This Experience

This experience has been incredibly amazing for me. I have had such an amazing time that I have decided to continue in my volunteering next semester. Before this, I would say that I cared little about kids or being in that type of environment, however now I have an entirely new outlook on how everyone's persepective is important paticularly kids. I also realize after reflecting on past discussions and blogs, how before I was so wrapped up in my own 'story' if you will, that I rarely paid attention to the stories of others not realizing how the stories of others were so entwined with my own. I also realize now that by learning about others and including them in my life, that my own story becomes enriched. So often we are racing to the invisible finish line in life, not knowing exactly what that enatils that we miss the things that are truly important and actually make the experience.
I was debating at first whether or not I should take this class, but now there is no question that this has ultimately affected and changed me for the better. I have found friendships with people and learned that sometimes just being there for people, and caring about what they think makes all the difference.

The Invisibile Man

I think that it is sometimes very hard for one person to make a change within a society-- but I won't say that it is impossible because there are always exceptions. I get frustrated sometimes in society, because I feel like even if people know that change needs to happen or wants change to happen won't go for it, because it isn't the popular idea at the time, or they wait for it to become a trend. Like take this whole going green thing for example- five or even ten years ago who really cared about how much they wasted as long as they got what they wanted? But now that celebrities are 'going green' and it is suddenly the posh thing to do. The problem is, how do you make what is right or what needs to be done, popular? How does the idea suddenly catch hold of people, even when sometimes the need for it is so plain to see?
I think the reason why I feel like the 'invisible man' can no longer promote change in our society is the fact that as a whole we no longer value what we stand for-- they value what we appear to be. Everyone wants to follow what the celebrities are doing and care little to know the motivations behind their actions, and all too often we overlook many ordinary people we may pass by everyday who may have something really good to contribute- they are just waiting for someone to listen.

There are many reasons why I think it is important to share the stories of the children that I am working with. Just the other day we were discussing the behavior of one of the children, and until then I could not understand why she acted the way she did-- she was always out of control even when she had been warned not to be. It came to my attention that she does not have the greatest home life, and essentially the staff are the closest thing to real parents she has. and that when she acted out, it was merely a way for someone to pay attention to her even if it was negative attention.
In her book ,Nussbaum argues that it is very important to learn about others, but to really understand where they are coming from and the facts of their lives because this inevitiably will affect their behaviors and motivations. All too often, we only focus on our own experiences and our feelings and lose sight that there are many possible experiences. I think that it is this understanding of other people and knowing their stories that makes us want to help them even more. After finding out about the little girl's home life, only made me want to help her more, and her acting out made so much more sense to than it did before.
Before this service class, I had little patience for children and thought that anyone who chose to have a profession dealing with them was insane. Now I am finding myself very attached to the kids, and it breaks my heart thinking that after this year, I will never see them again! I work at a place here in Dubuque, which allows me to see the public all of the time. I have seen some of the kids from my class in with their families, and the lack of concern or attention that the children are getting in some cases makes me want them to know how much I enjoy helping out in their class that much more. I want to be someone that they know cares about what happens to them and wants to hear what they have to say.

Reflection On Service So Far

I am really starting to make connections with the kids and even the teacher whose room I am in, the more time I spend there. I have seen the kids out in public at the grocery store and they are always so happy to see me-- so it is visibally making a difference. Lately there has been talk (of which I don't think I was supposed to hear) about the treatment of some of the kids by their parents at home. One of the employees saw a mother and son out in public and witnessed just horrible behavior of the mother in regards to the son. She said that the little boy was kind of ashamed about the behavior and tried to pass it off as if nothing happened when they both returned to school the next day. It is just so hard for me to imagine a child taking on something like that all alone.
We have also had some bad luck as far as some of the other aides (none from Loras) showing up on a regular basis and following through on what they say they will do. I have found that it is really hard not to want to show up, and have actually considered volunteering next semester in the same classroom as well, because I am really getting attached to the kids.
As we were on our way to the school the other day, we actually got to take Kneist Street for a little ways, and it is so hard to imagine that soon some of that will not even exist anymore. I started to wonder as we were driving if any of the kids from class lived there, and if they did what would become of them-- like where would they go to school or where will they end up living?
Like I said, so far I have had just a really positive experience with this project and it is something I would have never done had I not had this class. It has made me wish that I would have gone for teaching instead of psychology :)

Catholicism and Dorthy Day

I think that one of the main things that I have learned about Catholicism since coming to Loras, is the importance of the individual, this idea is also emphasized in the book we read for class. We always talk about how important it is that we contribute to those around us, and I think that sometimes it is hard for us to truly comprehend the impact that our actions make upon others. When I was younger, I went to a Catholic school and much of the volunteer work that we became involved in was in a group setting and usually was only a day project. I think one of the things I am enjoying most about our service opportunities in this class, is the ability to form lasting relationships with people. It's been so interesting to see how placing the emphasis on those you are working with, even above the actual work itself, yields such amazing results. I am working with kids in a local elementary, and the fact of the matter is that the kids do not care that I am helping them learn patterns or working on numbers with them, they are just excited to have someone there to spend time with.
One of the things that really stuck out for me with the Dorthy Day book (as you can already tell) was the idea that the whole basis for the Catholic Workers Movement was the idea of the individual and that the means to the end would somehow work itself out. So many times in the society that we leave in, we are jaded by things that seem good on the surface but have alterior motives. So many times we see charities or other foundations with the mask of christianity or sometimes Catholicism that we later find only contribute a small fraction of what is donated to them. There are many other examples, but I think the point I am trying to get at is recently these types of foundations or work gets discredited, and it is important to remember what it started as. The original idea was that when change was needed to benefit others, strides were taken by certain individuals to make that change because it was the right thing to do. So many people today worry more about making themselves look good through the work that they do, or the gain they themselves will obtain instead of the people that they are trying to help.

Politics

When I use the term politics, I think of it as a system in which decisions are made in order to govern a group of people; this can be in government, schools, workplaces, religious groups etc. I also think of social politics in which connections are made in order to advance oneself or gain friendships. The author in the book is trying to convey his idea of politics, which is that it is too ideological for government or 'politics' to really benefit the individual. I think he is trying to say that these ideologies prove too simplistic or one-dimensional to serve people who are simply more complex than what those simple ideologies can serve. He also is trying to convey the fact that sometimes by putting ourselves under institutions that we think are working to better us or liberate us, we are actually restricting our personal freedoms more.
The second week of service went really well. I am suprised at how vastly different the children are both in what their backgrounds are, but also in personality and ability. the children are responding really well to having someone there to help out, and the staff keep expressing how grateful they are to have someone there to help, so already this early in I feel as though I making a difference.

This Weeks Service

This week I began at Marshall Elementary. Walking up to the building, I could not believe how different it was from the elementary school that I attended-- with the chain link fencing and the door locked to the public without first announcing who you are. I also notice that the surrounding area is quite different than the one surrounding my old school. Meeting everyone there was really fun-- I really think that I am going to enjoy this semester. The school itself is quite a bit smaller than the one I attended- and it is public (I attended private.) The library where I will be helping out sometimes, was very small. There also isn't an acutal cafeteria, instead they use the gym. I haven't really gotten to really interact with the kids I will be working with yet. However, I did get to interact with the staff and I think this will be a really great experience. They all seemed truly appreciative of the fact that people are willing to volunteer there, and we were told thank you over and over. As we get more into the semester, I think I will be able to talk more about the experience.

Service and Religion

I feel as though Loras being a private Catholic college has helped prepare all of us to be socially active and has also laid the groundwork for a life of service. I think that the big thing about this is that Loras always stresses how important it is, not only as Catholics but as human beings, to contribute our part to society. The various opportunities that we have here for service trips, fundraisers, volunteer work, etc is really great and exoses to many different ways in which we can become involved. By holding us personally accountable (unlike other public universities ) to have not only a service learning class but to actually volunteer is really great. This way, we get a feel for community and what impact we truly have upon others. It also makes us realize that even in 2009 we can still depend upon those around us for help and this sense of community isn't lost, like it sometimes feels.
I have volunteered in the past, but I don't know that I would have volunteered here in Dubuque without this class. I feel like this is going to be a really positive experience in which we are going to be able to see some of the direct effects that our presence and our time has created within the community, of people that I otherwise would never have met.
I agree with the book in the sense that we become too entrenched in tradition and become so comfortable with them that we never question or evolve those ideas. By becoming too stuck in paticular ideas or ways of thinking, we sometimes limit ourselves to what we can become exposed to. When we start to question the whys behind the tradition, we may find that we don't completely agree with them or least not in totality. The traditions of the Catholic church were primarily formed in a time that did not face the same social issues that we face today in 2009, and sometimes I feel that these traditions can become outdated.
I think that overall, Catholic insitutions really help to cultivate the individual not only intellectually but also through forming strong characters. I think that even people who are not Catholic get just as much benefit as those who are.

Preparing to leave: What will I face?

Looking at graduation and realizing that it is going to be closer than I think scares me incredibly. I have so many doubts about myself and what I really have to offer others, because I have never been in the position in which I am not affiliated with a school. No longer will I be a student, but I will be a contributing member of society, and one who is ultimately held more responsible for their actions. I know that what I do have to offer, is at least the attempt with the very best intentions to help others. While I am not 100% sure of what all I am capable of, as I have not had to prove myself yet-- I do know that I will do everything in my power to help others.
There are a number of things that one will ultimately face as they enter the so called "real world". Oftentimes they may not be huge social issues on the whole scale of things, but they are there nonetheless. I feel sometimes like the narrator of The Invisible Man, invisible. Not for the same reasons as he however. I feel like people sometimes look at people our age as lazy, or not caring about things like they really do. They look at some of us with a stereotype without looking for the deeper story, they assume things about me and then draw their own conclusions. I have often found that me being a quiet, shy, female college student many people find me incapable of things and many times are later proven wrong. In internships or other volunteer work I have done, I have been told that when they initially met me they thought I was either a stupid sororitygirl or they assumed I was too selfish to volunteer and help anyone-- but after getting to know me, knew I was completely different.
I also find that I worry too much about what others think and sometimes that prevents me from doing what I truly think is right; I think that the wealthy man's son was right when he told the narrator that Blesdoe did him a favor by making all the wealthy men shun him-- for he could truly be free when he wasn't worried about their opinion. And like the narrator, I sometimes feel like I don't openly question things even when I know things are wrong the way they are, I am simply too afraid to voice my opinion for fear of the backlash. Obviously there are huge differences between he and I and what we have encountered; not only does he live in another region than I, he is a different gender, and race. Ultimately we may have some of the same thoughts or feelings, but the way in which the world views and approaches us will be different because of the stereotypes they have previously conceived.

Liberal Arts Education

Liberal Arts educations I believe develop a person as a whole vs. cultivating them for a paticular course of study that you would find in a technical or vocational school. They care just as much about the individual outside the classroom as they do the student.
Right now, I have two senior capstone courses. Both have called upon me to recall what I have learned here at Loras College and how it has shaped me both as an individual and a student of the college.The list that we created as a class included critical thinking, original thought, analytical skills, and devoloping ourselves ethically (it included a whole lot of other stuff, but these were what I found relevant for this post). I think that all these characteristcis are important when looking at the service project that we now face.
For one, we can look at a situation and understand how to accomplish the goal that we set for ourselves. In our respective areas of volunteering when will inevitably face situations that will require us to think outside the box in order to achieve what we set out to do. This applies to the world outside of school or service as well. We are able to call upon knowledge from different areas and learn how to incorporate that in order to come up with a solution, whereas students of a vocational or trade school are limited in their knowledge of certain things.
As students of this liberal arts college in paticular, we are held to a higher standard (in my biased opinion) of learning how our actions affect others, and our responsiblity to society. The very dispositions of our college call us to become ethical decision makers and responsible contributers-- the dispositions themselves are self explanatory of the importance to service.
Naussbaum challenges us to question what is not right and do something to change that. I feel that is something we should practice throughout our lives

Wisdom- Why it relates

Wisdom to me is not just the collection of certain knowledge or skills, it is something that is used in discretion. It can be life experience or knowledge learned from books; either way it is something that ultimately makes one more aware of and understanding of their environment.
Wisdom is an excellent place to start, as people who are wise typically can understand the true causes to a problem, and the correct ways in which to remedy it. In this class we as a group will eventually be presented with a project-- a way to bring identity to the neighborhood, and we as a group will find a solution. Wise people also typically act in a way that is consistent with their personal moral or ethical beliefs. As we go into this, we must realize that while although we may gain something through this time we are ultimately there for others, and act in ways that benefit them and not necessarily ourselves, because it is the right thing to do.
People who are wise are also self-aware; they know their own limitations and abilities and how best to use them. By giving the best of ourselves and truly attempting to make the most of this experience, we can (however corny this may sound) make a difference, no matter how small it is in comparison to the larger scale.

A Little About Me

My name is Katie, I am a 21 yr. old attending Loras College in Dubuque, IA. For the last three years I have been involved in the Honors program here at the college, and our capstone class is Service Learning. For this class, we as a group are going to volunteer in a certain neighborhood here in town individually, and then collaborate on a final project. I have volunteered before in my hometown, where I knew everyone and felt comfortable, this will be an interesting journey in which I will encounter new faces and situations, and will hopefully learn a little bit about myself along the way.
In the past, I have volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters, neighborhood cleanups, an after school mentoring program, and a group that helped those in need after a major storm. All of these programs were based out of my hometown, which like I said is very small and everyone typically knows one another. The neighboorhoods back home are all very similar middleclass neighborhoods without much diversity.
Since coming to Loras I feel that I have been prepared well for connecting to the outside world, through learning the dispositions of the college. Here we are encouraged to cultivate ourselves to become resonsible contributers, and at the same time ethical decision makers. We know not only what we should do, we follow through on it.
My trip through the Washington neighborhood on Elm street was an interesting one. As my group was walking, a family sitting on their porch actually heckeled us a bit and it made me quite uncomfortable. It was also very interesting to see these nice banks in contrast to some of the abandoned and dilipadated houses next to them.