Hope Arana

Miss Scheutz

3/20/18

Service Learning

Service Learning Project

Introduction:

For my service learning project, I decided to volunteer and help students in need learn

karate. At the Three Oaks Community Center, there are three different classes taught by

Grandmaster Alan M. Reyes: junior self defense, junior karate, and the adult class. Kajukenbo

originated in the Palama settlement in Hawaii. The reason it was born was because there were

several gangs and places to train gang members. Thus Grandmaster’s father, as well as several

other people decided to make a karate that would teach solely self defense. So they could feel

safer living in the Palama settlement. When Grandmaster Alan, and his father moved to

California, they also took the karate with them and continued to teach it to other people.

Originally, the only class they taught was adult, but as the school grew they also created classes

to teach kids and teenagers.

Why I chose this project:

Among those classes there are many young kids who have trouble learning because of

many reasons such as: ADHD, ADD, family problems, and special needs. Teaching these kids is

extremely hard unless they get special help and special attention by a teacher. Grandmaster has a

hard time doing this because he has to teach an entire class of 30 students and can’t specially

focus on these kids. So for my project, I decided I would give those kids, who need the special
time and attention, exactly that. Another reason why I chose this project is to give back. I have

trained in this school for over a decade. Within that decade, I have struggled in so many ways,

and so many times karate helped me immensely. Karate was an outlet I always came to when

nothing else worked. I learned so many important lessons there as well, that many adults struggle

to learn. I appreciate all it has done to me both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Thus I

decided, I would help teach and help those kids, so that maybe they can find the same outlet I

found in the school. I hope that they can grow in ways that I can never predict. I also hope the

can defeat inner demons that they felt as if they could never face. That is why I chose this

project.

Experience at my site:

So as previously stated, I decided to go to the karate I train at, and teach special kids (kids

with mental disabilities or ADHD). At karate all kids learn how to defend themselves, but it’s

very hard to teach special need kids. These kids get the same amount of attention as all the other

kids and most times that isn’t enough. These kids end up falling behind their group, simply

because they lack the confidence and knowledge to train. So for my project, I decided I would

take specific time to help them really learn what was being taught. I decided to first go and help

all the kids there, just to get a general baseline and to learn about each kid. I got to know each

kid and learned how they train, and how they learn. Doing this taught me what I needed to do in

order to help each kid.

As time went on and I got to know the kids better, I decided to make plans on what to

teach them and why. I would create a realistic scenario and then teach a possible solution to the

kids. Some of these were scenarios were: being pushed up against lockers, being punched or
smacked in the face, being pushed or tripped. I would then go to special needs kids and take

specific time in helping them learn the technique I was teaching them. Other times I would just

really work them out and have them run around the mat. I feel like this is necessary to do

because they really need to burn the energy out. Some kids have this for their only outlet, and it

hard for them to get pent up emotions anywhere else, so a good workout is what really helps

them. This project took a summative of 42 hours and I am still currently working on it. These

kids don’t stop needing help because they are constantly learning new techniques and

movements. But something they also won’t stop doing is improving every time they step off the

mat from a class.

Evaluation:

After reading my supervisor evaluation, I think that she is completely correct. In my

project, only people who have trained for several years can help teach kids or woman. It is very

difficult to teach children new techniques or completely start from scratch. These kids aren’t

completely mature yet, so often you have to pay close attention to them to keep them on task.

You have to have discipline in order to teach discipline. Addressing what my supervisor about a

way to improve my project. I would benefit from training more with people of a higher rank and

of higher caliber. As well as making an action plan, this would give a clear idea of how to go

about my project each time. I think I have grown as well throughout my project. I hit some hard

spots teaching special kids, because they may get really discouraged not being able to do it they

want to. Patience is a key thing I learned and how to accommodate to each kid’s needs.

Personal Growth:
 I grew a lot during my project, mentally and emotionally. Not all kids can be taught the

same way, and not all kids want to pay attention. I had to learn to find a balance, between having

fun and having discipline. Some kids needed more discipline than fun, while others needed the

exact opposite. I had to learn to teach different ways for the kids who learned techniques

differently than other kids.

Reflection/Personal Thoughts:

I loved my project, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would choose the same sight.

The experience i went in going into my project was that I was not as patient as I should be. I

didn’t really understand how to teach special kids. I also had trouble finding out what kid needed

the most. Some needed little discipline and more fun, others needed the exact opposite, and it

was very interesting to see how each one varied. There isn’t anything I would change about this

project honestly, you just have to be adaptable to kids and be willing to teach in different styles.

For someone taking this project on I would suggest having an open mind. Each kid requires

something different from you. While teaching, always take in account of their body language and

their attitude. Some kids need the positive reinforcement, while others need the constructive

criticism. So be careful, what you say, and always have a reason to say it, because what you say

affects the kids and their learning capacity.

Project Impact:

Overall I had a positive impact for my service learning project. Most kids improved

during their most recent tests vs. their previous tests. You could really see how proud they were

of themselves and you could clearly tell that they saw how their hard work paid off. Presented
below is a bar graph showing their previous tests (in blue) vs their most recent test (in red).