Service Learning Reflection During my experiences with service leaning included: painting a bathroom, cleaning inside and outside of houses, and helping coach basketball. With each of these experiences I learned new things about what I was doing and learned new things about myself. As I went to each of these situations I was nervous as to what was expected of us. In each experience the person was good at explaining what they wanted to be achieved for the time I was there. When helping at the Crittenton Center she was ready for our group and everything planned out as to what each person would do. My group of three was to paint a small bathroom. We were all able to use out past experiences of painting to help finish the project. When helping out with Kayla Nieman, I helped her clean and organize her classroom and helped coach afterschool basketball with her. I learned the most with the coaching. I had to learn how to be patient with the players and allow them time to learn the new skill. When working with Lacey Hallstrom, I helped clean up outside. The experience went well because I had known her previously before. I think this made it comfortable for both of us. When helping out with my family, I found out that I can deal with this bad situation. I think helping out directly with looking for items in the house helped me and my family cherish what we had. Also, with this happening there has been lots of phone calls and paperwork. I have learned how to do some important paperwork and learned lots of different options as if something bad like happened again. Throughout these experiences I found that I really didn’t change as a leader. I have always been open to working with others directly. Throughout each of my experiences I was either working with one other person or a small group of people. The thing I learned it that I lack some patient with people who are trying to learn a new skill. This was apparent in the basketball situation. Some of the girls took longer to catch onto the skill being practiced. I would think in my mind, “How can they not get this? This is so easy”. I learned that not everyone learns at the same speed and that everyone may not be as capable as someone else. The experience with coaching middle school students related to what I learned in class. In class we learned about the Path-goal Theory. This theory states that leaders need to motivate subordinates to accomplish a designated goal. When I was helping out coaching I found myself trying to encourage the girls if they couldn’t do a certain skill. I would try and demonstrate how to do the skill first but if they could do it I would intervene and help them out. I would help them one-on-one until they figured out how to do the skill. When helping out with the Crittenton Center I found positives of how their work helps out the community. The Crittenton Center I found out that they help the community by providing a wide range of high quality, family focused, child center and community based programs. These programs help many different people in our community. There are more than 20 different programs they offer and any person could find help in one of the programs being offered. When I helped out with Kayla Nieman I found positives of how her work helps out the community. She influences and forms the young minds of students. She sets them on the right path to achieve their goals. Also, she helps with the basketball program after school. She devotes her time in order to help teach basketball to these middle school students. She able to help each one of these players to become better basketball player and better person.
Overall, each experience went better than I anticipated they would. With each of these volunteering opportunities I learned that helping out the community helps a person learn things about themselves. For example, I learned that I need to be a little more patient with people. I learned that people do not always learn at the same rate as others. I will take away this in the future when I manage a group of people.