In High School, christian service was mandatory. At first christian service was difficult and, to be honest, a little overwhelming. I first started my service at Eskaton retirement center. Over the years i began to develop relationships with the people i worked with and the people i served. Service became a part os my life and i began to treasure each moment i shared working to make the lives of the residents of Eskaton a little bit better. I soon realized that many of the resident of Eskaton had not been visited by their families in quite some time. I made it my duty to make sure that every time i volunteered i would make sure that every one there felt wanted and loved.
I chose this picture because i think it adequately represents the feeling of love that we all desire. This is the kid of love that i try to show to all i meet and to the people i serve. This is why i love the servant model, because it is about love. It is about loving your brother and sister and doing what you can to help that person with their struggles and celebrate with their triumphs.
I also went to a Jesuit High School and chose the Servant Leadership model for pretty much the exact same reasons. Looking over other blog posts I think it is interesting that many of the ex-jesuit students talk about service to others in the reasons for choosing their favorite leadership model.
ReplyDeleteI think it is odd how we drew on similar experiences from our high school to substantiate the claims of different leadership types. I think that stands testament to the fact that, despite their differences, most of the leadership theories are very similar.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow Jesuit high school student I can definitely relate to the service requirements. At first, twenty five hours per semester seems like overkill. But after getting involved in a local soup kitchen, I enjoyed my service because it felt like I was making a difference, that somehow my existence wasn't just defined as being a high school student. Rockhurst gave seniors a two week immersion service activity during the first two weeks of January to serve local charities during school hours instead of attending classes. Did your high school have something similar?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your explanation of the servant leadership model and your picture!
At my high school, I was also required to complete 25 hours of community service, which was difficult finding a place where I knew I would be able to get all of my service hours done. However, after my junior year I went on an immersion trip where I worked in soup kitchens and migrant farms throughout California. After that experience, I decided to help out more in my community. I even completed 125 hours of service without trying. It did not seem overwhelming or difficult to complete at all. I feel like I adopted that same mentality of making it my duty to contribute to my community.
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