My First Post

I've never really made a blog post before, so I guess I'll just keep it brief. Just like the rest of my group, I haven't gotten a chance to volunteer at the Village Branch for Homework help, so I'll focus on what I've learned about the organization.
    Village Branch Homework help was made to, well. help with homework. Kids from the area around the Village Branch of the Lexington public library can come from 4 to 8 Monday through Thursday. The volunteers, such as  my groupmates and I, will be assigned to a kid, and we will help them with whatever homework they need, and when they finish, we will go on to help another kid.
    I believe that I am scheduled to volunteer this Thursday, so I hope that when I go, it will be a rewarding experience for me and everyone else involved. I'm not normally the volunteering type, or even the kids type, but last summer, I was involved with a feeding program for underprivileged kids while I was in the Governor's Scholars Program, which actually turned out to be fun, and educational as well. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my class and I would walk out to a local park and assist adult volunteers with providing kids with lunches and handing out free books, or even performing science experiments for them.
    I believe that this organization provides a great opportunity to all kids, but especially to low income kids, who may not have as many chances to get help with their studies as kids who can afford tutors. One of the most prevalent issues in today's society is the massive number of low income families, so anything that can help them to turn around their situation is a massive plus.
   

Beginning Reflection

I have not yet volunteered at the Lexington Public Library-Village Branch, but the more I research the facility the more enthused I become about being a volunteer there. As I have emailed back and forth with Heather Prichard, our contact within the library, and the more I research the facility, the more I see that this opportunity will a great experience to work with children who need the extra help, and with great staff at the library.

        As a full time student with a job that has varying hours, my schedule is not the easiest to work with, but Heather Prichard has been nothing but accommodating and patient, which is pretty impressive considering I sent her three different emails initially in regards to my work hours. As long as we could settle on a day of the week and time to help the children, Heather did not seem inconvenienced by my emails.

         The amount of information on the Lexington Public Library’s website, http://www.lexpublib.org, is very impressive coupled with the site being so easy to navigate through. What I was most impressed by was the amount of resources and opportunities they offer to the public other than checking out book and children in need. Just a few to mention are Book Buddies, where they deliver books for to permanently home-bound adults, and a language service that teaches people English, Spanish, and even Japanese for those who want to enhance their language skills. Along with their home website, the Lexington Pubic Library is very active on Facebook with over 5,000 likes and a 4.7/5 rating from people who use the library. The Facebook page allows people to stay actively up-to-date with the recent and upcoming events and opportunities that the library gives the public.

         I have always had a passion for children and being a positive influence on their lives, hence my intended career as a pediatric nurse. So, being able to influence these children in a positive manner academically and aiding in teaching them the skills, such as literacy, to succeed in their lives is a very exciting thing for me. Heather has made it clear that some of the children I will work with may not have the total support at home needed to fully grasp some concepts they are being taught at school, and I am more than happy to be the one granted the opportunity to help fill in the gaps.

Service Learning introduction

Lexington Public Library
from lexpublib.org

Service Learning: Homework Help Program at the Lexington Public Library

by Kendall Myers

            This semester, my fellow peers and I will begin volunteering at the Lexington Public Library. The Village Branch has a program for helping children with their homework, and this is where my partners and I will be serving. The homework help program serves over 2,100 students per semester, and the demand for volunteers is growing. As volunteers, we will be serving as a tutor for one on one sessions open to children anywhere from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

            The kids we are serving need help in a variety of subjects, from social studies to math to science, so we have to be flexible as volunteers in the ways we help them, all the while understanding our limits in how much we know about each individual subject. Students can be struggling academically because they are being overlooked in the school system, because they have learning disorders, or even because they are too shy to ask questions in class. Some students may not only need help understanding content, but also in being confident in their intellectual abilities. This confidence can be encouraged by volunteers who are positive and patient.

             My classmates and I can positively impact the community through this program. As academically successful students ourselves, it is our social responsibility to reproduce the resources and attention we were once given that allowed us to excel. The library staff cannot singlehandedly maintain the homework help center alongside their duties for running the library. Volunteers are needed to continue this program, and in serving the library, they also positively influence the youth of Lexington, teaching a love for reading and learning, and providing kids with positive role models who lead them to excel academically. Our small amount of time spent there may impact someone for a life time. 

Pre-Volunteer Reflection

As I have yet to find time in my schedule to volunteer at the Lexington Public Library, I truly am looking forward to my first opportunity to volunteer. The library is the perfect service learning organization for me because I genuinely love to work and interact with kids. I appreciate having the opportunity to positively-influence a young kid within the realm of education, because I see a lot of importance in pursuing knowledge and constantly bettering yourself scholastically. I hope to be able to provide help to a young student who may not get the same kind of help with their homework at home.

I also look forward to being able to get more involved within the community in Lexington outside of the University of Kentucky's campus. I love Lexington, so I'll take advantage of any chance I have to give back to the city. 

The service learning organization itself seems to be very well-organized and put together. The times to volunteer are Monday-Thursday from 4-8, and Heather Prichard, the contact we’ve been connected with, was able to inform us that volunteers are needed most around 6. I’m impressed by the flexible schedule of the organization, which makes it easier for us to all find time to drop in and volunteer.

While the website is very organized and informative about the services that the library offers, and the calendar can keep viewers aware of upcoming events, one convenient feature caught my attention. There is a mobile app available called “lexpublib2go,” through which you can search the library’s catalog for books, movies, and music. This impressed me because it shows that the library itself is concerned with branching out and becoming more conveniently-accessible for the public through social media. Below is an attached link for the webpage that gives information about the app:

Lexington Public Library mobile app

Beginning Post

I'm not sure how to write about the service learning experience specifically about the library, because as of my writing of this post I have not yet gone there, so instead I'll write about service learning in general.  Oftentimes in the past, it's been relegated to "clean the lake" or "remove graffiti from this school" or something else like that, where it's something that won't stay permanent.  there will always be more trash around the lake, and graffiti will always pop up, no matter how many people you try to have to clean it up.  Something like this, where I'm volunteering in a Library to help kids, can have a permanent effect.  I've tutored in the past and helped others with work, and even taught small groups.  Doing things like that is why I want to be a teacher.  I could care less about the cleanliness of a lake (coming from an Eagle Scout), but if I can have just one person say that I affected their life in a way that inspired them to become a historian, or a mathematician, or a chemist, or do something productive for this world, I'll be content that I have done my job and contributed to society.  That is what I feel this opportunity can afford me.  I look forward to something more like this, that actually has the potential to matter in the long run.

http://www.lexpublib.org/
Their website is extremely organized, and lists their services and programs.  I don't know how many people take part in them, but the mere fact that there are so many programs is indicative that plenty of people take advantage of this resource.  It seems very successful and dedicated to helping kids grow and develop to be ready for high school, college, and beyond.