The only complaint I heard at the ninth grade Applied Technology final exhibition was, “Only $3,000? But I want to make a donation to every organization!” I had to agree. It was a dilemma, and a frustrating one, at that. Do you give your money to HALE (Hispanic Americans Learning English), the organization which teaches young Spanish-speaking children on John’s
On evenings and weekends, I’m often immersed in my own service-learning projects. I’m part of the PTO of my son’s elementary school. I’m active in a group working for improved public schools in my city, and—not education-related but definitely community-building—I’m creating a community garden with neighbors. Added to work and family time, all of these commitments sometimes seem maddening. Where
I had no idea when I started this experience how much real learning I would actually do. So much of the understanding of something is not found in a book or classroom experience. It was only when I could actually experience the learning that it held true understanding and meaning for me. –Excerpt from a Quest student’s reflection. In 2000,