No longer just a rsum padder for college applications, volunteerism has become a graduation requirement for high school

students in hundreds of school districts around the country. Schools have done this most successfully through service-learning programs, which tie community-service projects to areas of academic study, such as the environment or world hunger. The orporation for National and ommunity Service reports that service learning increases students! attendance, grades, and community involvement, among other benefits. "#ownload a $#% of a brief on the report.& 'ut opponents argue that (mandatory volunteerism( is a contradiction in terms, one that schools should not thrust on students already overwhelmed with homewor), e*ams, and college applications. Should schools require high school students to serve their communities+ Tell us what you thin),

Should high schools require community service?

-es. Students have a responsibility to give bac) to their communities, and it is reasonable to require volunteering as a prerequisite for graduation. .aybe. Schools should not ma)e volunteering mandatory, but they should offer ample opportunities for volunteerism, and they should reward students who participate.
62% (95 votes)

No. Schools should focus on creating a rigorous academic environment to prepare students for college and beyond, and they should let volunteering be a personal student decision.
Tot l votes!

29% (44 votes)

154

10% (15 votes)

/ thin) it is sad that some

Submitted by 0uth "not verified& on .arch 12, 1334 - 56731.

/ thin) it is sad that some thin) of a requirement of community service is (forcing( the )ids into community service. / would consider it another form of homewor). #o we consider that when assignments are given we are forcing the students into doing math, or social studies+ 8n assignment that is valuable is one which teaches a good lesson. ommunity service is one such assignment where students have vast opportunity to find a way to ma)e the assignment personally meaningful.

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community service

Submitted by vanessa "not verified& on .arch 55, 1334 - 51729.

i thin) community service shouldn!t be a requirement,, people shouldn!t be forced to do something they don!t want to do,,

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shouldn!t

Submitted by vanessa bravo "not verified& on .arch 51, 1334 - 51719.

i agree communtity service shouldn!t be a requirement it should be an option,,

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.andatory :olunteerism

Submitted by 'ob Stefanow "not verified& on %ebruary 52, 1334 - 3575;.

(<hen / decide to give, of my own volition, my time, my fortune and my effort in order to help my fellow man, / am a better human being and a better 8merican. / am a volunteer, There is no higher calling in life. <hen / am told that / must give of my time, my fortune and my effort, under penalty of personal or financial harm / am no better than a serf, / am a slave.( #oes anyone see the blatant contradition in terms when we propose !mandatory volunteerism!+ Try saying this, !mandatory charity!. #oes the word, o*ymoron come to mind+ The word, !voluntary! briefly defined7 ..acting on one!s own free will without valuable consideration or legal obligation. 8mericans are the most giving people on earth because they are free to give and not required to give "8pril 59th is an e*ception&. <hen we teach and convince our students that helping others benefits all concerned, we add to the ran)s of the millions of other virtuous free peoples on earth. =ood will and giving are contagious. onsider a student not blessed with an easy e*istence. $erhaps a student living in a small shared apartment with other brothers or sisters. <ith a mom or dad struggling to )eep food on the table. 8 student, who in his>her senior year is wor)ing a job after school to help out at home, "no less fund a future rudamentary college or technical education&. ompound the fact that this student is not driving to school on that cold wintery morning when it!s 59 degrees in a comfortable late model car. 'ut rather, this student is hoofing it with a pair of shoes that are about to brea) out in the toes and a jac)et that!s in not much better shape. " old wintery days are the worst,& <hen this student is directed, that is mandated, by school officials to give up fifty hours of time without remuneration, in order to help others "possibly better off than our student&, could we safely conclude that this directive loo)s alot li)e theft+ Theft of our student!s time and effort+ .andate charity and you convert the act of giving to the crime of stealing. -ou chance to convert compassion to hostility. =iving of one!s time and effort is an art form that must be taught and not commanded. <hen one is as)ed to give, and the request is denied, the answer must be honored in a free society, otherwise it is no longer a free society. 'ob Stefanow

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ommunity Service helps the individual

Submitted by Nancy ?acobs "not verified& on %ebruary @, 1334 - 3@79A.

.ost teens naturally thin) of themselves and their little social world, rather than seeing their niche in the larger real world that surrounds them "their community&. %orcing teens to do service can be unpleasant at first, but given time most will understand the broader value of the e*perience. /n my rural community of 1A,333 people, over half of our students ta)e free or reduced lunch. The other portion of sutdents deserve to )now that not all of their neighbors are finding food for their tables or that not everyone has the money for heat or gas or clothing. 8nd the under privileged need to find the joy in giving to others of their time and talents--that just because they don!t have the money, doesn!t lessen their value to society.

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Bn the one hand, giving bac)

Submitted by Cannah "not verified& on ?anuary A3, 1334 - 5A7A5.

Bn the one hand, giving bac) is a great idea and )ids should be givers to as well as ta)ers from their community. 'ut when my )ids were in school, we ran into a problem - what is their community+ They lived in an isolated rural area. <ent to school in a small town. Spent every evening in a major city, and didn!t spend enough time in any of them to handle the logistics demanded by the service e*pectations. <hen )ids live, go to school and socialiDe in a community, then it is easy for them to be connected and wor) out the logistics, but some )ids don!t live in a community per se, or don!t feel connected to any of the (communities( they spend time in, or can!t wor) out the logistics of scheduling service projects. / was able to volunteer in their school and / volunteered putting out two newsletters, but the service e*pectations were time consuming and hands-on, and my )ids couldn!t do that very well "and the transportation ended up on me&. /t!s a challenge. 8ny time we thin) one model will wor) for everyone, it simply doesn!t.

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i thin) that every student

Submitted by Taylor "not verified& on .arch 53, 1334 - 55735.

i thin) that every student should give bac) to their community. loo) how much the govorment and our states have brought us we should have to give bac). it would teach a good lesson and would boost confidence

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Celps build confidence.

Submitted by Sonya $aul "not verified& on ?anuary 14, 1334 - 567AA.

8s the parent of a child with 8spberger!s Syndrome. / can tell you public service is one way to ma)e the child feel good about himself. Even if it is a small endeavor, the child who feels valued, despite limitations, can learn to be an overcomer, with the right situation and mentors. .y son wor)s with children who suffers from other disabilities. /t has allowed him to accept himself for who =od made him to be. / see no downside to the idea of community service. /n fact, it may help those who struggle in an ordinary classroom. .y son is so hands-on, and this is how he learns best. <ho says there isn!t a classroom that can e*ists outside the classroom+ Bne caution, probably best to let the student select what area of volunteerism they would li)e to participate in. .y daughter has helped with our local Cbitat for Cumanity..y son probably shouldn!t be trusted with a powertool just yet.

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comunity servis is a great

Submitted by jac)son mcconnell "not verified& on %ebruary 9, 1334 - 51713.

comunity servis is a great idea it dont matter if your just pic)en up garbage or u r the you are a part of the volenter fire company or what ever it just that you are out there and you are putting efort into what you are doin and it goses twd your aplaction when u try to get a job and that it means something to you thats may opion

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Submitted by Fara "not verified& on ?anuary 16, 1334 - 55711.

ommunity Service

/ wor) in a district where the students have a mandatory component of community service in the curriculum. 8t the fifth and si*th grade level, students have the autonomy to choose where and how they want to volunteer. /n the past the students were merely required to fulfill a certain amount of hours, and get a signature from someone at the organiDation. This didn!t lead to a lot of accountability on the students, because teachers were often unsure how credible the students hourly logs were. This year we made changes to the program. Students at our school have teams of 1 or A teachers. Each team had to come up with their own community service plan. Teams have ranged from having ba)e sales and car washes to raise money for an organiDation, to collecting goods, and donating time at shelters and nursing homes. The students this year have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the changes in our community service requirements, and enjoy wor)ing as a team with their peers to have an active part in our community.

ommunity service requirements

Submitted by #avid 8. Smith, $h.#. "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 52794.

The question is presented in an aw)ward manner. Schools should offer service-based learning and growth e*periences. Bn the one hand, community service can be a very effective learning opportunity, but on the other hand mindless chores with no reflection and no reinforcement of standards do little more than give service a bad name. Students may merely clean up a highway, but with a good follow-through students may learn the value of not littering, or they may be more li)ely to object when their friends and family litter, or G. /t!s the learning, not the chore that matters. There are many fine organiDations that promote such service. Fiwanis, for one, sponsors student service clubs at the elementary, middle, high school and university levels. Those who design community service projects would be wise to concentrate on results instead of less-effective requirements, such as si*ty student service hours per year. / have found that one reflective project can change student attitudes more than a year of service where there is little more than an accidental connection to learning.

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ommunity Service
Submitted by huc) %ellows "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 5A799.

$rior to the bureaucratiDation of education (community service( was an integral part of the educational e*perience. Therefore, it should not be viewed as a (required( componentH rather it should be viewed as an opportunity for a course correction in education. The current system of education isolates the student from society and removes )nowledge from its naturally integrated>interdependent state by slicing )nowledge into individual territories that ma)e no sense to the inquiring mind. 'ecoming part of the larger community will help students build life relationships and return learning to the process of education. The community will return to its role as a participant in the learning process as a partner in creating the future. Then the three (0s( - relevance, rigor and relationships - will inhabit schools again.

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-ep

Submitted by 0. $etheram "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 5A759.

Enough said.

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ommunity E*perience
Submitted by harlie "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 3@751.

ommunity Service E*periences should be a requirement and not a choice. /f the program is sponsored and set up by professionals then in theory it should wor). .any ?esuit schools have e*emplary service models and / am sure others do too. Therefore models of service are already e*ist. <hy not modify or investigate the service models that do <B0F well. /t is an administrative, faculty, staff and parental committment to ma)e sure their childrens, students are placed in appropriate service projects that facilitate the needs of the sponoring agency as well as the goals of the service project itself. The models above are supervised and accountability for each individual involved for bettering the community at large is an overarching goal of community service.

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<hy it wor)s.
Submitted by 'ryan <ilson "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 3;73@.

/ am a teacher in small school that requires 23hrs of community service every school year. .uch of this time is spent participating in local events, adopt-a-highway, 8nimal Shelter cleanups, Cabitat for Cumanity, and various others. 'y organiDing group participation, students are given the opportunity of participating without the burden of finding interest on their own. They are also able to build connections in the community and add much needed resume e*perience. /n addition to students required hours, faculty members are as)ed to also log 13Ihrs each year.

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<hy it #oes <or)s

Submitted by

harlie "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 5A723.

Caving a service (choice( is actually the )ey so students can potentially choose where they can provide service or help. / )now of many students who brought to their schools new places where they actually went out and investigated li)e library help for seniors etc. 'ryan touches upon many e*cellent community places still in great need of assistance. Bur digitally (born( children and (all( who are not might need e*periences beyond the computer J social networ)ing world which is fine but has a place in life as do living in real communities that need real assistance or real helping hands. harlie

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Edutopia

Submitted by #anny .ydlac) "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 327AA.

This is a false choice7 require service v. !hit the boo)s!. Every clever teacher-educator wannabe needs to as) themselves7 should -BK be required to do community service+ $roject learning+ Cow about some social and emotional learning+ <hat should you be 0ELK/0E# to do+ %ol)s love to dream away on engineering )ids lives and learning. There is no end to this pleasure for fol)s. Educators relish in coveting other people!s lives. =eorge needs to focus his wonderful imagination on movies and their delightfully detailed fantasy worlds. Education has become institutionaliDed codependency. Education!s current totalitarian bent has opened the floodgates to tin)erers joyously disrupting, invading, and commandeering the sacred lives of human individuals.

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requiring service learning

Submitted by

hristine Satory "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 597A5.

'ravo, #anny .ydlac), (should -BK be required to do community service+ $roject learning+ Cow about some social and emotional learning+ <hat should you be 0ELK/0E# to do+( 8s a college professor since 5469, / have directly dealt with the end result of all the various (improvements( in elementary and secondary education. %rom this e*perience / can tell you that these new requirements and pressure on assessmentMtesting, testing, testingM are a dismal failure. Students come to us already burnt out and emotionally stressed to the point that they believe that a ' or in a class means that they are an utter failure as a human being. / am not e*aggerating this. Suicides in college have risen significantly over the past five yearsMand let!s not mention the rise in emotional instability. <hy+ The majority were never allowed to be a child. /nstead they were pushed too hard and too soon7 too much homewor), too much regulated and adult-controlled sports, and way too much e*pectation on being perfect at everything. Bur adult obsessive-compulsiveness on developing the perfect formula for success for our children has had the opposite affect. Cence, the huge dropout rate. Cence, the increased an*iety of young adults. etc. / teach freshmen in an art department. .y biggest challenge+ =etting them to rela* enough to use their imaginationM---which was tested and punished out of them by fifth grade. / spend an entire semester teaching them by admitting my imperfections, by grading on growth rather than perfect products, that its CK.8N to ma)e mista)es and to (fail.( / tell them constantly, (%ailure is good,( /t means they were ta)ing ris)s, e*perimenting and playing. / could go on and on.... / will end with two broad consequences to thin) about7 8. 8ll of us are in the act of becoming. So why do we support educational programs that leave them with the damaging and long-lasting beliefs listed below. / am paraphrasing student comments that have been consistently repeated over the past seven years7 5./ have been more than prepared for higher education because / got all 8!s and>or 8!s J '!s. .ultiple choice tests and memoriDing facts N )nowledge. 1. /f / get a ( ( then /!m a (loser( and / will never amount to anything." M Thin) about the conclusions these students have about themselves if they receive an (%(.& 1./!m a complete failure if / don!t have a successful career by age 19. '. Cere is an unusual twist to our step-by-step program for becoming a successful adult7 8 growing number of %ortune 933 companies are recruiting potential employees that have an .%8 ".aster!s in %ine 8rts&. 0ecruitment from .'8 programs is declining. <hy+ The lac) of imagination and creativity in business programs. /nnovation and new ideas are vital to the

mar)etplace. The only area where ris)-ta)ing, creativity and imaginative thin)ing is coupled with developing critical thin)ing s)ills in in the creative arts. /f every bit of individual personality and creativity has been squelched through an education system that is standardiDed then there is no growth and obviously nothing new. So here!s my two-cents7 Encourage )ids to watch clouds, to dream and most certainly how to play, Encourage them by telling them the truth7 Not everyone is good at math and science. 8ll of us have talents and shortcomings. They have the rest of their adult lives to edge toward (perfection.( Oife is a continuing series of change and growth. None of us will ever (master( it.

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/ts a great plan

Submitted by Trevor "not verified& on ?anuary 13, 1334 - 5675@.

/t is all about building good habits. .y e*periences in gym class helped get me fit enough to )now how good it feels to be fit. 'eing pushed to volunteer ensures that all students get a chance to )now how gratifying that e*perience is. / am sure many students will blow it off, but / am also sure that some students who would not have ta)en time to volunteer will be more li)ely to in the future.

:olunteerism
Submitted by

indy <ade "not verified& on ?anuary 16, 1334 - 36713.

8s teachers we give students a variety of learning e*periences. :olunteerism is a learning e*perience. /n a mandatory volunteer program students have to decide where and how they want to serve their communities. Students meet leaders in the community, learn communications s)ill, and meet other caring adults who contribute their time to the causes they believe in. / have e*perienced a student who struggled to get to school on time arriving at 9 a.m. to flip panca)es for the Fiwanis lubPs $anca)e and Sausage 'rea)fast.

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<hy not+
Submitted by

. Sailer "not verified& on ?anuary 1@, 1334 - 34756.

<hy not mandatory volunteering+ Schools already ta)e on the e*tra tas)s of teaching )ids right from wrong, good study habits, responsibility, tolerance, etc., a lot of the things they should be learning at home, but don!t. .y own )ids learn to help out not just in the home, but in the community as well. They may not li)e it at first or at all, but they have still learned a valuable lesson. /n mahy ways schools are the home away from home, and mandatory volunteerism would be another avenue towards a well-rounded education. /t also fits in nicely with the goals of our new president.

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<ho are we trying to )id,

Submitted by EFim "not verified& on ?anuary 19, 1334 - 36732.

Two thoughts on this matter. %irst, as a teacher in .aryland / was assaulted by a student. .aryland at the time had a community service requirement for students to graduate high school. <hat was the student!s punishment+ -ou guessed it. ommunity service,"which was able to be counted towards the student!s graduation requirement& <hat lesson are we trying to send by mandating students perform some act that is considered punishment by our legal system. Secondly, it seems to me that the community service requirement is not too dissimilar to (involuntary servitude( - wor) to benefit someone else performed under duress or coercion "i.e. graduation requirement& Oast / chec)ed, this is illegal. /f you want volunteerism in the community. #o it yourself. $lease don!t require the students to do it. Teach them right and trust that they will figure this one out on their own.

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ommunity Service in Cigh School

Submitted by # "not verified& on ?anuary 1;, 1334 - 347A4.

/ have taught my son the blessings of community service in many areas since he was a small child. <e!re continually doing something to benefit others less fortunate or helping whereever needed in our community to ma)e it a better place to live. /t would be a blessed world if everyone thought this way instead of always referring bac) to only themselves and their own. Thin)ing globally will help us ma)e a better world overall which will include each of us.... thin) about it,

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8bsolutely.
Submitted by laura "not verified& on ?anuary 1A, 1334 - 59754.

<hen / was in high school "during the early 1333s& community service was a graduation requirement. 8nd while / was a teen who li)e most teens )new everything, / too) great qualms with mandatory volunteering. / ended up traveling 23 miles away to San %rancisco to live and wor) at a soup )itchen in San %rancisco through one of the programs offered. / begrudgingly went. /t ended up changing my life path, / went to college in San %rancisco and now, more than @ years after my initial (forced( e*perience continue to volunteer there. / thin) it is wonderful. %or it is what you learn after you )now everything that really counts.

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Not only is public service

Submitted by 'ryan <hiting "not verified& on ?anuary 1A, 1334 - 51755.

Not only is public service valuable, it would be more important to require students to have wor) e*perience. Thin) what they could learn about the value of wor) if they had to spend a

day or two in a people job, in an alone job, in an outside job, in an inside job, in a physical job, in a mental job, in a service job, in a sales job, etc. They would learn to not only appreciate all wor), they would treat other better because they could not only empathiDe with but would have e*perience what that person is dealing with that day. They would better understand wor)ing as a team, showing up on time, dressing appropriately, dealing with both bosses and peers, etc. 8s teachers we need to realiDe that much of what our students need to )now cannot be learned in a classroom

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/!m not buying the idea that

Submitted by .arj

"not verified& on ?anuary 1A, 1334 - 53726.

/!m not buying the idea that this does can do more harm then good. Every ethical philosophy, whether based in religion or not, stresses stewardship of the earth or helping our fellow man. / went to a atholic grade school and a ?esuit university for undergrad. The service we did as a mandatory part of both of those institutions gave me incredibly valuable s)ills, opened my mind, taught me a lot about the (real world( before / entered it. Bn a purely pragmatic level, it gave me e*periences that made me competitive when it was time to loo) for a job. There is NB downside to volunteering, especially when given even a small choice for how one volunteers.

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Submitted by Ernest #odson "not verified& on ?anuary 1A, 1334 - 3;716.

ould be more harm than good.

The worst thing that could happen is having someone being forced to volunteer. Bn the other hand if a child volunteered to go to a place that was inline with their career goal that would be a beautiful thing.

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-es, yes and yes. /t is

Submitted by lebenheimer "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 5@73@.

-es, yes and yes. /t is amaDing how little some students )now of the world and this gives them the opportunity to e*perience some of it. / have wor)ed where community service can also be considered for attending local government meetings. /!ve seen students open up to the possiblities and what is happening after just a couple of hours

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ommunity Service
Submitted by Tim Schott "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 52722.

/!m an Electrical-Electronics Trades J Technology /nstructor at the Fent areer Tech enter in =rand 0apids, ./. /!m also a past $resident of the =rand 0apids ?aycees and $ar)inson!s 8ssociation of <est .ichigan. / have also served on several other local, state and national non-profit organiDations '.B.#.!s. ?ust tal)ing to my students about my e*periences in (giving bac)( has motivated my students beyond belief. Every year my students show me, my colleagues, and our local community, just how easily they can be motivated to (pay it forward(. Their active participation in activities as diverse as la)e>steam>river clean ups,

assisting at local Special Blympics events, raising money, clothing and food for those less fortunate than themselves and volunteering at homeless shelters. / can!t list all of the truly heartwarming stories from my students, but / do )now that students today will rise beyond your e*pectations if you!ll let them. Those of us servants in education )now all the metaphors... (/f you build it, they will come...( ($lant a seed and watch it grow...( / can honestly say, without reservation, that / believe 8OO students will respond positively to the challenges that face their community. <e just need to help them identify those challenges. Then give them the chance, and choice of their endeavor, to build a bridge and ma)e a difference, in their "and our& future. -es, we will no doubt have to QinvestR a bit of ourselves into their efforts, but / can assure you, you will ta)e away a multifold of what you invest. The long and short of this question for me isnPt whether community service should be mandatory, itPs more a question of7 <hatPs holding you bac)+, Q/t only ta)es one spar) to start a fireGR Than)s for your time,

<in-win

Submitted by <oody $laut "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 52715.

/n our quest to provide real-world situations to prepare our students to become productive members of our society, what better opportunity is offered than creating win-win schoolcommunity partnerships of volunteerism+ <oody $laut Oibrary .edia Specialist Fonawaena Cigh School

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:olunteerisn for student!s

Submitted by SuDanne Steelman "not verified& on ?anuary 1A, 1334 - 15733.

The )ey to encouraging student!s and parent!s ali)e is tuning into their interests. .a)ing them feel needed in a field they )now>or want to learn about is a simple starting point. Oanguage should never be an issue. oo)s can coo). 'as)et ball>soccer ball players )now how ta)e controll of the ball. =ardners can garden, embrace another!s s)ill. /ndividuals in general all have an aspect about them that ma)es them more unique. ommunity $artnerships J volunteerism enables a healthy neighborhood for all generations. Encouraging our youth to volunteer is a good good,

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ommunity service
Submitted by 0honda "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 5275;.

8tlanta $ublic Schools has required community service for many years for both regular and special education. Students did a variety of tas)s from volunteering in a day camp to assisting a neighbor. .any high school students did their service on their own over the summers and turned the paperwor) into their homeroom teacher. Sometimes classes would do service projects. They had to do 533 hours between the 4th and 51th grades. $eople tend to thin) of community service as middle class and wealthy )ids helping the poor, but most of the 8tlanta system was poor. Some schools were 533S free lunch. <ith poor

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)ids, community service gives them an opportunity to give of themselves and help others. /t helps them networ), perhaps discover job opportunities and feel good about their ability to change the world. /f they are getting started on the wrong trac) they can be turned around by service. Some of these )ids came to our food ban) where they were both volunteers and clients. .ost of our volunteers were both and we accepted anyone willing to help. .iddle class and wealthy children often need the grounding that $resident and .ichelle Bbama are giving their children. Service reminds them that they have more than others and that they should be grateful but not arrogant about it. /t shows them that there are many things more important than nice clothes and technology. /t might lead them away from being a greedy EB. Then if they are in a well paid and powerful position they would be more li)ely to pay their employees fairly and provide e*cellent benefits instead of sending the jobs overseas or contracting so they don!t have to provide company benefits. <e had a young man at food ban) whose father was a successful business man. Ce came every month. Sometimes he brought friends. Ce also stood up for social justice causes in his school. ommunity service is a reality chec) that can turn children around. Celping others ma)es them better people. Copefully it would cross the socio-economic divided and put more people /N SE0:/ E </TC BTCE0S 08TCE0 TC8N /N SE0:/ E TB BTCE0S. There is a huge difference. / thin) community service should have been one of the requirements of No hild Oeft 'ehind. / would li)e to see students complete 933 hours between $re-Findergarten and grade 51 and the number of hours they have completed printed on their report cards.

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Science Teacher
Submitted by EliDabeth Smallwood "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 51736.

/ believe that all students should be required to perform community service. Not too many children will develop a service related ethic unless it is modeled to them by the adults in their life. .any students receive this instruction through scouting or churches, but many do not have such role models in their lives. There!s a quote that / truly believe, (There is no higher religion than human service. To wor) for the common good is the greatest creed(, by 8O'E0T S C<E/TTE0. $eople that haven!t had the satisfaction of doing good deeds for others are missing out on a rewarding e*perience. 8s a New -or) State $hysics and hemistry teacher / certainly feel the pressures of state testing, but / don!t feel li)e /!m willing to allow that pressure to minimiDe my efforts to e*tend a quality, meaningful education to my students. Bn .OF day of service several of my students too) part in a 'uffalo service project. The loo)s of satisfaction on their faces as they told me about it certainly brought home the reason why we encourage, and yes require service hours every year at our school. None of them too) it as a punishment or negative e*perience, they were e*cited about it and proud of their involvement. These are the e*periences that shape the character of our young adults and / wholeheartedly believe they are worth the effort.

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:arying $ersonalities

Submitted by T.<. #ay "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 347A3.

hristine Satory wrote, (8s a college professor since 5469, / have directly dealt with the end result of all the various (improvements( in elementary and secondary education. %rom this e*perience / can tell you that these new requirements and pressure on assessmentMtesting, testing, testingM are a dismal failure. Students come to us already burnt out and emotionally stressed to the point that they believe that a ' or in a class means that they are an utter failure as a human being . . .(

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8pparently, there is a wide variance in college students. / also teach at a college, a .idwestern private school. Bur students are more often still children in their middle 13!s. They appear to be planning on e*tending adolescence well into their A3s. / suspect this is the difference between top layer schools with strong science programs and liberal arts secondary facilities that cater to those who canPt "or who donPt try to& get into the top schools and more relevant programs. Not only are many of our students content with or below grades, our administrators are happy to let them continue in our programs with sub-standard =$8s. / donPt thin) there is a shortage of opportunities for slac)ers. / suspect that the suicide rates could be e*plained by other factors than community service requirements or high e*pectations.

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=iving bac) to the community

Submitted by tom siembor "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 3@75;.

=iving bac) to the community implies that there is debt to the community at large- public education is free, but it!s not a free ride. Nor should it be. itiDenship must be taught, modeled, and nurtured. Bur future leaders will be poorly trained if we don!t emphasiDe the importance of participation in a free society. /n response to 'ryan <il)ins, yes, it is one more thing for us to do. 'ut wor)ing with )ids outside of school is less structured, and a lot more"dare / say it&, fun, 8s a 0ed Fettle 'ell0inger for 5@I years, /!ve never had a bad time. <or)ing on clean-up projects is way more energiDing than proctoring tests, hall monitoring, or some of the other brain-suc)ing tas)s / do. So soldier on, comrades. /f we don!t teach community service, who will+

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media specialist
Submitted by Toila E.

urtis "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 3@725.

/ agree that students need to be encouraged to help in their communities, but too often they seem to be missing the point of volunteerism. / hear them saying things li)e,(/ need to do my service project by such and such a date. <hat can / do quic)ly+( Somehow we need to teach our children that helping is part of what do in a communityH they don!t simply need to have a dogged drive to build a resume.

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volunteer
Submitted by 'ryan <il)ins "not verified& on ?anuary 15, 1334 - 597A@.

8h yes. Bne more thing for teachers to do after school and wee)ends. Bne more thing to monitor. 8nother prep. 8nything mandatory means the school "teachers& have to come up with something for the students to do and for teachers to go and supervise. -ou don!t for a minute thin) this will happen during the regular school day. Bh the joys of addtional duties.

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Bne more thing for teachers to do+

Submitted by 0honda "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 52714.

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%irst of all, community service does not have to be organiDed by the teachers. /f it needs adult hands, the $T8 could do it. They can also find their own volunteer wor) to do and the school should accept almost anything that is not strictly a religious activity. 8ll the )ids have to do is ta)e the form to whatever organiDation they wor)ed with. Second, if they do the project through the school, why would the teachers have to plan it+ /t is good hands-on learning. Cow hard is it do do an Bperation hristmas hild bo*+ Students should not have their learning spoonfed and they also should not have their community service requirements planned for them. They are not stupid. Even pre-Fs can pac) groceries or supplies for the elderly. Bur youngest volunteer for food ban) was 2 when she started. The first year she helped wrap and give out the Toys for Tots. She also came with her parents on bagging night and helped pac) the groceries. 'y the time we closed down she could have been a temporary manager. She was 55 by then.

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Bne more thing for teachers to do+

Submitted by 0honda "not verified& on ?anuary 11, 1334 - 52714.

%irst of all, community service does not have to be organiDed by the teachers. /f it needs adult hands, the $T8 could do it. They can also find their own volunteer wor) to do and the school should accept almost anything that is not strictly a religious activity. 8ll the )ids have to do is ta)e the form to whatever organiDation they wor)ed with. Second, if they do the project through the school, why would the teachers have to plan it+ /t is good hands-on learning. Cow hard is it do do an Bperation hristmas hild bo*+ Students should not have their learning spoonfed and they also should not have their community service requirements planned for them. They are not stupid. Even pre-Fs can pac) groceries or supplies for the elderly. Bur youngest volunteer for food ban) was 2 when she started. The first year she helped wrap and give out the Toys for Tots. She also came with her parents on bagging night and helped pac) the groceries. 'y the time we closed down she could have been a temporary manager. She was 55 by then.

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