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Article Excerpt
A group of gifted sixth graders, the RIPPLES Gang, and
their teacher sat around the table where they first had discussed the plan to revitalize their town a year earlier. By now a discount drugstore chain had looked at the city council's survey and decided to open a store in the small, rural Georgia town. A supermarket chain also was coming. Two historic buildings the students researched and fought to restore were being renovated. 'What have you learned from all this?' their teacher asked. 'That you have to care enough to do something,' replied Julinna. (Henderson, 1987, p. 46)
The RIPPLES Gang received a Public Service Award from the Department of the Interior for their service-learning project and their outstanding efforts to revitalize their town. On September 26, 1986, the RIPPLES Gang and their teacher walked onto the stage of a large auditorium in Washington, DC, before 300 spectators.
Donald P. Hodel, Secretary of the Interior, read a proclamation: 'This group of perceptive, energetic young people proved the educational system can make a dynamic contribution to the preservation movement and inspire the teamwork necessary to promote change. For their creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance ... the RIPPLES and their inspiring instructor, Alice Terry, are granted the Public Service Award of the Department of the Interior'. When the applause and standing ovation came, so did Alice Terry's tears. Surrounded by her students, she knew that everyone can make a difference. Kids too. We only have to try. (Henderson, 1987, p. 46)
Renzulli (2002) asked what causes some people to use their intellectual, motivational, and creative assets in ways that make a positive difference in the world, whereas others with similar traits become involved in more self-serving enterprises. What can we, as a society, do to produce more individuals like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Rachel Carson, and Martin Luther King? Implementing service-learning programs in schools for our gifted students is one method that might help.
THE HISTORY OF SERVICE IN AMERICA
Service-learning's roots can be traced to community service, a concept that is not new to America. People helping other people is a tradition in America. Generations of Americans have answered the call to service both at home and overseas. They have offered their time, their resources, and, most importantly, their compassion (Kinsley, 1992).
In the formative years when America was primarily an agrarian society, people helping each other was an integral part of the social fabric. Barn building was a social event in the community with everyone helping with the barn raising and enjoying it immensely. Young people were aware of their roles and learned very early to contribute to their community.
In the early 1900s, William James promoted the idea of national service through a nonmilitary, government-sponsored program in which all young men would be conscripted into service to work in foundries, fishing fleets, and coal mines. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in order to pull the country out of the Great Depression. Over 3 million unemployed young men served their country building bridges, national parks, and buildings throughout America until 1942 (Wade, 1997).
Throughout the 1930s, progressives such as John Dewey promoted schools that incorporated the values of social reform and emphasized social and cooperative activities. Connecting schools to community service also was encouraged by William Kilpatrick in the waning years of World War II when he suggested that learning take place in settings outside classroom walls and involve efforts to meet real community needs (Conrad & Hedin; 1991).
Connecting schools to community service is widely known today as service-learning: a method by which students learn and develop through curriculum integration and active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that address needs in their community. Providing structured time for students to think, talk, or write about what they did and observed during a service activity, service-learning also provides opportunities for participants to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities. These activities enhance teaching in school by extending student learning into the community and helping to foster a sense of caring for others (Alliance for Service Learning in Education Reform, 1993).
In November 1990, President George H. Bush signed the first service-learning legislation into law. This legislation, the National and Community Service Act of 1990, created the Commission on National and Community Service. In 1993, President Bill Clinton championed the National and...
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