ESSAY # 3-REVISED ROUGH DRAFT: 02/24/2008

Sheri Munson-Castro
Writ 101-Winter 2008
Essay #3-Revised
Craig McKenny-Instructor
February 24th , 2008
High School Students and Community Service Hours:


The subject on whether High School Students should have to do Community Service hours is one that has been talked about across the United States, and it looks like has been doing so for quite awhile. Many states have started to implement community service hours into their academic plans as a requirement for graduating from high school. The amount of community hours the student will have to do will depend on where he or she lives, as each state as well as the school district will be different. In fact some may not have to do any hours at all due to not all high schools have implemented this plan into their academic requirements for graduation.



There has been debate’s over this subject during the past couple of years in Washington State regarding high school students doing community hours. As of the first of this year this plan had been introduced into The Seattle School District’s Academic plan. There are many supporters on both sides of the coin on this matter. There are many who feel that it’s not right for the children to have to do this without having a say in the matter at all. They have also greatly expressed in this opinion that they felt it should be something that is a choice for the students and not to be penalized if they don’t sign up for community hours and have them completed prior to their graduation.

In the same token there are many who feel that community service hours are a great thing to have come along. That it helps to build confidence and self-esteem in the teens as well as connect to their community, as well to become more aware of their surroundings and the people around them. Which for so many teens help’s to fill the emptiness that many have and with that void filled it will help them to go down a better path in life. As such will be able to make better choices in their life, as they will be more aware of the consequences their actions may cause.

I feel that this is so true and feel that it’s a main key factor in what happen to my daughter and her life. What has happen to her has caused her to lose five years out of her life as well as her freedom. Which I believe was due to the fact that she had no real self-esteem in herself and did not feel connected to the community thus, helping to cause her not to understand what the consequences from her actions could be. To be able to fully feel any shame about some actions and the things she got involved in with others that where I belief felt as she did, that they were feeling as lost and confused as she was causing them to not really be connected to their surroundings or the people in their lives or surrounding them day-to-day and in so not fully understanding that they were hurting anyone.

Especially my oldest daughter who has finally open her eyes to what and who’s around her as well as recognizing that she has anger issues.The point that I am trying to make here is this. That I have done some research into this topic after I first learned about it. Which was just after my younger children entered high school where I received a copy of the syllabus from their high school showing all the requirements needed in order to graduate. It showed that for students going to school in the Seattle School District needed to have completed 40 hours of community service prior to completing the 12th grade.

I strongly feel that doing community service is a way to help students get involved with the community and help others. It made them feel special by doing this. It’s a great confidence builder and helps them to really connect. Which I feel is something everyone needs at some time or another in his or her life. I have gone out and done research on this seeing all the websites on this topic as well as reading up on discussions on it. This makes for some interesting reading material. Also there have been some debates going on regarding this issue of community service hours and teens in high school having to do them.

There are some websites as well as some articles that have been written on research done by some professors telling their thoughts and opinions on this. There is almost a split down the middle on the positive and negative sides to this subject. I also located some stories written by students themselves stating their side on the debate on it as well. Many of the stories that I found were on the positive side supporting the implementing of community service being a requirement in the academic plan in high school. Many students had also stated in the article that they felt it should actually be introduced into school as early as Middle school. Helping the kids get a jump to make the connection in the community, thus getting them started down the right path on the road towards adulthood.

There is also a Statistical Analysis Report that was written by Kathryn Candler for the National Center for Education Statistic. Through this Analysis Reports she had written to help get the information that was needed to help on improving the Educational system was done back in 1997. She has written a great article with lots of information on it that I feel you would want to take a look at. There was something that I had also read somewhere once about a statement that Alex Haley, (the famous author who wrote the book Roots) where he was quoted as saying: “A Community is built up by the people in it.” Which I have found to be true based upon a simple fact of life. That by being involved in your community and connecting as one is a very important key factor in life. I feel that it helps you to learn how to be less self- centered and more of a team player in life. Also as you connect as one you are building it and yourself up together. Thus planting your roots in the community and having a sense of belonging somewhere.

I have learned so much from all of this research on this matter. I strongly feel that this is something we will come to appreciate in the future, now we have come to implement this into the academic school plans in the high schools across the United States. Who knows what lays in the future, hopefully to implement this in Middle school also as well. Getting a jump start on helping to build that connection between students with their community’s as well as maybe keeping more students in school. Thus really helping students want to complete their high school education and maybe even going on to college as well as we all live in the same community and as such needs to work together. Building our community and its people up and not helping to know it or them down.







Resources:

1.) Academic Requirements for high school students in the Seattle School District (2008)
http://www.seattle.edu

2.) Debates: The Positive and Negative sides to community service and students (2007)
http://www.browardschools.com

3.) Candler, K. : Statistical Analysis Report for improvement on Education System (1997
http://www.ed.gov/NCES/NHES

4.) Haley, Alex (Author of Roots, 1977): Quoted as saying; “A Community is built up by the People in it and as such work together to build it along with the people up, not down.