I come from a household of
teachers. Both my parents teach and raised me in the classroom. I graded papers
(multiple-choice only) and ran ditto copies (yes, kids, that was how people
made copies before Xerox). During summer breaks in college I worked as a teaching
assistant with special education elementary children. Now, I run a box office
which requires me to ‘teach’ on a daily basis – from ‘teaching’ my intern how
to sell tickets to ‘teaching’ new subscribers about our production -- I ‘teach’
opera in 2 minute or less.
My wife, a volunteer coordinator
for elderly services, works with many student volunteers from BHCC so I jumped
at the opportunity to work with these students. The Office of Community Engagement
oversees these partnerships. The office
helps students develop tangible skills through community service, civic
engagement, and student activism.
Through civic-centered or service-centered involvement, the Office of Community
Engagement demonstrates to students the connection between community
involvement and professional and personal development. What teaches personal
development better than a 400 year-old art form associated with the socially
elite and performed in a foreign language, right!? This challenge called for a
creative lesson plan. (More after the jump)
