By Andrea Sifuentes-Richards
The Service Learning Training was coordinated by the Center for Civic Engagement in partnership with State Farm Insurance and Project ACE. The training was created in order to give El Paso area K-12 teachers the tools they would need to create service-learning programs in their classrooms or campuses. Including service-learning in the curriculum would engage students in a new way to the material they are learning and would also engage students in their community, making them aware of situations and conditions they might not otherwise experience. Students are also expected to acquire new skills and develop a sense of caring for others. At the training, teachers are to be given training on how to create programs, as well information about how to secure funding for projects.
The Service Learning Training took place on May 19th, 2008 at the Ysleta Cultural Arts Center. 94 educators attended, representing the Ysleta ISD, El Paso ISD, Socorro ISD, and Canutillo ISD; their grade level specialties ranged from K-12 and all subject fields were represented. There were also representatives from area charter schools.
The training began with Patricia Garris as the morning keynote speaker. Garris, a representative from the State Farm Insurance Companies, initiated the day by giving a motivational discussion about the importance of service-learning and the great impact it can have on the community and students.
Following the morning plenary, teachers attended one of two workshops, either A. “Getting started with service-learning” or B. “Models of Service-Learning in the classroom.” Workshop A was led by John Spence of the Texas Center for Service Learning and Workshop B was led by Alan Stephens of the YISD grants department. At these workshops, teachers received information about how to start service-learning projects in their classrooms and also heard examples from others’ experiences.
At the following breakout session, workshops A and B were repeated so that teachers could have the opportunity to hear both workshops. The Lunch Plenary Session followed where John Spence was the keynote speaker. Spence discussed with the teachers the possibilities for change that come through service-learning.
Following the Lunch Plenary was Breakout Session 3 where teachers had to choose one workshop to attend, either Workshop C “How to navigate Service Learning in your Classroom through Funding and Support” or Workshop D “Working with the Community through Service Learning”. Workshop C was led by Dr. Kathleen Staudt, Denise Clevenger, and Stephanie Zelenak and covered the topics of where to find funding for projects as well as ideas and examples of different kinds of service-learning projects. Workshop D covered the aspect of understanding the impact teachers can have on the education of their students by including service-learning as well as how to create partnership with community organizations.
The training concluded with closing remarks from Azuri Ruiz giving final encouragements for the teachers to use what they learned and create projects. Two teachers from Canutillo ISD who recently received funding for their service-learning projects, Jessica Meléndez Carrillo and Guadalupe Pérez, answered the audience’s burning questions about incorporating service-learning in their classrooms. The training ended with teachers receiving certificates for their CPE training requirements.