Service Learning Reflection

If there is one thing I have learned during my service learning, it is that in order for learning to successfully take place, genuine willingness to participate is required. However, often times it is this willingness to participate is was lacks some students in school. This is especially true with the students that I teach in my service learning placement. I can definitely recall certain times when the students that I try to explain challenging topics and concepts to, would not only show lack of interest but refuse to participate in trying to understand it because of its difficulty. I remember one student in particular came up to me and told me that she had a big pre-cal test coming up in a few days; she added that she was not doing that well that class
An hour later, she told me that she needed to go to the washroom, so I let her. However, after twenty minutes I started to get curious so I looked around the room and went outside to check to see where she had gone to. She was not in the hallways or any of the other classrooms. I came back to the site and I saw her chatting with her friends on her phone while they listened to music. At the time I thought, that if did not want to learn I cannot force her, so I decided to proceed helping other students, but I soon realized something important. If she failed this test she would fail the course entirely. I was immediately reminded of my time in grade ten Pre-Cal class; I was on the brink of failing the course. I knew that if I failed it, I would not be able to meet my perquisites and would have to say good bye to my dream job. I thought, what if she was in the same position and she just did not realize the gravity of it. Therefore, I approached her as she was chatting with her friends, and asked her if I could talk to her by the other