Who is Benefiting from Service Learning?
             When a high school senior is looking at colleges to further their education they have many deciding factors that lie ahead of them. Do they attend a college that is known for its academics? Do they choose a university that is known for just its name? Or do they choose an institution that is known for its history of doing good in the community? These are certain dilemmas that young people face when trying to do decide where to go to school. The first two questions seem reasonably common, but the last question is not one that arises very often. A college that has gained a reputation for doing good in a community? It's almost unheard of, however that is what Defiance College has achieved in its years since achieving annual recognition for their efforts to incorporate service learning into the curriculum. Service learning is a method of experimental education that takes the student out of the classroom and into the local community. The service learning project requires the student to volunteer and relate their experiences to the knowledge they have learned in the classroom. The mission behind service learning is to mold students into responsible citizens and to create a solid community backing for the community service done.
             Who is service learning really helping? In the altruistic sense, who is receiving the reward for doing this community service? Are the students receiving the largest reward by gaining knowledge and becoming in a sense, responsible citizens? Do the people who are being helped by the community service receiving the most rewards? Or is Defiance College the one who benefits the most from service learning? Whichever way you look at it service learning is benefiting someone.
             Adam Smith stated that the baker does not bake bread for the customer, but for his or her own benefit. Can this hold true for service learning? Is it in the student's own best ...