Passage 1
Students Need a Nudge Toward Contribution
High school can be quite a juggling act.
Between homework, part-time jobs, activities, socializing, and chores, it's hard to keep so many balls in the air. It's no - wonder many students don't add volunteering to the mix. However, service learning encourages students to give back to their communities and helps them develop valuable skills. To ensure students participate, service learning needs to be a requirement for graduation.
Studies show that service learning benefits students. Students who tutor see improvements in the skills they teach.
Those who complete service projects gain problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Service learning can also increase students' self-esteem and improve their social skills. Some students might not try volunteering if they were not required to do so.
Many students continue volunteering after completing their necessary hours.
For example, by April of his sophomore year, a student named José had devoted 356 hours to tutoring kids in an after-school program. He felt richly rewarded by the positive effects his companionship and homework help had on the children. Vicki, who volunteered at a hospital library, concluded that making patients smile mattered far more than spending a few extra hours on homework.
Of course, many teens postpone their service hours until their final semester.
Every spring, places such as parks and libraries are swamped with high school seniors. But Sharon, a retirement community volunteer manager, says these volunteers make valuable contributions, and help her complete projects she would never get done on her own.
Passage 2
Volunteering Should Be Voluntary
As a high school student in Pennsylvania, Lynn spent hundreds of hours teaching crafts, coaching sports, and performing other services. Despite all this service, her diploma was withheld. Why? Because these activities didn't meet her school's community service requirement. "I want to participate in community service activities that I actually enjoy," Lynn said.
More and more states are adding service learning requirements. In 2011, 19 states allowed students to receive school credit for service learning, up from seven states in 2001. Yet these requirements may backfire. Before Maryland adopted a service requirement, its 12th graders volunteering rate was 7.8 points above the national average. Afterwards, this rate dropped to 9.2-17.4 points below the national rate. Some observers wonder if the positive feeling of volunteering is lost when it becomes just another kind of homework.
With students so overburdened, something has to give. Many students must cut back on their studies, leaving them less prepared for college. Others may stop assisting overworked parents, younger siblings, or elderly relatives. Are these costs to students' schoolwork and families balanced by benefits to their communities? In many instances, no.
Craig, a student-runner committed to trail upkeep, did not think his crews got good work from drop-in helpers who focused on how many hours they had completed. Volunteer work does not benefit service providers or receivers unless it is truly voluntary.
Consider BOTH passages. Then drag a sentence to each box to show whether the statement is a fact, a supported conclusion, or an opinion.
Fact:
Conclusion:
Opinion:
Public service should be voluntary.
Volunteering can awaken new interests in people.
Many states require service learning.
Fact: Many states require service learning.
Conclusion: Volunteering can awaken new interests in people.
Opinion: Public service should be voluntary.