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Favorite CSL Project?
Over the years, I have been involved in several community service projects and several service learning projects. Service learning projects were always my favorites because the youth developed the projects from infancy. They watched it grow and they learned so much from each project. I’ll share some of my favorites with you later, but first – What has been your favorite CSL project and why?
Community Service Learning
As I went on and on to my friend about the awesome service learning projects that we were doing with high school students throughout the state of Florida, she cut me off. “What exactly is service learning anyway?”
I had been so accustomed to discussing community service learning (CSL for short) with expert CSL facilitators, I forgot that it wasn’t a term that is naturally understandable. Now of course, I have quoted the National Service Learning Clearinghouse for a definition on my Service Learning page, but I explained it to my friend in layman’ terms. “Service learning is connecting actual community service involvement with skills and content learned in the classroom.”
Those of you who are service learning pros know there is a little more to it than that, but my friend was satisfied with the definition. “Oh, that sounds great!” She said.
Yes, service learning is a great concept, I thought, but it is much more challenging to pull off in the age of standardized testing. Am I right? So I’m asking my CSL pros out there, what were your biggest challenges with service learning? (Please reply below.) (more…)
Good Morning!
Another beautiful Florida morning! This has usually been my view looking over the steering wheel and heading down the highway to another school. Actually, some mornings it’s darker than others and some mornings there’s a tsunami that follows me, but it’s always an adventure.
Besides the coffee, two hours of meditation and smooth jazz, what I really enjoy is meeting new students. Some are ready to learn, some need to be awakened, but each student has potential – in some, it is evident and in some, the potential is waiting to be discovered. Our facilitators have been able to reach the innermost being of many of the students, draw out their potential and give help them find a sense of purpose – a place in their communities, a place in this world.
Join me in the adventures of service learning and we’ll explore the “how-to’s”, the “how-not-to’s”, the successes and the challenges of a wonderful way to connect our youth with the world around them. I look forward to your participation!
Learning Portal 
