a balance between learning in the classroom and learning outside of the classroom. By doing so, we can incorporate the necessary skills to grow as students. I always believed that you get more out of something by learning it firsthand, and I think I am right. However, each person is different and others may learn better by spending the majority of their time in the classroom. One thing is for sure, service and learning go hand in hand.