‘Service Learning’

The phrase “learning by doing” may have been around since the early 1900s, but in May Kathy Bussert-Webb, an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, put it to the test.

Bussert-Webb taught the first UTB-TSC class ever at Cameron Park in San Felipe de Jesus Catholic Church. The class practiced “service-learning, ” a combination of learning and community service, by having 20 UTB-TSC education students implement strategies taught in the classroom in their tutoring of neighborhood children.

“I wanted something that would have the greatest impact on my students,” said Bussert-Webb. “With this class, they get the hands-on work they need to become better teachers.”

The class, “Literacy and the English Language Learner,” was created by Bussert-Webb, but the idea was first proposed to UTB-TSC by Alicia Gomez at Proyecto Digna, a yearlong after school tutoring center at San Felipe de Jesus Church.

“After school tutoring makes such a difference — the difference between passing or failing,” said Gomez.

Gomez knew “there just had to be something” the university could do to help.

“Some of these children get back from school to an empty house, but now they have somewhere to go, get a snack and finish their homework,” Gomez said.

Bussert-Webb’s class consisted of an hour of tutoring second- through eighth-grade students, an hour planting and creating a butterfly garden with them and three hours of instruction on education concepts for teaching students whose first language is not English.

“I saw an improvement in their self-esteem,” said Leonel Castro, a sixth-grade science teacher at Perkins Middle School, currently in the alternative education program at UTB-TSC.

Castro claims the combination of tutoring and physical work is what “removed the anxiety so we could both learn the most from each other.”

When the children saw “the realness” in the work that went into beautifying the walkway in front of Proyecto Digna, “it created commonality,” Castro said.

“When they saw us sweat, get tired and even ask for help, they knew we were all the same. Perhaps, not enough of them see that aspect in their teachers,” Castro said.

Castro said he would love to go back and see how he could help again.

“The center needs volunteers and other educators should see it as a gold mine,” Castro said. “People need to be stripped of negative connotations associated with Cameron Park.”

Since tutoring started in the area, Gomez has seen great improvement.

No child has failed a grade level in the past two years. About 75 percent of students passed the TAKS, when they had never passed before and parent involvement has increased either through math tutoring or help with snacks, Gomez said.

UTB-TSC’s involvement will continue next year through Bussert-Webb’s class.

“I want to show my students how important it is to care for children,” Bussert-Webb said. “I plan on doing this every year.”