Kahne and Westheimer- ''In The Service Of What?''- Quotes

To begin this post I want to start with my link, because I think it gives a clear message on what service learning is and how it is used for good.

What is service learning?

''Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling. Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students.''

This quote means that service learning is an important base step in the educational process of a students goals. But not only that, but it helps to show the importance of helping the community when it is in need. It really shows that service learning is helpful to the service we need to provide academiclly and communially.

''These two service learning projects have much in common. Both provide authentic learning experiences. reflection on matters of social concern, and opportunities for interdisciplinary study linked to curricular goals. Moreover, the goals of both projects have broad-based appeal. They stress the importance of compassion for those in need, and they encourage children and young adults to find ways to help.''"32 While such rhetoric might allow this political scientist to be a trusted advisor to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, it will not resolve the dilemmas facing practitioners who need to think carefully about the many values that we do not share, about what a radically improved world might look like, and about the different ways one might pursue this goal.''

I feel this quote sums up why service learning projects are important. They help to build compassion, helps others, increases ones education, and inspires people to help out. Reading this part of the article showed me what kinds of service learning prohects there were. I got a better understanding from it.

''If we focus on the "numerous values we share as a community," writes Amitai Etzioni, the founder of the cornmunitarian movement and a proponent ofservice learn-ing, "our world would be radically improved. "32 While such rhetoric might allow this political scientist to be a trusted advisor to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, it will not resolve the dilemmas facing practitioners who need to think carefully about the many values that we do not share, about what a radically improved world might look like, and about the different ways one might pursue this goal.''

This reference means that we need to discover the best way to go about helping out. If everyone going towards a common value is better or worse than working on improving all of the values that are different. Are the values we don't share worse than the ones we do? I connect this to the article by thinking about which values you to work on and by what way would be most effective.