Running head: SERVICE LEARNING

Service Learning Reflection

Kaylee Richart
Ivy Tech Community College

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Introduction

My service learning took place at Union Elementary in Franklin Township. I spent two hours
every week at the school. Each hour I was split between two different teachers. They were both
first grade teachers. My supervising teacher was Mrs. Small. She had about 20 children in her
classroom. My other teacher was Mrs. Clark. She has about 10 children in her classroom. She
would also teach between her first graders and kindergarten class. She would divide them up into
groups and have one teacher per group. I was in the morning so I did a lot of reading and writing
with them in the activities. The school has kindergarten through fourth grade which was weird
for me because I came from a regular kindergarten through sixth grade. There were mostly fourth
grade classes. Every other grade had only one or two classes. The school was in the country and
very small.
Relate Service Learning Experience to the Classroom
This one was a hard one because there were so many to choose from. I chose to talk about a
responsive classroom. According to Koch (2014), A group of educators from the Northwest
Foundation for Children (NEFC) has developed a program called the responsive classroom,
which introduces teachers to the theory and practice of sound classroom management through
democratic principles and practices (p. 171). With this being such a small school and classes, I
thought this stood out the most and every week when I went there it was used. Both teachers
were big on splitting the students into smaller groups and work on projects. The children were
learning and being social at the same time. They students were very respectful of one another.
This could be because its such a small class. The relationships between the teachers were very
close as well. I noticed the principle pops in on the classrooms and helps the teacher out when
needed. All the students talked to her like she taught in their classroom. This was a shock for me

Running head: SERVICE LEARNING

because when I was younger my principle hardly ever came into our classrooms. I felt like both
teachers had very responsive classrooms and I think it helped the students learn better.
Personal Reflections
I loved this project of service learning so early on into the degree. It really shows you if you want
to be a teacher or not. I feel like I took a lot away from this experience and learned a lot. Its
scary that you jump in feet first but its the best way to learn. I loved that there were a number of
activities to choose from. I liked that I was split between two teachers. I feel like I got twice the
experience. I could really tell a big difference in their teaching styles. The environments in the
classrooms were completely different. Mrs. Clarks students were very quiet and made sure to
not get in trouble and knew what was expected out of them. Mrs. Smalls classroom was loud but
fun. She had a sense of relief about her and it showed in her classroom. The environment felt
relaxed but yet she yelled to get the students attention a lot. Mrs. Clark did a lot of games with
her students. She made learning fun and enjoyable for her students. She was still teaching them
but the students almost forgot they were at school and learning because they were having so
much fun. I learned that I can teach better and the students have a better understanding if I teach
to them on their level. I wasnt afraid to sit on the floor and teach them something. I liked that
better than sitting in a chair and teaching them or standing at the front of the room. I had more of
a connection with them teaching at their level. They taught the same thing at the same time to the
students in both classrooms, but it was neat to see how differently they presented it .My favorite
activity was to put together a lesson plan. I had to figure out how to teach it so the students
would understand. Being able to see it all come together from the beginning to end and having
the students understand made me realize I could be successful in this career.

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Future Teacher

As a future teacher, I have learned what kind of teacher I want to be. I learned what teaching
styles I liked and how I wanted to set up room, etc. I really like group work. I feel that it helps
the children learn and everyone can communicate in the classroom. I felt like one of the teachers
yelled a lot to get the childrens attention, but I feel there is so many other ways to get the
students to listen and I also learned how to motivate students. This experience can benefit me in
so many ways. When I am a teacher I can look back and realize this service learning experience
is where it all started. I also got the opportunity to be a substitute teacher at the school where I
was doing my service learning. She said to put my name in and she will pull it and any time they
need a substitute she will call me. One of the best things you can do for a future job is not only
get a degree but also have experience and this is a great opportunity. This can open many doors
for me in my future. The principle said if I ever needed anything I can call her and she would
help me. I feel like you have to start somewhere and now I can only see myself getting more
confident and better for the next time I go into another school. I will know what is expected of
me and how to be successful at it.
Summary and Expectations
I honestly thought the service learning was a great experience overall. I do think the
requirements should be for the whole day once a week. I did learn but I felt that I could have
learned more if I was there longer than two hours. I did offer to stay longer, but they had an
assistant who they hired to help right before I came to the school. I did like my teachers but it
was hard to know what they expected out of me at times. I did my best and always offered to
help in any way. I like that I was with two different teachers but at the same time, I didnt. I felt

Running head: SERVICE LEARNING

like I was there for such a short time and had to get through so many activities that I couldnt
venture out to spend more time with the students. I felt like I went there and they had activities
planned for me to do and that was it. I didnt feel like they took the extra step to make sure I was
getting adequate time with the students. I did do group work by myself with the students, but it
was the same thing each time. Have the students read a book to me or have them read and cut out
pieces of paper with art and put them in order the way it happened in the book. I would have
liked to have gotten into math or English more. I liked the experience, the only thing I would
change would to have the student go for the entire day once a week. This way it will not only let
them observe but really know what a day in the life of a teacher is like.

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Reference Page

Koch, J. (2014). Teach student edition. Belmont, Ca,Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Running head: SERVICE LEARNING

INTASC Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice- The teacher engages in
ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice,
particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other
professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
Brief Description: For education 101 we were to pick a school to do our service learning. We
had a list of activities to complete that a teacher would do every day. We had a certain amount of
hours to attend.
Rationale: To evaluate me of my understanding from standard number nine, I engaged with
other in the service learning project. I had to work with students and teachers to be able to finish
my work. I was evaluated by my teachers that were in charge on me. I had to actually teach
students a lesson which meant I had to be able to teach all the children so they would know the
lesson.