Notes

Service learning consists of many different types, and many times they are used in order to help the educational system. I believe that these experiences should be made available to all students who would wish to use them, but they should not be made a requirement for graduation.

No two students are alike, and because of this they all learn in different styles. I, personally, learn best by example. Many students are more hands-on learners, and some are very solitary and can soak up much more information by reading a textbook. To give all students the same educational opportunities is beyond counter productive. As many different systems as possible should be used to educate students, and service learning is one of them. Giving a biology major an opportunity to intern at a disease center, giving them hands on experience with their future field of work, is obviously going to be beneficial for their education. Giving a future lawyer the chance to work under a practicing attorney, and being able to understand how all of the concepts they learn in a classroom are applied in a real-world situation is the most effective way of teaching how their field will be after graduation.

This does not mean that every person should be required to intern, or that every biologist needs to travel to Africa to study hands-on with endangered wildlife. Some fields do not really have a need for hands-on experience. Other fields may benefit from having that experience, but the student would not. If a student is not going to make the best possible use of their time in a service learning opportunity, they should be making the best possible use of their time using another method of learning. Two different computer science majors may be extremely intelligent, but if one is forced to intern at a tech company, and he works much better on his own, he will be at a disadvantage. The same can apply if the other computer science major benefits much more from working with colleagues, and learning in a real-world situation, but he never has that opportunity. He is then forced to learn in a situation that prevents his full potential from being exploited.

When these service learning opportunities are provided, they also give the local community a boost. An aspiring vet can intern at a local clinic, and receives learning experiences as well as some pay. The community receives an intelligent individual that is able to help in the veterinary workplace, and may eventually become an actual community member if he/she chooses to stay. This eventually leads to a much more intelligent and well-rounded community if many service opportunities are provided and used.

Forcing college students to take programs that don't benefit them, or aren't very useful is dumb. However, providing the opportunity for the students who will actually make use of it, is very intelligent. Service learning gives college students who wish to take the initiative an opportunity to better their lives, as well as the lives of those around them. Why should that chance not be offered to everyone who might use it?