Flower and Bickford Readings

Similar to Herzberg, Linda Flower, Donna M. Bickford and Nedra Reynolds all questioned the mere act of performing service. Although I was unaware that “activism” had such a negative connotation, I agreed with Bickford and Reynolds, as they talked about how service learning usually ignores what should be the main reasons behind helping others. I feel that as human beings, our civic duties include building our social consciousness through not only action, but also reflection. As Bickford and Reynolds went on about how experience, when accompanied by reflection, can encourage someone to be a better writer or a better learner or, overall, be a better citizen, I also started thinking about how this reflection had the potential to push another in the complete opposite direction. For example, by going to the site and seeing the differences before them, could students see the distinct separation and subconsciously see the community as the others. I think that when it comes down to it, those, including me, who decide to take part in community outreach, must truly question their purpose behind it. This way, when we come face to face with the community, we would be encouraged to see those differences and go beyond “to use the differences of race, class, culture, or discourse that are available to them to understand shared questions” (Flower, 186).