Change for Kids

My definition of community service is giving back to the community in any way possible. There are people who may be less fortunate than you are and some people take their privileges for granted. You do not have to be rich to give back to the community, just your presence somewhere can change and help a person’s life. I have realized this through CFK. This is my third year volunteering for this organization and it really has shown me the impact and difference I could make on these kids. Knowing someone will be there with them, on a one-to-one basis really contributes to their learning process and it is something they enjoy and look forward to each week. I really enjoy working with kids, so this is what made this organization so perfect. It has taught me how to handle different situations and definitely has raised my patience bar even higher. Patience is a very important characteristic in any career path, especially if you want to work with people, like I do. The kids I tutor go to an under-resourced school, which hinders their chance of a succeeding in school. Many of their parents are working-class people. I have learned in my Psychology and Global Issues class that due to the fact that they cannot be as involved in their kids’ life due to work schedules or being too tired at the end of the day, it has a tremendous impact on their child’s education. It has been shown that rates of parental involvement are lower in low-income communities than in higher income schools. In a study, it was found that students who were eligible for free/reduced-price lunch programs performed lower in reading scores than students who were ineligible for these school programs. I enjoy tutoring these kids because it is a very rewarding experience but it also makes me happy to know I can be part of a solution to this wider issue.