Service Learning and Character Development

Students learn a lot about being good people and building character at home and in young grades. But sometimes those topics get pushed to the side in High School because there is so much content to cover in each class already. However, Muir brings up the idea of using content-specific service learning to continue to develop students’ character while also keeping up with required class material.

I wanted to look more into the impact that service learning can have on students and the school environment as a whole. In my research I found an amazing blog post by Peter DeWitt, The Importance of Service Learning. One quote in particular stood out to me, “Service learning projects can be life changing for students. They learn empathy for others, and may even get the real life experience they need which will inspire them to find a career.” I think that the key here is the idea that service learning provides students with real life experience. I was fortunate to grow up with parents that took me to museums, volunteer work, and provided me with other experiences that prepared me for the future, but many students do not have that at home. That gap in the experiences of students at home follows them to their futures, unless we do something about it. Here are two awesome articles about the growing opportunity gap in our education system:

Bridging the Gap Between Students’ In- and Out-of-School Experiences

Why We Say “Opportunity Gap Instead of “Achievement Gap”