Service Analysis 5

Ms. Veronica Isabelle Mooney Wasno

I think some of the most important aspects of service are being original, being dedicated, and being giving. I think too many people follow the rules, and I believe Richard Hague would agree with me. By that I mean that too many people just do what they are told to do, which is fine, but when I’m doing service I don’t think that’s best. It’s best to think of new and innovative ways to make the service made and to benefit the people I am serving. Also dedication is key. Service isn’t First Practice, but it can be rigorous and it does require commitment and even sometimes teamwork. We cannot all me Mrs. Jones, but we can try to be as understanding and giving as her. Everyone deserves a second chance. I think all three stories have important values displayed in them that can be related to my service at any time, but especially at Mother Seton.

While at Mother Seton we do not have many guidelines; we are simply told to help the kids with their homework. And seeing as all the kids are different it makes sense. My girl, Kennedi, is quite bright, but she does have one big setback: she hates school and would much rather be out in the world. This seems common for most any kid, and I myself can relate even to this day, but still I have to find a way to motivate her to do her work. In Directions for Resisting the SAT Hague points out that one should not worry about all the rules and answers in the SAT, but rather, should make their own markings in the world. The poem is definitely about being original and if I twist it a bit I can relate it to the original ways I try to help Kennedi with her work. I relate her math homework to things she likes (shopping). I help her write sentences about her life with her vocabulary words, rather than something completely made up. And with history I remind her that one day she could be in these books. I feel as though being original and putting a spin on service benefits everyone involved. It helps me get the job done quicker and it helps her learn.

In First Practice the coach is a tad intense, but the important thing about him is that he has experience, dedication, and expectations for his players. He is assumingly a good coach. That is the kind of service-person I aspire to be. Maybe not as hard ass and fear instilling, but I would like to have those three qualities. I have some experience, but not as much as I would like. However, I do have dedication, and I think that my work at Mother Seton reflects that. I will soon be going 2, maybe even 3 times a week to work with the kids. I do not plan to falter with that commitment and I plan to continue it on next semester and hopefully my next years here at Loyola. The kids at Mother Seton need support and consistency and that’s what I plan on giving them. I also expect hard work from my kids. I expect them to try to stay on task and to be real with me. My work at Mother Seton is nowhere near as intense as First Practice, but I think that the values represented in the poem relate.

Mrs. Jones was an extremely kind woman and a sort of role model for me as I do my service. I should treat these kids as I would like to be treated (and I like to think I do!). Mrs. Jones admitted herself that she had once done things she was not proud of, and relating that back to my service, I was once (and still am) a kid that does not always want to do my work. And I do not always understand my work right away. It is my job to not treat Kennedi like she is dumb, but to teach her and to help her along. I should take her under my wing and help her as much as I can, even outside of the school realm. I should be a perhaps more kind Mrs. Jones to her.

My service is not the harder service I could be doing, but that does not make it less significant. It still asks a lot from me and I still have to work hard. I have to be original, I have to dedicate my time, and I have to mentor these kids, Kennedi especially. Actually, I do not even have to, but I want to. I think all these poems show good examples of what those qualities look like.