Getting Ready to Leave

As the school year winds down, I have to prepare to leave my service learning site. This past Friday, I went to Davidson and my students and the other tutor I work with thought it was my last day. Our schedule for the day went on as usual, but at the end of the day they had a surprise for me. One of the students made a speech on behalf of the entire class on all the help I have given them and what I mean to them. They gave me a card that everyone had signed and wrote notes on. Then they gave me a bouquet of flowers. It was really touching and I had a hard time trying not to cry when I thanked them. It was at that moment that I realized how much we all meant to each other. There was something stronger than the student-teacher relationship we had developed at the beginning of the school year. We all learned to help one another and to be friends to one another.

I have to face that fact that my time doing my service learning project at Davidson is almost over. And I am very sad to be leaving. I cherish the time that I am working there because I finally realize how much of a difference I am making. And I realize how much more of a difference I could make. For me to leave, I feel as if I am stopping the process of making a change, I am not making as much of an impact as I could. I almost feel as if I didn’t finish the goals I set out to accomplish. I know that I have made changes, but I would feel so much better if I was able to see it to the end. I only hope that what I have done stays with them throughout this year and those afterwards.

From my experiences at Davidson, I hope that I am able to take what I have gained to another service learning site as well.