Issue #4 Fall 2009
English 2010 Students Learn through Service
John Engler, Lecturer, Assistant Director, USU Writing Program
Ben, Special Olympics athlete, is helped by Jen, an Engligh 2010 student

Susan Andersen, lecturer in the English Department and Assistant Director of the Writing Center, has been using service-learning in her English 2010 and Connections classes for three years. She is part of a group of dedicated English faculty members whose service-learning assignments have given some 3,000 students the opportunity to engage in tens of thousands of hours of service-related learning since 2005. Hers is an account of students (and an instructor) who find new passion brought to the classroom:

The melodic sounds of “Silent Night” drift through the halls of the Ray B. West building as Rosalie plays her cello in room 311. She’s recently completed several hours of service, assisting children with cello instruction at Ellen Eccles School, and now she’s serenading her English 2010 class as part of her presentation.

Brian seeks out information about the USU chapter of Engineers Without Borders—and ends up in Uganda.

Elliot readies the refreshment stations at the Salt Lake City Marathon in the wee hours of the morning (actually he hasn’t slept at all). It’s bittersweet; the marathon raises money for the Huntsman Institute, and Elliot’s mother has recently survived breast cancer, but the cancer has metastasized to her brain.

Jen and Heather spend their Saturday helping Special Olympic athletes like Ben compete in races. They bring pictures to share with the class, encourage us to run our own race, and present us all with candy “gold” medals to wear around our necks.

What are these students doing? They are all involved in service-learning. During the past three years, the students in my English 2010 classes have logged more than 1,000 hours in service, but those hours are just the beginning.

The students also reflect on their service and regale me and their fellow students with a multimedia presentation and an essay. These are my favorite days in class, when it all comes together: the service enriches those who are served; the serving student grows in self-awareness, skills, and compassion (all of which look good on a resume); and students bond more deeply with each other, the University, and the community.

Students learn by doing. Through these service-learning opportunities, the commitment to learning and serving continues throughout life.

Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that has." Yes, indeed, and we are seeing these thoughtful, committed citizens right here on our USU campus.

For additional accounts of students’ service-learning experiences in English 2010, see the early stages of a collection of audio essays on the English Department website: http://newenglish.usu.edu/podcasts.aspx.

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