Last semester I had the
opportunity to volunteer at Westside Christian School (WCS) in St. George,
Utah, for three weeks. I learned and am
continuing to learn much from the time I spent serving there; I have grown in
knowledge and in understanding through my tasks and responsibilities,
challenges, and by observation; my sense of sympathy toward the issues I
encountered has been deepened; and my overall view of life - the way in which I
plan for my own life - has been positively altered. More than anything, my life verse's
importance and truth has been reinforced: "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as
to the Lord and not to men." Colossians 3:23.
Westside Christian School is a small school with only about twenty students who range from first through eleventh grade. There are only two full-day, full-time teachers, and one half-day, full-time teacher who teaches all but two of the first grade classes each day. There also are a handful of others who assist in teaching classes or monitoring lunch and recess times on a daily or weekly basis, all of whom are a welcome help to the regular school staff.
While at the school, I essentially worked as one of those "others" although I was rarely at the school any less than the full-time teachers. I got to teach first grade history on a daily basis as well as second and third grade reading, and I administered spelling tests for second through sixth grade students. For a few days while the first graders' teacher had to be away I got to teach all the first grade classes, as well as the first through third grade Bible class.
Whenever I was not teaching I helped tutor any of the elementary students who needed help, graded homework, and did whatever I could to help maintain order (and neatness) within the classroom. Most days I enjoyed the chance to monitor the elementary kids during their recess and lunch breaks. There were also a couple of times when a teacher needed some last-minute materials for a lesson, and I was called on to run out to get whatever they needed.
Both the school and its sponsor church (Westside Baptist Church (WBC)) are well established in the community, despite the relatively small number of people who attend regularly. The church's members are all - or almost all - quite thoroughly involved in the church and/or the school in some capacity or other. Westside Baptist Church itself has commendable community outreach programs, and when it celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary (which occurred during my stay), there were a great many people who attended the celebration, and still more who wrote letters and notes of praise and encouragement from across the country; there were even some notes sent from overseas locations.
The church serves its members and community well through various facets; similarly, the school and teachers serve the students and their families by providing good quality education and acting at different times (as most teachers do, I am sure) as counselors, tutors, role models, referees, and advisors. Truly, there is nothing I can think of that the school could improve. That is, nothing except, perhaps, to seek out an additional teacher or two.
While I have great admiration and respect for the teachers at WCS, the system in which they work has them stretched quite thin with all the work that falls to them individually. For example, one teacher is currently in charge of second through sixth grade every day for almost the entire school day as well as the first grade class after their teacher has left at around 10:30. She also has charge of the pre-algebra class each morning. In all, she teaches about twenty classes every day in addition to taking care of grading all her students' work and creating lesson plans.
Things being as they are stated above, and after witnessing the conditions first-hand, I absolutely have more sympathy for the situation than I did prior to spending time in the school. About three or four months before beginning my service-learning (S-L) project, I had an opportunity to talk with the elementary teacher I mentioned in the previous paragraph, who at the time was busy spending the end of her summer preparing for the upcoming school year. During our conversation, I certainly felt sympathetic toward her predicament - the conflict she was facing between desiring to serve the Lord as a teacher at this school and already being a bit discouraged by the sheer weight of the work. After living and working with this admirable lady for three weeks, though, I had gained both greater sympathy and a certain level of empathy toward her and anyone who works as a teacher at WCS.
One of the most moving and influential occurrences from my S-L project was the instances when I was reminded why I was serving at Westside Christian School. There were a few instances when I promised myself that I would never get into teaching at all if it meant that I would have to go experience the same stressors I observed the teachers confront on a regular basis. The "moving and influential" part of this comes into play when, any time I began to feel discouraged, a student would come and give me a hug for no reason; I would see a parent at the end of the day smile with gratitude; or a pastor or staff member would let me know my presence was truly making a positive difference. It isn't that I was craving human praise of any sort, but rather that their actions or reactions reinforced to me that what I was doing counted for something tangible. In addition, through these people - especially the kids - I felt God's pleasure and an assurance that I was right where He wanted me.
There is one thing I believe was particularly effective in my service at WCS: The energy and enthusiasm I had for whatever needed to be done seemed to encourage others and spur them into further action. While I myself didn't always feel so very energetic, I know at least that I brought with me a fresh mind and body and two extra, willing hands. This was enough to help me and those around me keep pace with everything going on each day, and at times enough even to get a project completed ahead of schedule or an extra lesson done, in order to make things a little bit easier after I my departure.
While I do hope and believe that I was able to help and impact those I worked with in those three weeks, I know for a fact that I myself did not leave unchanged by the whole experience. For example, I feared at the beginning that I would not be much of a help in any way if I was needed to go solo with anything I hadn't done before. I didn't want to think that I was being timid, unassertive, or negative in my attitude toward myself or my capabilities, but that is exactly what it was. In contrast, by the time I left WCS, I had not only been assertive in a number of instances, but I knew I had gained better self-confidence and demonstrated self-eficacy.
One activity I took part in that enriched my sense of community was the church's "Halloween caroling" (I wrote a blog post concerning this which explains it more thoroughly). The group I was a part of included a mixed bunch from the school and a couple of people from the church whom I not yet know. We got to practice a sort of team-building as we walked through a neighborhood, choosing which houses to go to, what songs to sing, and which of us would speak on behalf of all of our little group and WBC. Seeing everyone's willingness and openness in approaching strangers with a bold and neighborly attitude to share the love that God has placed in us was both encouraging and beautiful.
Another example of my expanded sense of community is more personal. This example does not come with its own anecdote as it was influenced by the whole of my time in southern Utah. Generally speaking, I consider myself to be pretty assertive and confident - at least when I am in a familiar sort of situation - and I tend to be fairly comfortable around any individual, whether I know them or not. Nevertheless, I do struggle at times with insecurities, have to fight down stage fright when performing in front of anyone (somehow I am usually fine when speaking publically, thank the Lord!), and unless I feel somehow in control to begin with, I feel uncomfortable and quite introverted when in and around large, noisy groups. So there you have the background for a very simple concept that I've learned: After being put into unfamiliar, noisy, and sometimes slightly uncomfortable situations throughout those three weeks, I have gained a deeper confidence in my own abilities, and am now confident in my ability to genuinely help and make a difference in others' lives.
While encouraged in many more ways than those described above, I did meet definite challenges. One specific challenge was one that exposed and altered my way of thinking about public and private school systems. There have been many skewed stereotypes concerning homeschoolers which many of us openly laugh about. (Including the idea I personally find the most laughable - that homeschoolers must be unsocialized and generally incapable of interacting and communicating with their peers or anyone outside their own family.) Now I see that I myself have misjudged non-homeschools and those who attend public and private schools. At Westside Christian School I am ashamed to say that I was almost surprised to see the high school students playing, working, and helping the younger children without being told to. I witnessed many of the kids interacting quite easily with various people outside of their peer groups, and while I did have to step in at times to settle little disputes, there were also countless instances when I stepped back to watch as one child willingly went to the aid of another. Granted, this particular school is unique and I believe the people in it are themselves unique; I also admit I have virtually no experience in any public schools. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that I have rudely and unnecessarily stereotyped a good number of people. I am glad to have been corrected, thanks to the students and my experiences at WCS.
One skill I believe I acquired while in the classrooms at Westside Christian School is the ability to keep track of multiple things at once. This goes beyond regular, everyday multitasking. For example, when teaching, say, the third graders' English lesson, I quickly learned the importance of keeping an eye on the second graders as they worked on their handwriting lesson at the teacher's desk. Because the second grade kids loved to play around or tip their stools back when no one was sitting with them, this was a necessary skill, honed through practice.
Westside Christian School is a small school with only about twenty students who range from first through eleventh grade. There are only two full-day, full-time teachers, and one half-day, full-time teacher who teaches all but two of the first grade classes each day. There also are a handful of others who assist in teaching classes or monitoring lunch and recess times on a daily or weekly basis, all of whom are a welcome help to the regular school staff.
While at the school, I essentially worked as one of those "others" although I was rarely at the school any less than the full-time teachers. I got to teach first grade history on a daily basis as well as second and third grade reading, and I administered spelling tests for second through sixth grade students. For a few days while the first graders' teacher had to be away I got to teach all the first grade classes, as well as the first through third grade Bible class.
Whenever I was not teaching I helped tutor any of the elementary students who needed help, graded homework, and did whatever I could to help maintain order (and neatness) within the classroom. Most days I enjoyed the chance to monitor the elementary kids during their recess and lunch breaks. There were also a couple of times when a teacher needed some last-minute materials for a lesson, and I was called on to run out to get whatever they needed.
Both the school and its sponsor church (Westside Baptist Church (WBC)) are well established in the community, despite the relatively small number of people who attend regularly. The church's members are all - or almost all - quite thoroughly involved in the church and/or the school in some capacity or other. Westside Baptist Church itself has commendable community outreach programs, and when it celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary (which occurred during my stay), there were a great many people who attended the celebration, and still more who wrote letters and notes of praise and encouragement from across the country; there were even some notes sent from overseas locations.
The church serves its members and community well through various facets; similarly, the school and teachers serve the students and their families by providing good quality education and acting at different times (as most teachers do, I am sure) as counselors, tutors, role models, referees, and advisors. Truly, there is nothing I can think of that the school could improve. That is, nothing except, perhaps, to seek out an additional teacher or two.
While I have great admiration and respect for the teachers at WCS, the system in which they work has them stretched quite thin with all the work that falls to them individually. For example, one teacher is currently in charge of second through sixth grade every day for almost the entire school day as well as the first grade class after their teacher has left at around 10:30. She also has charge of the pre-algebra class each morning. In all, she teaches about twenty classes every day in addition to taking care of grading all her students' work and creating lesson plans.
Things being as they are stated above, and after witnessing the conditions first-hand, I absolutely have more sympathy for the situation than I did prior to spending time in the school. About three or four months before beginning my service-learning (S-L) project, I had an opportunity to talk with the elementary teacher I mentioned in the previous paragraph, who at the time was busy spending the end of her summer preparing for the upcoming school year. During our conversation, I certainly felt sympathetic toward her predicament - the conflict she was facing between desiring to serve the Lord as a teacher at this school and already being a bit discouraged by the sheer weight of the work. After living and working with this admirable lady for three weeks, though, I had gained both greater sympathy and a certain level of empathy toward her and anyone who works as a teacher at WCS.
One of the most moving and influential occurrences from my S-L project was the instances when I was reminded why I was serving at Westside Christian School. There were a few instances when I promised myself that I would never get into teaching at all if it meant that I would have to go experience the same stressors I observed the teachers confront on a regular basis. The "moving and influential" part of this comes into play when, any time I began to feel discouraged, a student would come and give me a hug for no reason; I would see a parent at the end of the day smile with gratitude; or a pastor or staff member would let me know my presence was truly making a positive difference. It isn't that I was craving human praise of any sort, but rather that their actions or reactions reinforced to me that what I was doing counted for something tangible. In addition, through these people - especially the kids - I felt God's pleasure and an assurance that I was right where He wanted me.
There is one thing I believe was particularly effective in my service at WCS: The energy and enthusiasm I had for whatever needed to be done seemed to encourage others and spur them into further action. While I myself didn't always feel so very energetic, I know at least that I brought with me a fresh mind and body and two extra, willing hands. This was enough to help me and those around me keep pace with everything going on each day, and at times enough even to get a project completed ahead of schedule or an extra lesson done, in order to make things a little bit easier after I my departure.
While I do hope and believe that I was able to help and impact those I worked with in those three weeks, I know for a fact that I myself did not leave unchanged by the whole experience. For example, I feared at the beginning that I would not be much of a help in any way if I was needed to go solo with anything I hadn't done before. I didn't want to think that I was being timid, unassertive, or negative in my attitude toward myself or my capabilities, but that is exactly what it was. In contrast, by the time I left WCS, I had not only been assertive in a number of instances, but I knew I had gained better self-confidence and demonstrated self-eficacy.
One activity I took part in that enriched my sense of community was the church's "Halloween caroling" (I wrote a blog post concerning this which explains it more thoroughly). The group I was a part of included a mixed bunch from the school and a couple of people from the church whom I not yet know. We got to practice a sort of team-building as we walked through a neighborhood, choosing which houses to go to, what songs to sing, and which of us would speak on behalf of all of our little group and WBC. Seeing everyone's willingness and openness in approaching strangers with a bold and neighborly attitude to share the love that God has placed in us was both encouraging and beautiful.
Another example of my expanded sense of community is more personal. This example does not come with its own anecdote as it was influenced by the whole of my time in southern Utah. Generally speaking, I consider myself to be pretty assertive and confident - at least when I am in a familiar sort of situation - and I tend to be fairly comfortable around any individual, whether I know them or not. Nevertheless, I do struggle at times with insecurities, have to fight down stage fright when performing in front of anyone (somehow I am usually fine when speaking publically, thank the Lord!), and unless I feel somehow in control to begin with, I feel uncomfortable and quite introverted when in and around large, noisy groups. So there you have the background for a very simple concept that I've learned: After being put into unfamiliar, noisy, and sometimes slightly uncomfortable situations throughout those three weeks, I have gained a deeper confidence in my own abilities, and am now confident in my ability to genuinely help and make a difference in others' lives.
While encouraged in many more ways than those described above, I did meet definite challenges. One specific challenge was one that exposed and altered my way of thinking about public and private school systems. There have been many skewed stereotypes concerning homeschoolers which many of us openly laugh about. (Including the idea I personally find the most laughable - that homeschoolers must be unsocialized and generally incapable of interacting and communicating with their peers or anyone outside their own family.) Now I see that I myself have misjudged non-homeschools and those who attend public and private schools. At Westside Christian School I am ashamed to say that I was almost surprised to see the high school students playing, working, and helping the younger children without being told to. I witnessed many of the kids interacting quite easily with various people outside of their peer groups, and while I did have to step in at times to settle little disputes, there were also countless instances when I stepped back to watch as one child willingly went to the aid of another. Granted, this particular school is unique and I believe the people in it are themselves unique; I also admit I have virtually no experience in any public schools. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that I have rudely and unnecessarily stereotyped a good number of people. I am glad to have been corrected, thanks to the students and my experiences at WCS.
One skill I believe I acquired while in the classrooms at Westside Christian School is the ability to keep track of multiple things at once. This goes beyond regular, everyday multitasking. For example, when teaching, say, the third graders' English lesson, I quickly learned the importance of keeping an eye on the second graders as they worked on their handwriting lesson at the teacher's desk. Because the second grade kids loved to play around or tip their stools back when no one was sitting with them, this was a necessary skill, honed through practice.
Considering everything I learned and did and saw while in Utah, I cannot imagine coming away from the overall experience unchanged, especially where my future is concerned. While I have never been particularly career-oriented, I now can see myself teaching as a full-time job and ministry, at least for a season. Of course, this may not sound like much where personal change is concerned, but considering the stance I held before my S-L project - "I will teach only as a substitute or something like that where I won't feel tied down, but can leave whenever I find something better..." - it is pretty significant.
The key things that influenced me toward this new mindset include getting to witness every day the realities of the life of a teacher - which, while overwhelming at times, always led directly to the betterment of both the teacher and her students - as well as the simple fact that once I myself started anything at the school, I didn't want to stop! If nothing else, this showed me that I have more than a passing interest in helping shape and guide young minds; I am passionate about this, and I believe now more than ever that God is calling me to this service.
Furthermore, I am pleased to be able to say that I have not stopped there. I'm not content to simply realize this fact, this calling. I did not sigh, sit down, write my blog posts and talk to friends about this as an isolated event in my life, then move on to the next thing only to leave my S-L project tucked away in my memory. Instead, I have used my newfound awareness of this passion in pursuing what I believe is a beginning step in the direction I am certain God is leading me. This semester I will begin teaching in the very homeschool group I graduated through, and could not be more excited! I'll be teaching two American Sign Language classes, and have already put to use some of the tools and skills I learned and developed while teaching at WCS, such as how to create comprehensive lesson plans and how to present myself as a confident and capable educator. I know, too, that the confidence I gained while teaching over there will be an encouragement and help to me once the semester begins over here.
I dream of a day when I will have a hand in teaching my own children, and am beyond thankful for the opportunities I have had and am now enjoying. One thing I know for certain is that when they are old enough, I will have my kids participate in projects where they will get the chance to conjunctively serve and learn, as I have done. Of course, I have already been toying with ideas of how I might participate in another S-L project in the near future. . . .
Next time I go into a project similar to this one - there surely will be a next time - there are some things I would like to do a bit differently. First of all, there will be more planning and writing done before beginning the project. This is not a problem I found with the S-L project planning system as it is presented in Ace Courses, but rather with my own work. While I did do a good deal of planning going into this project, it was all so last-minute that it was not as comprehensive as I would have liked it to be. Another thing I would do differently is find a service project closer to home, so the relationships I develop might more easily be maintained. I have kept in touch with several people from the school and church in St. George thanks to Facebook, but only a few of the students have their own Facebook accounts, making it pretty unlikely for me to really keep up with them individually.
During the time I spent at WCS, I discovered from the students my formerly undisclosed prejudice against non-homeschooled students as well as so many little lessons that I learned from them; I gained practical knowledge and classroom-based wisdom from the teacher with whom I worked the most; and through the activities and tasks I undertook I developed skills and broadened my understanding concerning teaching. Going forward into a teaching position of my own, I hope and pray I will emulate the attitude I saw among the teachers, pastors, and even the students of Westside Baptist Church and Westside Christian School: Do everything as to our Lord rather than to men.
