Taking A Moment To Think Aloud on Community Engagement & Service

A few months ago, I sent the following title to mentors and friends to possibly purchase for our the library at Fairfield University. It arrived, and I was told it was on hold, but hadn't been picked up yet. I thought about it yesterday as I spent a day doing community engagement, post a service-learning course. My students and I spent a semester working in and out of a turnaround urban K-8 school, and I redesigned the opportunities to be engaged by rethinking my expertise, the expertise of teachers, and more importantly, the brilliance of youth who we too often fail to listen to.

Yesterday, I did several workshops in the school (I'm committed and 5th graders are finishing up a compare/contrast unit). It's hard at this time of year because the kids were done. My two-hour workshop, as one kid announced to the class, "is too boring." He got up and joined 7th and 8th graders wandering the hallways because they had subs and there was much commotion beyond the doors.

I have to say, however, that this young man came back after 15 minutes and said, "I want to come back to the workshop. It's more fun than what's going on in the hallways." I let the teacher tell me that this particular youth comes and goes, doing what he wants. That's another story for another day - I was just pleased to say he returned and participated.

Actually, Of the 24 students, I'd say all but 4 began with absolute resistance. They didn't want to do the writing work I placed on them (two pages before 6th grade! that's too much). It was stop and go as we did the work, especially as a huge power surge blew out the lights and computer, and announcements were made to keep kids in the class. I had to work with my mind and creativity.  They didn't want me there; they huffed and puffed...and just when I was willing to only work with the 4 who wanted to do the work, a strange thing happened. 100% of the kids got on task. The next thing I knew was they were coming to me wanting one on one help and to share what they wrote and crafted. I'm not sure what happened, but I collected the work and left it with the teacher who said, "They wrote all this for you?" (she was grading during the workshop).

I drifted to this story because I went to the library to get The Cambridge Handbook of Service Learning and Community Engagement edited by Corey Dolton, Tania D. Mitchell and Timothy K. Eatman. I know Dr. Eatman from Syracuse, but the extend of our relationship is that he is a clone of a kid named Jon Walker that I worked with in Kentucky --- just older and more seasoned.

Last night, I read several chapters in the collection and want to, briefly, highlight a few thoughts:

• we should aspire to bring together academic, community, classroom and personal work (p. 141) in the work we do in the academy. Such unification is social justice work.
• our definitions for knowledge making MUST be expanded beyond the ivory tower mystique in which many scholars compose. In the words of Eatman, "Research, teaching, policy, and professions can be mutually catalyzing in the knowledge-making process" (p. 338)
• we also have to realize that the decisions we make as educators and researchers, is that what we do is always political (p. 486). 

I, for one, have always been warned by fear-mongerers along my path that I'm too edgy and headstrong --- one day I would actually get into trouble because, "that's just not the way things get done around here." 

Year, when I reflect on my last 24 years, it's been my individuality, outside-the-box thinking, and intention to do what is best for teachers and kids that have often caused worry amongst professional peers. Think about that for a second....doing what is right for kids and teachers causes fear. Huh? I appreciated the Table included in this collection that was developed by California State University, Monterey Bay Service Learning Institute (2003). The chart outlines effective work in a diverse society through an embrace of multiculturalism, communication, social issues, self-awareness, and action. 

I like to think that my graduate courses, research, and redesign of CWP-Fairfield programs adheres to such a definition of Multicultural Community Building (and that the MLK Vision Award, President's Innovation Award, and Elizabeth M. Pfriem Award were given to recognize this). That is what I'm thinking about while I try to justify why I do what I do. 

It's Thursday and that is what is on my mind.