I believe that service learning is an important part of anyone's life. Whether it is required by a school or not, i think that all service can be called service learning. I think that there is always more to learn, and that as a human, we all have more to give. I think that service learning should be a requirement. By making it a requirement, we are opening up the minds of young people. When opportunities are presented, but not required, it is not very likely that a young student would jump at the chance to help others. When making it necessary, we open up the possibilities. Just because someone is 'forced' into service, I still truly believe that both parties will benefit.
When I was in school at Suffolk University last year, I was required to complete service learning hours for my freshman seminar, which was called "Voices in Conflict." We were required to work with the under-served members of our community. While at first I was hesitant about the assignment, and resented the hours I was going to spend on this, I am nothing but grateful. By working with the under-served and underprivileged, I was able to not only better their lives, if only for a moment, but I was able to truly learn about the community that I was living in. A classroom and teacher and textbook can only take you so far. I believe that learning through experience and observation is far more valuable than anything read in a book. Learning through your senses and emotions is a much more powerful and gratifying way of learning, in my opinion. There are so many opportunities for service learning in so many different fields. By making it a requirement, we are allowing ourselves and other students to help others, gain experience, and find our passion.
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