Justin Crosby
Published: 2020-08-11
Total Pages: 124
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In The Solution to America's Education Crisis: Service Learning, student and service learning entrepreneur Justin Crosby details his experiences with service. Through reflections on his own journey, he details the merits of the incorporation of service into our education system. Service learning has the potential to significantly improve the education system and tap into the unlimited potentials of youth, he argues, because it can teach students lessons and skills that cannot be learned through the traditional classroom environment. In turn, these students will be better suited to positively impact their communities and lead successful lives. "Education is like putting together a puzzle. Right now, our high school graduates are leaving with missing pieces. We have the opportunity not just to complete the puzzle, but to reimagine it. Academics, professional world experience, and civic engagement are three pillars of education in our society, but unfortunately, most graduates leave high school with only one: academics. We need to stop leaving entire communities and generations behind, and it is essential that we start realizing what can and will happen once our youth partake in meaningful service experiences. We can have a forward-thinking society rooted in hope, defined by empathy, and full of good citizens. Service learning allows students to gain qualities such as compassion, confidence, and resilience. It enables them to obtain certain skill sets that are not directly taught in schools, like how to communicate one's vision or build community. Service learning prompts students to become more aware of societal issues, especially those that they have not faced themselves, and sparks discussions on the roots of inequity and how to end them. We get lost in tradition, in the curriculum, and start coming up with every reason possible as to why we should not change. In doing so, we forget why we should. We have the opportunity to significantly improve and strengthen our country and world as we know it. Let's do it."