Laura Kroncke's Portfolio

Learning Through Service

The artifacts below give evidence to my commitment and passion for service. I love to volunteer and I have led several volunteer projects around Chicago. These experiences have helped to close the gap of my lack of knowledge of underserved communities and the people who live in these communities. I have helped to paint schools, worked with children in safe homes, and completed a hunger walk which raised money to stock the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Many of my students benefit from these types of services, and it is important to me to give back to the communities in which I work. It has also helped me learn about different cultures because the people who volunteer and the people we serve are all of different backgrounds.

2012 Hunger Walk

2012 Chicago Cares Day of Service

Reflection

By volunteering for organizations that are involved with helping people in the communities that my students come from, I have built many relationships that can enhance my teaching and resources. I have met several people through these volunteer experiences such as people willing to donate materials to my classroom, and people willing to come in and talk to my students about the importance of staying on track and going to college. I met my connection at Alternatives, Inc. at one of the Chicago Cares service projects I participated in, and she led a restorative justice project for my students this year. Not only did I help out different communities through these projects, I met people who are valuable resources to me as a teacher. Chicago Cares works with schools, and I plan to use them as a resource when I implement service learning in my curriculum on my own in the fall. I strongly feel that it is the responsibility of people living in the United States to volunteer and make change by starting small.