Valuing Volunteerism
Hoover-Wood fifth-grade teacher Todd Swanson has found a way to show his students the importance of giving back and volunteerism while simultaneously providing them with valuable leadership opportunities.
During classroom WIN (What I Need) time, Mr. Swanson built in time for his fifth graders to go out into the building and help in other classrooms to be tutors, readers, and social models. His students are still getting the skills-based enrichment or remediation they need during their 30-minute WIN time, but now have a volunteer component.
A few weeks ago, Mr. Swanson put the word out to fellow HWS teachers that he was looking to give his students volunteer and leadership experiences. Several teachers signed on for help in their classrooms.
“I wanted my students to experience firsthand the benefits of helping others learn and grow,” said Mr. Swanson. “I know the flip side of that is that they learn and grow, too.”
The volunteer component of WIN time has only been in effect for three weeks in Mr. Swanson’s class, but his fifth graders are already teaching younger students how to take online “Accelerated Reader” tests in the LRC, helping third graders with accelerated math, assisting second graders with math games, reading to first graders and helping them with research, and assisting students in the Developing Opportunities (DO) class with the online learning tool IXL.
Every Wednesday during WIN time, Mr. Swanson’s students are working in groups to make items for others, such as blankets for a homeless shelter, bird feeders for feathered friends, handmade plush toys for kids in the hospital, stress balls for students in the DO program, placemats for a local nursing home, and more.
“For the group project work, I let students decide the projects they wanted to tackle and the organizations and individuals they would like to help support,” said Mr. Swanson.
What’s really interesting is that at the end of each WIN time, Mr. Swanson and his students gather back in their classroom for a few minutes to debrief and share experiences. On group project days, students log into Google Classroom to complete a “Volunteer Time Sheet,” which has them answer questions like, “What did I do with my time today?”, “Who am I working with?”, “What do I need to get started with my project?” The time sheet also asks students to record their personal reflections for the day.
After making toys for kids in the hospital, one student wrote in her reflection, “This was a great idea. It can really change who we are.”
Mr. Swanson checks the Volunteer Time Sheets each week and gives students feedback so there is constant back and forth to ensure that the volunteer component of WIN Time is working or not working.
