Service Learning

Every year the school’s expectations are raised for students, taking time away from the other activities students need. Test scores are raised and more requisites are added into each grade. The district dismisses physical activity and instead makes time for courses such as math, sciences, and language arts. Today, fifth graders only do physical activity once every two weeks. Even though,creating time to improve their low academic grades, is extremely important the school is also damaging the students by denying them their lawful recreational time. When I began volunteering in Lilian J. Rice Elementary, I noticed how the fifth grade classes lack physical activity. They have little time during the day to exercise, and sometimes that time is taken away to cover for the other subjects. ErinDugan, fifth grade instructor at Rice Elementary, emphasizes, “The school district mandated to greatly reduce the time of physical activity due to the students low test scores.” Furthermore, taking away that much time from the students’ physical itinerary can result in an impact on their lifestyle and health drastically. After school is over many children don’t exercise at home after a long dayin school, leaving them without any physical activity. Although, Rice Elementary School is going through academic hardships, their students physical activity needs should be increased because it would improve test scores, helps them release stress, improve their health reducing the chances of obesity at such a young age.
Technology has come to facilitate many things in our life, yet it has alsochanged many patterns in our lifestyle. Before technology popularity around young adults, children would play outside without complaint, be thrilled by the idea of board games, and enjoyed running around. Today, children’s concerns mainly rely on the new TV shows, consoles, video games, and the new electronic devices that are released. It is not only about the way our children are being affectedat home, it is also about how they are being affected in the classroom environment. Manuel Gonzalez-Teran, a business student, expresses his feelings about technology in the educational system; “I firmly believe that technology could improve our education, but sometimes it is used inefficiently, and it can hurt our students’ performance in school and their health.” It all began by the greatcritical thinkers during the enlightening era, and then children whose families could afford school had the ability to become educated individuals. Later on, standards changed and public schools were created; more children had the chance to join school. Lastly, after several years schools began being mandatory. Currently, the district adds more topics to each grade, creating a greater load for students.Omar Orihuela, EOPS Supervisor, insists, “Exercise has become obsolete for children because of technology and the lack of school funding.” Furthermore, children are now excited by the idea of spending hours sitting and watching television, and/or playing in gaming consoles. Gonzalez declares, “Many things have changed since we were kids. I remember playing hide and seek during my afternoons,today I see my young cousins spending their time in their iPad and iPod, including me.” Throughout the years technology has come to change our lives, and we also have become dependent of technology. I proposed to reinstate daily. Physical activity in Lilian J. Rice Elementary, to avoid the students’ mental and physical health be compromised.
Lilian J. Rice Elementary School is facing scholasticissues due to the student’s poor academic achievements like low test scores in Mathematics. Therefore the school decided to take over their weekly physical activity time in order to improve their students’ educational outcomes. Children are likely to get easily distracted, therefore it is good to implement some recreational time in between classes. This action will help student come into the...