The Crazy People by Danielle

The Crazy People by Danielle - May 2013 Scholarship Essay

        Crazy people. Those were the exact words that I thought when I entered the service-learning classroom at my high school. They were all dancing around while singing some song called “Singing In the Rain”. When entering high school, as quite the definition of an awkward freshman, you kind of just want to stay on the sidelines unnoticed. Why had my guidance counselor put me in this class full of crazy people? Maybe, she was insane, herself. There was pretty much no other option, so I was thrown in there. As uneasy as I was, the memory of becoming part of the service learning class, turned out to be my favorite classroom memory.
         So, I had no idea what service learning even was but as I learned, in service learning, you take classroom curriculum and use it to do community service. This was right up my alley! I loved helping people so I had a feeling I’d do great in this class. The only problem was that my confidence needed some work. Service learning involved a lot of interacting and sometimes public speaking. Over time, I came out of my shell thanks to the support of my fellow peers and my amazing teacher. Everyone in the classroom was like family. If you had opinion it was heard, and no one was quick to judge. I felt truly accepted.
          Over the time that I have been in high school, I have taken service learning every year. I can honestly say that taking this class was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned a lot about myself, working in groups, communicating with others, and about life in general. In the end, I am became one of those crazy people, and I couldn’t be happier.