Post reflection #1

Examples: 1

Description

My current view of service relates to the ship from the ‘lighthouse” video. In the video, the ship needed the lighthouse to guide it and ensure that it would go in the right direction; avoiding a collision. While preparing for my service hours, I see myself as the ship, and my organization as the lighthouse. I have a broad idea of what I will be doing during my service hours but I’m still kind of sailing through the night, unsure of what to expect. I’m relying on my organization to sort of guide me in the right direction, just as the ship needed the lighthouse to guide it in the right direction.

Analysis

The organization I will be volunteering at is Crayons to Classrooms. On their website, their mission discusses securing and distributing school supplies at no cost to teachers of students in need. Their values encompass their beliefs in the power of education, treating all people with respect and dignity, striving to meet the highest ethical standards, conducting all aspects of business with integrity, and working as part of the community and being a responsible organization.

Chapter 4 of our text, The Leadership Challenge, discusses how leaders should “set the example”. “Setting the Example is all about the do part. It’s about doing what you say, practicing what you preach, following through on commitments, keeping promises, and walking the talk” (Kouzes & Poser, 2017). I believe that this aligns with my organization’s mission and values because Crayons to Classrooms does just that: they practice what they preach. They claim to be committed to helping teachers from under-funded schools get the supplies they need to help their students succeed. They follow through on this commitment by opening their store to eligible teachers 3 days a week, every week during the school year where they can shop for 100% free supplies for their students. By consistently gathering donations, stocking their store, and opening it up for teachers to shop at, they’re not only embodying their shared values, they’re modeling their values and practicing what they preach.

Application

My final profile from the SLPI indicated that I prefer an Indirect type of service. I very much agree with this profile, and it doesn’t surprise me. I’m not very outgoing, and I prefer not to be in the spotlight. Customer service is definitely not my strong suit. I think the organization I’ll be volunteering at, Crayons to Classrooms, will be a good fit for my indirect profile. I’m going to be doing a lot of behind the scenes work such as helping make items to sell in their store, stocking and organizing the store, and various administrative tasks they may need help with. I’ll also be observing the program coordinator and a couple of events they’ll have going on while I’m there. I think tasks they have lined up for me will work best with my strengths and my indirect profile.  The fact that I won’t be dealing directly with customers during my service learning will help me thrive.

Examples: 2

Description

My experience so far working with the Epilepsy Foundation has been amazing.  The first time we meet we sat down and talked about epilepsy and my experience with it and she told me briefly about the organization and all of the new direction that the company is heading.  The foundation will no longer be just Dayton but was in the process of managing all 88 counties in Ohio and combining databases.  A possible opportunity is for me to travel to many of these location and see how she is going to work with them to make them all run the same in process and procedures. I am going in ready to learn, the foundation has so many things going on with very few people. I would love to learn more about them along the way, but truly would like to learn the ends and outs while helping out people to the best of my ability, They also have a yearly Gala at the Dayton Art Institute that I will possibly be assisting. I will have the opportunity to sit in on board meetings and listening to different things going on in the organization. In the Dayton branch there are 3 employees and 1 volunteer.  She talked about as much responsibility as she has they all wear many hats. My current view I believe would be the townspeople. I will be setting back waiting to see when someone needs help.  If I notice that there is a hand I can lend I will.

 

Analysis

I believe that this is a wonderful organization and is committed to trying to make life easier for anyone who has epilepsy. The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is to lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find a cure and save lives. The core values of the foundation are Passion, Commitment to excellence. Leadership, Partnership, Diversity and Inclusiveness and Integrity. A passage from the book that I thought was a good representation is “Teach Others to Model the Values”. “Every team member, partner, and colleague is a sender of signals about what’s valued. Therefore, you need to look for opportunities to teach not just by your example, but also as taking on the role of teacher and coach. (James Kouzes, 2017)

 

Application

The SLPI category I fell into was the indirect category.  There are a couple of the example that I might come close to but I do not believe that is a good representation on me. I do believe that I was pretty close to being in the center which is why I could feel this way.  If I would have to choose one the I feel was the most like myself, it would be research based.  I enjoy solving problems when they are put in my hands. I enjoy working with data to solve problems. Once I have gathered all the data will present it to the team and hopefully solve the issue.