"Learning In Deed!"

by Lindsay Meyers

With all of the tests, day to day data, and all of the information that is thrown at us over the internet, kids still can't comprehend what is truly important to understanding life. Students basically live in an empty bubble where real knowledge is overlooked and has no relevance. The real questions, issues, and concerns that should be a part of our every day life are not being asked or considered in the classroom. While educators strive to fill our heads to the brim for our eventual success and betterment, we are, nonetheless losing our passion for learning.

Jamaal Young is a sophomore at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., who has achieved more than most of his contemporaries might in a lifetime. Due to his involvement with a program in high school, called service-learning, Jamaal has benefitted from learning at a higher level. This program builds a bridge between community service and academic education. In so doing, service-learning enables students, like Jamaal, to become more cognizant of the world and helps to nurture compassion for human beings and the problems they face.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "Anybody can be great because everyone can serve," and that is the philosophy of service-learning. Jamaal furthers that thought, saying, "If you are old enough to learn, you can participate in service-learning." In fact, he contends, how can an issue like poverty be understood, for example, if poverty is not part of your reality. "It's not enough to volunteer in a soup kitchen to gain a true understanding of what it must be like to starve," he states. Community service ties to academics help shed light on these kinds of issues and enable students to understand more than just the written word.

Spanish language class -- many of us take Spanish, but how many of us really get the application in a real life experience that makes spanish take on whole new meaning and relevance. It did for Jamaal in high school in South Carolina, where there were no native speakers of Spanish and his class was just reading out of a book. They went to work with Spanish migrant workers from Latin, Central and South America who taught them more than just slang Spanish. "Going to work with these people lifted our hearts and made us aware of their lifestyle. We learned about the dreadful conditions under which migrant workers live. Learning Spanish became a cultural experience where we were exposed to the true essence of the language as well as issues that migrant workers face."

Julia Barber Pictured left, Senator John Glenn with Jamaal Young

"Anybody can be great because everyone can serve"

- Dr. Martin Luther King