Almost a quarter of seniors don't have enough SSL to graduate at our HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s like 14 people who work in the SSL office. I think volunteering and service is important, but SSL hours misses the mark a lot of the time. Students earn 45 hours for just taking required classes. I’d be ok with eliminating the requirement and re-assigning the SSL office.

I'd be more inclined to keep the requirement if service was actually community service. Instead, though, students can get hours automatically in class or (looking at a recent email) attending a zoom where they "have the opportunity to engage in a youth town hall with Montgomery County councilmembers".

I agree. I think it’s good to introduce teens to the concept of community service, but the way the students get hours for things like this or outdoor Ed really detracts from the purpose. My kids got hours for participating in a fun extracurricular activity and I didn’t understand how they were serving any community besides their peers, and barely even that.

I think it would be better if each MCPS HS came up with actual service projects the students do for half a day in the fall and half in the spring. They could sign up to make and bag sandwiches for a food pantry, sort bags of canned goods donations, walk to a nearby elementary school to read to the Kindergarteners, make cards for nursing homes, that sort of thing.

Agree that MCPS organized group service projects would be a much more meaningful and productive way to implement SSL. But that would require people at MCPS to organize and implement something vs pushing the SSL mentorship to outside groups.

It’s really funny to see the people trying to take dogs at MCPS while obviously not realizing the number of opportunities they do give students to earn hours. Be it participation in workshops, helping out via PTA, school supported clubs, volunteering at conferences, etc. Further, the purpose is for students to put in some effort to engage with and give back to the community as it prepares them to be helpful adult citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools will work with kids to make sure they get the SSL hours. I have yet to hear of the kid held back due to note completing enough.

This time of year, you see a lot of things like ADs recruiting those who need hours to do concessions at sporting events and that sort of thing. They make it work.

And yes, many of us ensure our kids have the hours even before end end of MS (my two kids with SN had 260 each by that point), not all kids have parents who are effective or competent to make that happen. Some don’t speak English and can’t figure out to make opportunities for their kids. Some need their kids for childcare or extra household income. Some are uninvolved. We can’t judge other families by our abilities. And the schools recognize this and step in to help.

Yes I agree. I am the pp that suggested the in school service activities. During Covid my family delivered food from food pantries to apartments that feed into our cluster. We were helping my kid’s peers get food they truly needed, why should we expect those families to be able to cart their kids around to do service activities outside of school. So many limitations for those families.

Because now those same families could have their kids volunteer time in those same food pantries packing boxes or sorting food, or tutoring kids in the apartments, or helping the elderly. They could organize a cleanup nearby and the county will provide the bags and grabbers. The point is that almost all people can contribute the community.

[Anonymous]

I remember doing this in middle and high school in the 90's and meeting the hours just fine. However, we didn't get hours for taking classes, we actually had to do community service. I remember getting my hours at a senior center near Shady Grove hospital.

If you get hours for just taking a class then I don't understand the point. It might do a lot of kids some good to see a world outside their bubble by doing actual community service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s like 14 people who work in the SSL office. I think volunteering and service is important, but SSL hours misses the mark a lot of the time. Students earn 45 hours for just taking required classes. I’d be ok with eliminating the requirement and re-assigning the SSL office.

I'd be more inclined to keep the requirement if service was actually community service. Instead, though, students can get hours automatically in class or (looking at a recent email) attending a zoom where they "have the opportunity to engage in a youth town hall with Montgomery County councilmembers".

I agree. I think it’s good to introduce teens to the concept of community service, but the way the students get hours for things like this or outdoor Ed really detracts from the purpose. My kids got hours for participating in a fun extracurricular activity and I didn’t understand how they were serving any community besides their peers, and barely even that.

I think it would be better if each MCPS HS came up with actual service projects the students do for half a day in the fall and half in the spring. They could sign up to make and bag sandwiches for a food pantry, sort bags of canned goods donations, walk to a nearby elementary school to read to the Kindergarteners, make cards for nursing homes, that sort of thing.

Agree that MCPS organized group service projects would be a much more meaningful and productive way to implement SSL. But that would require people at MCPS to organize and implement something vs pushing the SSL mentorship to outside groups.

Our HS does organize things for kids needing hours..prioritizing spots for seniors. It is like picking up trash over lunch time, setting up chairs for events, A kid should be able to figure something out...though I agree the purpose of doing it is barely accomplished that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SSL is ridiculous. It’s virtue signaling. Kids should get paid for working.

They are paid with a diploma. Are you okay?

Kids should get paid for working like everyone else. They don’t get “paid” with a diploma.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to Wootton. They got their hours cleaning streams in MoCo parks, helping out at a local daycare, working at Habitat for Humanity Restore, etc It can be done. I have no issue with the requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SSL is ridiculous. It’s virtue signaling. Kids should get paid for working.

They are paid with a diploma. Are you okay?

Kids should get paid for working like everyone else. They don’t get “paid” with a diploma.

Actually, lots of people (adults) do things for you and your child on a volunteer basis. You seem like the target audience for this requirement.

[Anonymous]

I’m surprised because my son is a junior and was only 1 hour short at the start of the year. I don’t think he earned more than 10 on his own outside school. The SSL hours he earned were mostly through his courses. The bar is not as high as it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SSL is ridiculous. It’s virtue signaling. Kids should get paid for working.

They are paid with a diploma. Are you okay?

Kids should get paid for working like everyone else. They don’t get “paid” with a diploma.

I have a job I get paid for. I also am a girl scout leader (volunteer) and church usher (also volunteer).

[Anonymous]

I live in another state and there was ZERO mandatory community service required to graduate. National Honor Society did have some required volunteer hours. If you want to fight it, go to a school board meeting. This is a curriculum issue.

-Just my 2 cents from another state. Sorry to nose into the conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: The bar is not as high as it seems.

The unofficial motto of MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in another state and there was ZERO mandatory community service required to graduate. National Honor Society did have some required volunteer hours. If you want to fight it, go to a school board meeting. This is a curriculum issue.

-Just my 2 cents from another state. Sorry to nose into the conversation.

OK...are you saying your state is better? Your state may also require less math is that better too? Does make it easier to pass kids through for sure..

[Anonymous]

It isn’t that hard to get the hours. Takes planning ahead, a minimal amount.
They should have the hours required if they prioritize graduation.

Even if they can’t do it in the summer, there are numerous ways to do this over the weekends over the course of four years, or more if in mcps for MS! They have things available at the school itself regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools will work with kids to make sure they get the SSL hours. I have yet to hear of the kid held back due to note completing enough.

This time of year, you see a lot of things like ADs recruiting those who need hours to do concessions at sporting events and that sort of thing. They make it work.

And yes, many of us ensure our kids have the hours even before end end of MS (my two kids with SN had 260 each by that point), not all kids have parents who are effective or competent to make that happen. Some don’t speak English and can’t figure out to make opportunities for their kids. Some need their kids for childcare or extra household income. Some are uninvolved. We can’t judge other families by our abilities. And the schools recognize this and step in to help.

Yes I agree. I am the pp that suggested the in school service activities. During Covid my family delivered food from food pantries to apartments that feed into our cluster. We were helping my kid’s peers get food they truly needed, why should we expect those families to be able to cart their kids around to do service activities outside of school. So many limitations for those families.

Because now those same families could have their kids volunteer time in those same food pantries packing boxes or sorting food, or tutoring kids in the apartments, or helping the elderly. They could organize a cleanup nearby and the county will provide the bags and grabbers. The point is that almost all people can contribute the community.

All people can and should learn how to contribute. To say otherwise is awful. And volunteering gives kids who may need it a sense of agency and accomplishment. They feel good about themselves for doing it. There are dozens of opportunities for volunteers through moco that support kids like you describe.

[Anonymous]

I feel the fact that there are people complaining about this is exactly what is emblematic of the thing wrong in education and society now a days.

If it was up to me the bar for completing the hours not included in class would be higher. Heck the in class bar would be higher as well.