In The Service of What? Kahne & Westheimer

Extended Comments- Namita's Blog

“To be critical thinkers, students must be able to consider arguments that justify conclusions that conflict with their own predispositions and self-interest.” 
Interestingly enough, I found this quote to be the most significant quote in the whole reading. I think it is interesting how Namita and I both found this quote to be significant, and also how we both have a similar feeling on this quote. Students MUST be able to understand what they are learning and why is is significant to their future lives. They also MUST be able to understand their beliefs on a certain topic and realize that these beliefs can conflict with that is best of their self-interest.
“The experiential and interpersonal components of service learning activities can achieve the first crucial step toward diminishing the sense of “otherness” that often separates students—particularly privileged students—from those in need.  In so doing, the potential to develop caring relationships is created.” 
Namita makes a great point in this quote, bringing up how service learning teaches us the understand on what it is like to work with students in order to become future educators or youth workers. Personally, I agree with this idea totally, service learning provides the opportunity to really feel what it is like to work with students with different backgrounds of life. I can relate this to my current service learning project because in just three short weeks I have already gained some important knowledge of how to work with students of different backgrounds to make activities as successful as they can be.

Namita's blog felt like it could have been one of my own, I really loved her quote choices...as I feel like I would have personally hand picked some of these quotes from the text to use in my own blog. I loved how these large quotes were also broken down into simple terms by Namita, and I agree with all of the points she made. Service learning is a life changing experience as it helps students grasp an understand on working with students of different ages, backgrounds, and knowledge levels.