Students discover rewards by volunteering
Monday, April 3, 2006
Northwestern education students spend time off campus each day. What these students are doing is incredibly important: they venture into the community and give their time to help someone else out.
The education department requires that students volunteer a certain number of hours in the classroom and throughout the community. The department informs students of volunteering opportunities, and students have the opportunity to get involved.
Junior Breanna Miller tutors students in a class for English Language Learners (ELL or ESL – English as a Second Language) at MOC-Floyd Vally High School in Orange City for three hours a week. Miller said, “I am getting multicultural classroom hours for this, which I need for my elementary education major, but I also chose to do it just because they needed help.”
Miller helps students understand different concepts and is there to answer questions they might have.
Junior Danielle Dupré also helps out at MOC-FV High School. “There is a large need for tutors at the high school,” Dupré points out. “Since God has blessed me with the ability to communicate in English and in Spanish, I believe it is my duty to use that gift to help others.”
While education professors admit that some students are initially frustrated with what seems like an overwhelming number of required hours, students return saying how glad they are for having had these experiences. Instructor in Education Jolynn Tonsfeldt said that when she talks to students after they have been out in the community, she asks them questions like, “Would you have done this if you hadn’t been required to do it?”
Often students will tell her they probably would not have started volunteering on their own, but after doing it, they realized the joy and rewards they have experienced as a result of what at first seemed like a bothersome task.
Tessie Nelson, a sophomore Spanish major with a K-12 education endorsement, said that the number of hours seemed intimidating at first, but it soon became easy. Nelson stated, “If you’re truly passionate about education, the hours won’t be a problem.”
In addition to meeting their education requirement, some students who work in the community get paid as a work-study position. Freshmen Jill Swanson and Kayla Heiman work at Orange City Elementary School. Heiman said, “Throughout the past few months, I have gotten really attached to [the students], and we generally have a lot of fun. They can be tough sometimes, but I like it because it’s a great experience for me.”
Senior Asha Epp has been careful in her approach to volunteering. Epp has struggled to make sure that her focus was not on fulfilling a department requirement, but instead that she is doing it for the joy of volunteering. Epp even said, “When I was just doing it out of obligation, I quit volunteering for things.” For Epp, attitude is key.
Epp is also aware of the important role that volunteering plays in the community as a whole. “As students, we have a responsibility to be aware of what’s going on in the community … Life is not just about college.”
Epp continued, “Academics are important; God wants us to use what we learn. But part of learning is service; it is learning to love and live in life.” Instructor in Education Laura Heitritter agreed, saying that through their service, students also “project the image of Christ.”
Lately Epp has spent time assisting with a program called Motheread, which is a service designed for Hispanic families to learn English through children’s literature. Hispanic families go to the Orange City Public Library, where adults work on reading as their children play games and develop English skills in other ways. Other college students are also involved in Motheread, and Instructor Lila Sybesma’s Children’s Literature class volunteers at the library.
When he was a freshman, junior Nick Fynaardt was introduced to a student named Caleb by former Northwestern Professor Ed Starkenburg. Fynaardt admitted that when he first agreed to meet with Caleb he was a little apprehensive, especially about sacrificing two nights each week. Fynaardt’s worries soon went away. As he said,“I look forward to spending time with [Caleb].”
This year, in addition to spending time with Caleb, Fynaardt has started to spend time with an eighth grader named Luke. Like most college students, Fynaardt has both academic and athletic commitments. But he is willing to sacrifice his time, although to him it doesn’t seem like a sacrifice at all. “I just really enjoy it,” he said.
Frequently Caleb and Luke go over to Fynaardt’s apartment to spend time with him and play video games. Fynaardt said, “I have as much fun hanging out with [Caleb] as he does with me. He’s taught me a lot about patience.”
Heitritter explained that by volunteering with children, education majors confirm their vocational goals. Heitritter sees service as valuable throughout a student’s entire life—in college and beyond.
After observing a Sunday school class for her Foundations of Christian Education class, junior Megan Van Peursem began helping with the junior high youth group at Dover Church. At this point Van Peursem is not required to serve, but she simply does because she enjoys it.
Junior Kari McNeil helps each week with the Rainbow program at Trinity Reformed Church. For her it is all about getting more experience working with the kids. It is something she enjoys doing.
McNeil, along with other students, has also gone with Tonsfeldt to Rock Valley in order to help with an after-school program for middle school kids called Healthy Eating.
Heitritter said she looks forward to more emphasis on service opportunities for NWC students. Epp put things in perspective as she discussed priorities in a student’s life: “My calling is to be a servant first, student second.”
by Andrea Davis
Published in the March 31, 2006, Beacon and used with permission
The education department requires that students volunteer a certain number of hours in the classroom and throughout the community. The department informs students of volunteering opportunities, and students have the opportunity to get involved.
Junior Breanna Miller tutors students in a class for English Language Learners (ELL or ESL – English as a Second Language) at MOC-Floyd Vally High School in Orange City for three hours a week. Miller said, “I am getting multicultural classroom hours for this, which I need for my elementary education major, but I also chose to do it just because they needed help.”
Miller helps students understand different concepts and is there to answer questions they might have.
Junior Danielle Dupré also helps out at MOC-FV High School. “There is a large need for tutors at the high school,” Dupré points out. “Since God has blessed me with the ability to communicate in English and in Spanish, I believe it is my duty to use that gift to help others.”
While education professors admit that some students are initially frustrated with what seems like an overwhelming number of required hours, students return saying how glad they are for having had these experiences. Instructor in Education Jolynn Tonsfeldt said that when she talks to students after they have been out in the community, she asks them questions like, “Would you have done this if you hadn’t been required to do it?”
Often students will tell her they probably would not have started volunteering on their own, but after doing it, they realized the joy and rewards they have experienced as a result of what at first seemed like a bothersome task.
Tessie Nelson, a sophomore Spanish major with a K-12 education endorsement, said that the number of hours seemed intimidating at first, but it soon became easy. Nelson stated, “If you’re truly passionate about education, the hours won’t be a problem.”
In addition to meeting their education requirement, some students who work in the community get paid as a work-study position. Freshmen Jill Swanson and Kayla Heiman work at Orange City Elementary School. Heiman said, “Throughout the past few months, I have gotten really attached to [the students], and we generally have a lot of fun. They can be tough sometimes, but I like it because it’s a great experience for me.”
Senior Asha Epp has been careful in her approach to volunteering. Epp has struggled to make sure that her focus was not on fulfilling a department requirement, but instead that she is doing it for the joy of volunteering. Epp even said, “When I was just doing it out of obligation, I quit volunteering for things.” For Epp, attitude is key.
Epp is also aware of the important role that volunteering plays in the community as a whole. “As students, we have a responsibility to be aware of what’s going on in the community … Life is not just about college.”
Epp continued, “Academics are important; God wants us to use what we learn. But part of learning is service; it is learning to love and live in life.” Instructor in Education Laura Heitritter agreed, saying that through their service, students also “project the image of Christ.”
Lately Epp has spent time assisting with a program called Motheread, which is a service designed for Hispanic families to learn English through children’s literature. Hispanic families go to the Orange City Public Library, where adults work on reading as their children play games and develop English skills in other ways. Other college students are also involved in Motheread, and Instructor Lila Sybesma’s Children’s Literature class volunteers at the library.
When he was a freshman, junior Nick Fynaardt was introduced to a student named Caleb by former Northwestern Professor Ed Starkenburg. Fynaardt admitted that when he first agreed to meet with Caleb he was a little apprehensive, especially about sacrificing two nights each week. Fynaardt’s worries soon went away. As he said,“I look forward to spending time with [Caleb].”
This year, in addition to spending time with Caleb, Fynaardt has started to spend time with an eighth grader named Luke. Like most college students, Fynaardt has both academic and athletic commitments. But he is willing to sacrifice his time, although to him it doesn’t seem like a sacrifice at all. “I just really enjoy it,” he said.
Frequently Caleb and Luke go over to Fynaardt’s apartment to spend time with him and play video games. Fynaardt said, “I have as much fun hanging out with [Caleb] as he does with me. He’s taught me a lot about patience.”
Heitritter explained that by volunteering with children, education majors confirm their vocational goals. Heitritter sees service as valuable throughout a student’s entire life—in college and beyond.
After observing a Sunday school class for her Foundations of Christian Education class, junior Megan Van Peursem began helping with the junior high youth group at Dover Church. At this point Van Peursem is not required to serve, but she simply does because she enjoys it.
Junior Kari McNeil helps each week with the Rainbow program at Trinity Reformed Church. For her it is all about getting more experience working with the kids. It is something she enjoys doing.
McNeil, along with other students, has also gone with Tonsfeldt to Rock Valley in order to help with an after-school program for middle school kids called Healthy Eating.
Heitritter said she looks forward to more emphasis on service opportunities for NWC students. Epp put things in perspective as she discussed priorities in a student’s life: “My calling is to be a servant first, student second.”
by Andrea Davis
Published in the March 31, 2006, Beacon and used with permission
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