parenting – A National Service Initiative

From “My Child” to “Our Children”

I grew up with very little service involvement as a youth. I was taught to be kind and give when opportunity presented itself, but that was pretty much it. When my second child, Charlotte, arrived later in life, I wanted her to have opportunity to “give back” and come to understand the larger community familyContinue reading “From “My Child” to “Our Children””

American Youth Are Unique – Let’s Play to Their Strengths

We need to establish our American identity in our system of education. Our youth are Americans who want to participate in meaningful ways. They want to explore the world and connect with others, they want voice. American youth want to create meaningful change, and know they are capable. As older Americans, we may seek theirContinue reading “American Youth Are Unique – Let’s Play to Their Strengths”

Solution in Our Midst

My husband teaches language arts in our local middle school and he receives publications from NYSUT (New York State United Teachers). I was struck by the recent cover photo and the statistic: 1 in 4 children in New York live in poverty. When I think of poverty, the first thing that comes to mind isContinue reading “Solution in Our Midst”

We Can Start Now; We Don’t Need Permission

We can start now. We don’t need permission. There are no obstacles. We have everything we need: A unified service learning curriculum Schools nationwide Non-profits in every community Project originators Online communication Service learning is an established methodology for coordinating traditional academics with genuine, real life, current time, community needs. Bringing genuine community needs to theContinue reading “We Can Start Now; We Don’t Need Permission”

One Point of Agreement: Topics K – 6

Leadership topic areas from kindergarten through grade six are a fundamental point of agreement for this initiative to take off. We need to come together on this alignment of topics to create connection among ourselves nationwide; to create the most significant and comprehensive momentum, support, and outcomes. The following distribution would provide this necessary baseContinue reading “One Point of Agreement: Topics K – 6”

An Antidote to Bullying

Bullying that escalates to violence doesn’t cross the path of all our children. Violence sits at the extreme end of a spectrum of shades of insensitivity to others. Violence is the end result of an infection in full bloom, requiring coordinated efforts to change its course. From a preventative perspective, we need to grow anContinue reading “An Antidote to Bullying”

Merging a National Service Initiative with Existing Curriculum

“Tell me, I forget… Teach me, I remember…Involve me, I learn” Anonymous The beauty of a service learning curriculum is that it is easy to incorporate. The topics that created the suggested framework came from teachers – teachers who were not service learning advocates – teachers who asked for clarification of the serviceContinue reading “Merging a National Service Initiative with Existing Curriculum”