Although she had a full-time job and a 13-credit hour load this semester, Childhood Education and Family Studies student Kristin Lierz still took on the challenge of service-learning. She made an impact at Robberson Community School, where she helped teach Math to 2nd and 3rd graders. While she was only required to complete a minimum of 40 service hours, she spent 60 hours at the school because she enjoyed being in a classroom and loved working with the kids. She recently shared more information about her service-learning experience. 1) Why did you choose to take on service-learning? I decided to do service-learning because I love working with children or students, and this semester I didn’t have a practicum or something for a class to put me in the classroom. Also, the staff who presented about service-learning in my MTH 360 class mentioned it is a great resume builder, as well as getting connections, which I have to say is a plus in doing it. 2) What interested you about being involved with Robberson Community School? I got interested in Roberson Community School … [Read more...]
Every Thursday, after the school day ends at Robberson Community School, a group of about 16 kids gather excitedly in the school’s gymnasium to participate in a lively Opera Workshop made possible through Missouri State University’s (MSU) service-learning program. The workshop began last year as part of the integrated service-learning element in the MUS 193: Opera Workshop course led by Dr. Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, MSU’s director of opera and assistant professor of voice, and was held for the second time this fall. During the 45-minute workshop, Dr. Daehn and her 16 students engage the Robberson kids in singing, music, dancing and drama, as well as hands-on activities related to opera such as making puppets and designing costumes. “It’s a perfect environment for the kids to release their energy after a long day in class, play with each other, make discoveries about the arts and explore their creativity,” Dr. Daehn explained. “We’re investing in the school because music and the arts help kids learn and become successful. We want to create a generation of kids who appreciate … [Read more...]
The Citizenship and Service-Learning office is proud to be partnered with the Robberson Community School. Currently Robberson has 312 students, which is beyond capacity for Springfield’s oldest elementary school. Out of the 312 students at Robberson, 92% of them are eligible for free and reduced lunch. Many families within Robberson are below the poverty line, bringing in $600-800 a month. When surveyed, these families indicated that their needs included dental, food, and after-school tutoring. Together Christian Mechlin, the community resource coordinator for Robberson, and the CASL office are working to provide after-school tutoring to the K-5 kids. By helping meet this need, we can focus on the education we provide to the kids, work to keep Robberson kids off the street, and help promote the sustainability of the Robberson School. Today, over 60 students from Missouri State University are committed to Robberson. These students come from different areas of study, including Criminology, Math, Reading, Spanish, and Theatre. Working closely with faculty, these students … [Read more...]
Many of you may have been hearing about the area's first community school, a pilot program which will begin at Robberson Elementary this fall. As one of Springfield's most impoverished schools (see report), the Community School project is an exciting new concept in which we are eager to partner. The school will serve as a community hub for numerous activities and programs designed to provide support for not only the children who attend, but for the Robberson community as a whole. Programs could include such things as parent education classes, on-site medical clinics, tutoring, health care, mental/behavioral health services, etc. Parents will play an active role in determining the most pressing needs. School officials will work with community partners (area businesses, nonprofits, and the faith-based community) to help meet these needs. As a community partner, Missouri State's CASL office will conduct a workshop/luncheon to help train Robberson faculty about service-learning as well as assist them in integrating this type of teaching into K-6 curriculum. Additionally, … [Read more...]