Perfect Model Essay On Service-Learning Reflection Paper

As a part of my learning service, I volunteered to teach English to some children whose parents had recently immigrated to the country. I handled four such children and learnt a lot through my interaction with the children and their parents for three months. First, I learnt some active listening skills. I had to be a careful listener to every word the children said so that I could understand them since they had come from a French-speaking nation and they could only speak very Basic English. I also learnt to be patient with children and adults as I waited for them to write simple English sentences, pronounce some words well and hold conservations in English. I acquired some knowledge of child psychology, and one of the most important things I learnt was the importance of smiling, nodding and maintaining eye contact with a learner or a child to reassure them that they would succeed in whatever challenging issue they wanted to learn.
I feel great to have helped some people to not only learn a new language but learn some new culture and adapt to that culture in a relatively short period. I say so because learning a language entails learning about a culture and it can be very challenging. The success that we had gave me the courage to take on other similar challenges in the future. I feel encouraged that the strategies that I put in place worked well. I am for instance happy to have planned my lessons with the children very well and that we covered all the bits that I planned to include in each of the sessions we held.
I believe that people can help those relocating to their country or region by teaching them the local language and culture. Although these people may have paid a professional tutor to teach them the new language, they would appreciate obtaining some assistance from a volunteer. The faster people learn a new language and culture, the more they feel comfortable to call their new country home. They become happier and more productive leading them to contribute positively to the development of their new environment. However, when people take too long to adapt to a local language and culture, they may feel alienated and develop some vices much to the disadvantage of the society in which they live.
I all I believe that people can make people new in their areas comfortable by engaging them in social activities say inviting them to neighborhood meetings. They may also teach the people the local language and culture if they may. In addition, they can also keep close contact with such people. Initially, it may be uncomfortable to invite total strangers to one's house for dinner but in a few days, one can gather the courage to orient new people into a new neighborhood.
I have learnt that I am very passionate about people and seeing them happy. I derived a lot of satisfaction to see the children learn phrase after phrase of the English language. I felt great to hear the children pronounce English words correctly and with confidence. My goal in life is to impact lives directly and to put smiles on the faces of children. I believe that it is the simple things such as the ability to express oneself through language and culture that make someone feel that they belong, and I value any activity that promotes these things. I feel that human beings are all equal and that diversity of cultures and languages is a gift to mankind.
My understanding of the community has changed as a result of this experience. I understand that everyone can contribute to the betterment of society. I was able to help in the integration of a family into a new society. I have gained experience in teaching and instructing in a manner that I would not have done if I had not volunteered to teach the children and partly their parents.
I plan to continue my involvement in teaching English to those who wish to learn it as a second language especially those immigrating into the country. I will concentrate on small families or small groups so that I can be effective in my delivery. Since I have not trained properly as a teacher, I will continue offering my lessons on a small scale in an informal setting. However, I will seek to improve my skills in instructing and handing learners through the information available online from reliable websites. I will l continue volunteering whenever I can because and influence other people especially my classmates to do so. In order encourage them to take up this task I will tell them about my experience and then given them some tips on how to go about instructing people in a new language. I will also ask for assistance from the instructor to help me raise awareness on the importance of volunteering in such activities.
As a part of my learning service, I volunteered to teach English to some children whose parents had recently immigrated to the country. I taught the children for three months, and they were able to master basic spoken and written English. I am glad that I also managed to orient the children into the local culture. I enjoyed my experience and hope that I can win more people to teach local language to people who have settled in their area especially those used to a foreign language.