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.