Service Learning Reflection
by :Qin Tian Cheng(26) 3I
I did not attend the service learning with the class but I made up for it by going to all saints home during the holidays and serving as a volunteer. This is my reflection.
PRE REFLECTION
Prior to the visit, I was nervous of course. It being the first time I ever went to an Old Folks, I was not sure what to expect. A large part of my anxiety came from thinking about how to communicate with the old folks. Language was definitely one issue, especially since quite a number of the elderly spoke in their dialects. Another issue that loomed large on my mind was the contrast in mindsets we would have to deal with. We were after all ,generations apart, and common topics were not easy to be found. I hoped that our visit would not just be a superficial one, where we simply went there to go through the motions, for the sake of CIP hours. After all, if you were there already, why not give it your best shot? All in all, I was not in a very positive frame of mind, but I hoped that things would turn out fine.
POST REFLECTION
On the whole, I felt that the visit was a bit of a letdown. The management of the Home seemed more inclined to using me as a manual worker, as they made me run up and down the home, carrying and labelling boxes. Apparently, their flag day was coming up, and thus they needed us to assist them. I was assigned to a group with 3 students from Dunman secondary, and I had to work with them for the afternoon. I was not given any opportunity to communicate with the elderly there, and I felt that this was the biggest disappointment of all. Who goes to an Old Folks home and not have a chance to talk to the old folks there? It defeats the purpose of the whole excursion. However, when we inquired, the management’s reply was that they needed more people for the organization of their flag day. I left the home with a sore feeling. 6 easily earned CIP hours, fair enough, but surely is this what Community Involvement is about?
POST REFLECTION
On the whole, I felt that the visit was a bit of a letdown. The management of the Home seemed more inclined to using me as a manual worker, as they made me run up and down the home, carrying and labelling boxes. Apparently, their flag day was coming up, and thus they needed us to assist them. I was assigned to a group with 3 students from Dunman secondary, and I had to work with them for the afternoon. I was not given any opportunity to communicate with the elderly there, and I felt that this was the biggest disappointment of all. Who goes to an Old Folks home and not have a chance to talk to the old folks there? It defeats the purpose of the whole excursion. However, when we inquired, the management’s reply was that they needed more people for the organization of their flag day. I left the home with a sore feeling. 6 easily earned CIP hours, fair enough, but surely is this what Community Involvement is about?
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