Service-Learning Reflection

Overall, I am happy with how the stones had turned out. The plan was to encourage the learners to share awareness on kindness and be the light towards others. While the learners were planting their stones the learners were giving affirmation quotes with the words on their rocks. For example, I am strong, brave and beautiful. We had discussed this before putting the rocks in the garden. I had asked the learners how they felt while putting their rocks in the garden knowing they are doing something good. What I would reflect and improve on is being more creative with how we had placed the stones in the garden. For me it seemed too simple with spreading the rocks out instead we could have made a heart with the rocks in the garden. Placing the rocks on the garden was to spread awareness on being kind to others as well as when someone enters the school grounds, they immediately see these rocks and take a part of Constansia Primary with them. It was to also touch on bullying and how it can affect a child's self-esteem. Children tend to forget that everyone has feelings, and they do certain acts out of anger. It is important as teachers to put a stop to bullying once we have seen it happen and educate the learners about what can bullying can do to people. The service learning has changed me personally because I can see an improvement on the kid's behaviour since we had touch on this topic, and I can slowly see how they are maturing in the manner of standing up for their friends. How it has impacted the school was that the grade 3 learners started talking about it to the other grades because they wanted to know why they were painting the rocks. How I wanted to include the other grades were by sharing an affirmation card and a rock so that they could keep it in their classroom. These are valuable fundamentals that learners need to have when they grow up, it shows how they were raised and how the teacher has impacted these learners' lives. These are morals that need to be instilled in children from a young age so that they can be and make a difference in other children's lives. This idea was created a sense of return to these good-natured manners and value systems. This is definitely a project I will do again but make changes to what I will not do again.