I originally published the following article in the February 2013 issue of AMLE'S Middle Ground. The content includes an description of an ongoing international experiential program which incorporates global education, character education, and service-learning curriculum. My research in this area comprises two decades of work in independent education. If you prefer to read the article online, I have included the following link:
http://teachlearnlead.weebly.com/edu-ruminations.html
Character development programs in schools run the risk of being rendered as tangential fragments of a larger school curriculum. If not kept at the forefront of a school’s community, character development of students is treated as separate from the larger purpose of a school’s mission. In a 2005 national report by the Character Education Partnership, Berkowitz, and Bier wrote, “character education is foundational, a different way of going about the business of education, rather than another add-on to the already over-packed school day”. Well-intentioned service-learning programs suffer a similar fate when relegated to nothing more than a graduation requirement. If students are to be impacted by such programs, they need time to process, reflect, and practice the lessons learned about character and service. There is a natural, and often overlooked, connection between service-learning experiences, character education initiatives, curriculum, and school culture. Though I have worked in several wonderful schools over the years, The Bement School’s 9th grade residency in the Dominican Republic distinguishes itself as a program that perfectly weaves together curriculum, character, and service. Before detailing the features of this program, allow me to provide some historical context.
In 1996, while working as a language and culture teacher at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, a colleague approached me to gauge my interest in serving as his proxy to lead a small group of committed students for a 3 month community service trek to San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic. While in country, I was charged with teaching Caribbean culture classes for my students and assisting them in attaining internships in various social service agencies. Their work posts included elementary schools, orphanages, clinics, and hospitals. Each of my students was radically transformed by their time in the Dominican Republic, but it was my own experience that forever altered my pedagogical philosophies and the ways in which I approached character development in my students.
Now, some 18 years later, I understand the enduring lessons of that initial trip with crystal clear clarity and have drawn upon those lessons to design numerous character education and leadership programs that are grounded in international service-learning experiences. In two decades of doing this work, I have led over 300 students and adults to live and work in orphanages throughout the Dominican Republic. I have witnessed their personal growth through the stories they tell, the reflections they offer, the obstacles they overcome, and the post-trip lives they choose to lead.
To read the entire article, please visit the following link:
http://teachlearnlead.weebly.com/edu-ruminations.html