Date and Time, Service Learning

Cordy Albanese

Dr. Ellis

EN-101

29 Jan 2020

Blog Post #1

            As I am beginning the process of my Service-Learning, the path I have chosen is to attend a weekly 2-hour session with the Bridges Program. I have picked this program to enhance my involvement with the Baltimore community as well as help younger peers receive the academic help in the areas they seek. As I am preparing for this commitment to the community and program, I have analyzed different expectations and challenges within myself as I take on this role. I am hoping to not only make an impact on the peers academically but to also build a meaningful connection with them. I want them to feel as though they have bonded with a college-level student and can gain knowledge and experience with these weekly interactions. I expect to not only benefit them in many ways but to also benefit from them as well. I want my interactions with them to bring me a sense of joy and community, as well as to gain the learning experience of working with kids because that will be my future career. I think it will challenge me to think outside of the box as I am helping these kids as well as challenge my abilities to understand the material myself and what the session means to me. I am hoping to further build my connection not only within the Loyola community but also within the Baltimore community and local schools especially. I am hoping this experience will give me the tools I need to be a better peer, educator, and friend. Service-learning is an important aspect to Loyola Maryland and myself as I further my education. My outlook for this service-learning path is very positive and brings me the excitement that I hope will be fulfilled once I begin my sessions. 

The second third of Date and Time has thirteen separate poems inside. Many of the poems describe what I assume is the author Phil Kaye’s childhood memories. He talks specifically about his struggles with growth in the poem Strength, In Four Parts. His friend called his legs puny and another girl states he is basically a skeleton. Growth whether physical, mental, or spiritual in all aspects of being human. I think the barriers Kaye goes through are similar to the challenges many young adults face. In working with these kids in my service learning I may be able to extend a hand or be an extra set of ears to listen if they have similar struggles to Kaye. Facing challenges described in Kaye’s poems such as depression and self-doubt can make a person feel isolated and lonely at times which can then lead to an academic decline or struggle to thrive socially. I am hoping my role as a mentor/tutor will bring a positive light into their life if they struggle with any of these barriers. I want them to be able to express any help or concerns they may have to me as we grow closer over the semester. The last poem in the second half of Kaye’s book is titled The Appreciation Meditation. This poem states different things Kaye is thankful for in everyday life, even the small things. This helped me to see the meaning behind my service-learning path and how this experience and opportunity is something to be thankful for. Throughout Kaye’s book, he writes about many different things that he has experienced from childhood to adulthood. As a young adult, I myself can relate to some of these discussion topics and struggles that Kaye talks about. All human beings face challenges they must overcome. I think this is important to talk about so people, especially teenagers, who are going through many different changes and may not know that it is normal or that they can reach out for help through hard times. This third of the book was very interesting to me and helped me make connections between the topics discussed, myself, and my service-learning path I have chosen.