I don’t know why, my sound came out so much worse than Dana or Jessica’s. In a nutshell, this is about Jessica being irked by the forced community service her daughter’s school has that creates more work for her. It’s funny that the three here all have chosen different educational paths. My daughter goes to public school, Jessica’s go to private school and Dana home schools.
What do you think? Have you encountered this issue at your school? I think there is a list of this and that a school asks you to do and sometimes I’m all for it and other times I sit it out. Like the Cultural day planned smack dab in the middle of the holidays on a day I already have plans, I’m not jumping in on that one. But, hey look at my landscaping!
And I need to add my extra mic.
I understand the point that being forced to volunteer might not necessarily foster a kid’s desire to volunteer on their own. That is true. BUT, I don’t think it HURTS. #1 – it helps the community, whether or not the kid feels forced to do it or not. Something gets done that needed to be done. #2 – it exposes the kid to needs in the community that they may not necessarily be exposed to without it. #3 – How ELSE do kids learn about volunteering without being given the opportunity to volunteer? How is being told to volunteer by the school different than being told to volunteer by your parents? Kids aren’t just going to, ON THEIR VERY OWN, just start volunteering to help. This school volunteering obviously needs to be accompanied by discussions, by school and parents, about the value in volunteering, the self-satisfaction it brings, etc. It has to start somewhere and I imagine that kids doing it in groups with their friends wouldn’t be a bad way to start…
After having said all of this, I took Jessica’s argument as more about the DRIVING than the problem with forced volunteering….
I went to private school from K-12 and we didn’t have to do any community service, forced or not….is this a new thing?
Anyway…
I think a lot of what you go through at school IS forced, right? If you want to get good grades you have to study, etc. So, even if it’s forced or not I think it isn’t a bad idea. I believe as long as you (the parent) has a good attitude towards it then the kid will too. Trust me, I had to do a LOT of forced crap when I was in school and even though I might’ve felt forced back then, later in life I understood the why of getting involved and took my life lesson from it.
Attitude is everything!
Though necessary, afterschool homework drives me crazy because it takes away from family time. I’ve even let backpack reading fall off my priority list, instead I applaud any reading they do of their own volition, which is plenty.
Community service should be done during school hours, maybe even as a field trip.
I wat my kids to understand the social contract, that this world ain’t just about their needs being met, that giving back is just what we do if we expect things to keep on turning. I have been volunteering with them since they were five.
That said forced volunteerism outside of the school but as part of your grade seems a bit heavy handed. They do plenty of projects in school… packing bags for the shelter, raising $ for haiti, making blanket for a shelter, that dragging them out as part of their grade would raise my hackles too.
I can see how this could be a problem for parents, but as a teenager, I loved being given the opportunity to help in the community. In fact, if it weren’t for school, I wouldn’t have done any at all. My parents never took us to such things. I even went after I left school on my own a few times.
I think it’s a great thing for parents and children.
I would rather volunteer for several hours instead of writing an essay paper.
I am a giving person… If my kids had to take part in such a course to receive a grade I would be thankful their school was so thoughtful and giving. Child would be encouraged.
I think being generous and giving to ones ‘charity’ very important and I hope my children will do similar as they grow up.
As a family we sponsor a boy in Indonesia and have for the past 6 years. $35 a month, you too can sponsor a child through similar organizations. Very rewarding to see the differences in his community and home life.