Walton Middle School

From a teaching perspective, it isn’t difficult to see the meaning in student work. Writing essays and completing practice problems are clear ways to develop important academic skills, but what if there was something more to it? How can the work of middle school students impact a community? In the 8^th grade language arts class that Teresa Fields and I teach, we are embarking on an adventure to see how middle school work can impact a community. We call this service learning meaning simply that the assignments and student work that typically facilitate student learning are now focused towards a goal of helping. This year, our students selected The Haven which is a non-profit that provides services for people who are homeless. Our work encompasses a wide variety of tasks that range from writing papers raising awareness about the topic of homelessness to writing business letters and collecting donations for a silent auction. It is exciting to watch students realize that their work can have an impact outside of their teacher’s grade book.

Mrs. McElroy