Pictures from the Preschool

Significance of Christian Preschool and Kindergarten's Emblem

The image above is Christian Preschool and Kindergarten's emblem.  It presents a sun in the middle of a circle of children holding hands.  There is a circle of text outlining the children, that says "Christian Preschool Program, United Presbyterian Church, Westminster, Maryland."  There is another circle of text around the sun that says "growing in the sunshine of His love."  This image was created by one of the original teachers when the school opened in January 1976.  To me, the image means that we are the people of God, and with His guidance and care we will grow up safely under His watch.  The children are holding hands because it symbolizes joyfully learning together.  The quote in the middle means that God will always be with us and we will become good under His vigilance.

Service for the Common Good

Service-learning is a teaching method that combines service for the community with a moral meaning behind it.  It is more than just community service, because it is an experience that applies learning into a real world environment.  Service-learning provides an opportunity for not only what someone knows, but also what he or she are able to do.  It usually digs down deeper than just normal service work because service-learning is involved with a lot of reflection on the experience.  Reflecting on the service is a great way to make connections between the person that is completing the service and the other people they are serving.

My service experience is important for the common good because I was teaching good, Christian values to the upcoming generation.  If the kids accepted the values they were taught (patience, gratitude, respect, etc.) then it would make the world a better place overall.  Although the number of kids I met at the summer camp was not too significant, I still contributed to making the world a better place.  I sacrificed my own hours during the summer to help with the summer camp.  At the camp, we really tried to make everything fair and equal in order to insure dignity was met for all.  From this experience, I can take with me the values that Christian Preschool and Kindergarten are based off of and try to exercise them whether I'm at school, my home, or anywhere else.

Service as a Life Experience

Service is important as a life experience because it can really change your opinion on things you may have assumed on an unknown topic.  For me, serving at a summer camp with a bunch of children in Kindergarten and first grade changed my perspective on kids their age.  I used to think that all kids starting the first grade were either extremely annoying or they didn't communicate and had no type of personality whatsoever.  This does seem kind of harsh, considering they're still very young, but that's just what I assumed.

After reflecting on the summer camp experience though, I discovered that the kids I met were special and they deserved my respect.  Most of them had an upbeat personality, and listening to the crazy stories they tell was very amusing.  Helping them with building crafts and other activities made me realize that everyone needs someone to guide them and teach them important values of everyday life, such as honesty, patience, sharing, and respect.  The little things are what make up the big picture, and I knew by teaching these children those values that hopefully, they would grow up good-natured and help guide others to be like them.  This is why service is important for my human dignity and the dignity of other people.

Human Dignity

Human dignity can be defined as "the self worth and deserved respect of an individual human being."  We are all created equally in God's eyes, so we should all be treated the same way.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "human dignity is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God."  The Catechism also explains "the right to the exercise freedom belongs to everyone because it is inseparable from his or her dignity as a human person."  These principles, along with the Golden Rule, are among the most important at Christian Preschool and Kindergarten, located in Westminster, Maryland.

Over the span of 45 hours, I worked at a summer camp held at the school with children around the ages of four, five, and six, building crafts, reading stories, and participating in other activities.  At the preschool, teachers really stress the importance of learning essential Christian values in conjunction with fun lessons.  While I was at the camp, all of the children were treated with the same respect I received from Mrs. Debbie Peloquin, the head of the 2010 Christian Preschool Summer Camp.  It felt like she really wanted to create a great learning experience, where everyone was seen as a talented individual in their own ways.  She definitely achieved this goal.