Here, Near, and Far

     At our church, the emphasis on serving is placed, "here, near, and far."  I thought this was a strong way to state an important practice, so I borrowed the idea for my classroom.  We too are going to serve our community here, near, and far.
     A few years ago, many of my students hoped to be elected to student council.  Each class only has three representatives, so I promised my kids I'd find something else we could do to serve.  Something "kid-driven."  While at a district meeting, I looked out the window and saw some elderly people on the lawn of an old school.  I learned the school, now owned by a church, rents space to an elder day care center.  The director was contacted, and we started taking walking field trips to the center to spend a little bit of time with the clients.  This will be the third year my class has done this.  We'll go for the first time on Thursday.
     Our "here."
     While on my mission trip to Kentucky this past June, I made contact with some folks who directed me to the town's elementary school.  As school began, I sent a letter to "any fourth grade teacher" at the school requesting we start a pen pal relationship.  Mrs. Farrar got my letter, and today my kids got letters from her students for the first time.  Oh, my kids were delighted!  Here are many of them pouring over their letters.

      Writing to our pen pals will be our "near."  This school is in a rural area, and it's quite strapped--my students don't know that.  I also haven't told my kids, but I do hope to do more than write letters.  Today one of my kids said, "Can we send them things?"  I said, "We'll see..."
     Last May we went to Feed My Starving Children, and we'll go again this May (seems so far away).  This is our "far."
     With all the demands of curriculum and the state, it's so hard to find time to work on community building. But I cannot imagine a world or classroom without it.