Today was the last day of school before our spring break, timed to coincide with Passover. Part of the mission of our school is to instill civic responsibility in our students. One of the ways we do this is organized Tik Days. Tikkun olam is translated as “repairing the world.” On Tik Days, students and teachers engage in various volunteer activities. I decided to go to PAWS Atlanta, an animal shelter. I cleaned, lined, and filled litter boxes, played with kitties, and shoveled mulch into a wheelbarrow so the other volunteers could put it on the dog walk. I was so tired! I had to take a nap when I got home. It was fun, and I decided if there is some way to organize it, then all schools should require community service for their students. It was really great working alongside my students. They worked so hard, and they were so enthusiastic. They did whatever was asked of them, and I know the PAWS staff was really impressed with them.
Our other students divided themselves between cleaning up at local cemetery, volunteering at a food bank, and a gardening project (I cannot, I’m sorry to say, remember the particulars on that last). I’m really impressed with how much our students do for their community. It really makes me proud — as proud as if I were their own parents, I think.
That sounds like a lot of fun, and good for your personal sense of well-being at the same time. I was just discussing volunteer work with my new boss today, but I hadn't thought of the humane society. You should be proud of your kids. 🙂
That would be a great idea for all schools to require some sort of community service – at all levels. The only time kids in my high school would do this was when they were required to fill out university applications. Littlier kids should also be introduced to volunteering.
Our school has a mandatory Senior Project. Seniors must, throughout the school year, put in about 500 hours of volunteer time at the same place. Then a few of them are chosen to do a presentation before the School Board. Others do their presentations in front of the administration, parents, and teachers during a formal evening event. It's quite impressive.