Second Blog Post: KK Shauh

I am incredibly eager to begin our service learning experience in this class. I did not know that this would be apart of the curriculum at first, however, when I saw it on the syllabus I was excited and perplexed. In all my years of taking english courses, never once was it tied into community service. The majority of my community service in middle school and high school was centered around bringing music to underprivileged elementary schools and retirement homes as well as volunteering at soup kitchens or participating in beach cleanups through outside organizations. The service opportunities at my old school were never put into course curriculum and now that I have this opportunity I could not be more thrilled especially because I love working with younger students.

In high school one of the most fun times of the week was giving violin lessons on Fridays and peer tutoring on Thursdays. I had the chance to connect with kids through activities and subjects I am passionate about while simultaneously helping them learn. Looking back, what I remember about high school is not that assignment I failed or aced, but rather the experiences I had such as community service and I believe it will turn out to be the same when I look back on college memories. Every day we go to class, do homework, study, etc. and not much stands out about that. Adding an experience where I get to go and spend time teaching kids to read and write, even if it just for one afternoon per week, makes the day-to-day grind much more special and fulfilling.

I am not at all a skilled reader or writer and in all honestly, most of the time I choose not to do it if given the choice, This was not the case when I was younger. Reading was one of my favorite activities to do on the weekends before high school began and when there was enough time in the day to do it. Nowadays, when I have a free moment it is spent with friends or taking a nap because free time does not come as easily anymore and my energy seems to go away faster than before. I hope to show these younger students the fun side of reading and writing and make it a hobby instead of a task. Reading and writing can be a wonderful creative outlet that helps calm our minds from the chaotic world around us and many times this is exactly what we need. Thus, I also hope that through this service experience, I learn to make time for it instead of waiting for time to free itself up.