Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both my kids had done over 130 hours by the end of 7th grade.

It is pathetic that this has not been completed by so many high school students.

There are still about 4 or 5 states where this is mandatory.

Great for you. But you also have free time to waste on DCUM so presumably you’ve got time and income to spare. A lot of MCPS parents don’t have the resources to shuffle their kids around to get SSL hours or to pay to get them done at summer camp. Check your privilege.

+1 My kid was done with hers in middle school because we paid for the summer camp at Audubon where one of the sessions was traveling to parks and cleaning up trash in streams. Both of us are procrastinators and it was an easy way to check that box, but I recognize that not everyone has that option.

In West Virginia where i used to teach, they called them Experiential Learning Hours. Students in 9th grade would select one out of 6 career tracks(cant remember them all but it was like college bound, agricultural, entrepreneurial, military, etc). Then they were required to earn 60 hours doing ANYTHING that supported their progress towards that goal. Kids could have their managers sign off that they work a part time job and that counted. Volunteer hours counted. Even going on college visits counted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Or ones you have to pay to get. My kid’s friends get a lot of SSL hours by serving as volunteer at races for their own paid summer swim team.

Yet some parents say it’s so “easy” to get hours without effort without recognizing their own privilege made it easy and a lot of MCPS kids don’t have the same access to the easy SSL options (which is why you see 25 pct of kids in danger of not graduating due to this.)

My father grew up poor and was horrified by the SSL requirement. He got up a sunrise every day to work before school, and came home after school to work until bed every day (except for homework but I think he often did that while at work). He said he never could have done 75 hours of volunteering, as the hours didn’t exist. As an adult, he volunteered a ton. I really doubt that there’s much connection between these mandated SSL requirements and future volunteerism.

There are plenty of opportunities during the school day. 75 hours over 7 years, minus what they get for class activities, and it's an hour a month when school is in session. That's 30 minutes shelving books in the library, or tutoring a peer at lunch time, every other week.

I will also agree that your father probably already had the skills that SSL teaches, but there are lots of places in school where kids who already know how to do things are asked to do them so that they can ensure that everyone knows how to do them. My kids played a ton of basketball in the neighborhood, they still did the middle school basketball unit in PE. One of my kids entered Kindergarten reading fluently, they still had reading instruction. I could go on and on.

How do something kids doing team sports or academic competition or other EC for years are able to earn 600 SSL hours by the end of middle school or earn 1500 SSL hours by the end of high school?

At my high school they get free hours just for filling out surveys. They get hours for completing training. So many kids just don’t care or lack the life/organizational skills to complete the paperwork. Even by graduation we typically have 10% of kids without the required hours. It’s one of the reasons we stopped giving diplomas out during graduation. We let them walk but not get the diploma until they are actually finished with the requirements.

Kids get like 20-30 hours for being a team manager in HS. Not a terrible way to earn them

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Or ones you have to pay to get. My kid’s friends get a lot of SSL hours by serving as volunteer at races for their own paid summer swim team.

Yet some parents say it’s so “easy” to get hours without effort without recognizing their own privilege made it easy and a lot of MCPS kids don’t have the same access to the easy SSL options (which is why you see 25 pct of kids in danger of not graduating due to this.)

My father grew up poor and was horrified by the SSL requirement. He got up a sunrise every day to work before school, and came home after school to work until bed every day (except for homework but I think he often did that while at work). He said he never could have done 75 hours of volunteering, as the hours didn’t exist. As an adult, he volunteered a ton. I really doubt that there’s much connection between these mandated SSL requirements and future volunteerism.

+1 These comments of “it’s effortless my son did by volunteering during the summer as CIT at the camp where we paid to send him all through elementary school” are tone deaf. Some kids are watching siblings or working actually paying jobs during the summer that don’t come with SSL. I would suspect most MCPS kids aren’t going to any summer camp because of the $$.

I'm the PP who wrote that my son finished his hours after 7th grade, and huge assumptions are being made here. We have no money to spend on fancy camps or after school programs. My kids went to a title 1 school and there is an *extremely* reasonably priced program there that does after school and day camp. The reason he was able to volunteer was that we weren't able to afford camps! The way people jump to conclusions on here is insane. Just because someone thinks differently than you does not mean they fit into some profile you imagined for them.

Being able to pay for any camp all through elementary school and having your kid have the freedom to volunteer for no money all summer puts you in a different income strata than many of the MCPS students who are in danger of not graduating due to lack of SSL hours.

Rather than being offended that your camp going kid is being lumped into a group with MCPS kids who go to camps you deem “fancy”, maybe you could consider that your statements that it’s “effortless” to get SSL hours because you can always volunteer for a camp are the equivalent of saying “let them eat cake” to a big chunk of the MCPS population.

If you're going to argue, at least get your quotes right. I never said or implied it's effortless. I made the case that it's very manageable and that kids get something out of it.

The camp costs $100-something a week and is designed to support working parents in low income families. Get over yourself.

Apologies, you said it was “minimal effort” for you to pay for your kid to attend a camp every year each summer as an elementary school and for you to have him as a summer volunteer getting SSL hours with no pay, rather than getting a paying job like other kids.

If you want to argue that saying it’s “minimal effort” to get a CIT job as a middle schooler is so different than saying it’s “effortless” to get a CIT job, yet can’t see that there’s a lot of privilege in your kid’s life that other MCPS kids aren’t lucky enough to have, then you are the one who needs to “get over yourself.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Or ones you have to pay to get. My kid’s friends get a lot of SSL hours by serving as volunteer at races for their own paid summer swim team.

Yet some parents say it’s so “easy” to get hours without effort without recognizing their own privilege made it easy and a lot of MCPS kids don’t have the same access to the easy SSL options (which is why you see 25 pct of kids in danger of not graduating due to this.)

My father grew up poor and was horrified by the SSL requirement. He got up a sunrise every day to work before school, and came home after school to work until bed every day (except for homework but I think he often did that while at work). He said he never could have done 75 hours of volunteering, as the hours didn’t exist. As an adult, he volunteered a ton. I really doubt that there’s much connection between these mandated SSL requirements and future volunteerism.

+1 These comments of “it’s effortless my son did by volunteering during the summer as CIT at the camp where we paid to send him all through elementary school” are tone deaf. Some kids are watching siblings or working actually paying jobs during the summer that don’t come with SSL. I would suspect most MCPS kids aren’t going to any summer camp because of the $$.

I'm the PP who wrote that my son finished his hours after 7th grade, and huge assumptions are being made here. We have no money to spend on fancy camps or after school programs. My kids went to a title 1 school and there is an *extremely* reasonably priced program there that does after school and day camp. The reason he was able to volunteer was that we weren't able to afford camps! The way people jump to conclusions on here is insane. Just because someone thinks differently than you does not mean they fit into some profile you imagined for them.

Being able to pay for any camp all through elementary school and having your kid have the freedom to volunteer for no money all summer puts you in a different income strata than many of the MCPS students who are in danger of not graduating due to lack of SSL hours.

Rather than being offended that your camp going kid is being lumped into a group with MCPS kids who go to camps you deem “fancy”, maybe you could consider that your statements that it’s “effortless” to get SSL hours because you can always volunteer for a camp are the equivalent of saying “let them eat cake” to a big chunk of the MCPS population.

If you're going to argue, at least get your quotes right. I never said or implied it's effortless. I made the case that it's very manageable and that kids get something out of it.

The camp costs $100-something a week and is designed to support working parents in low income families. Get over yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Or ones you have to pay to get. My kid’s friends get a lot of SSL hours by serving as volunteer at races for their own paid summer swim team.

Yet some parents say it’s so “easy” to get hours without effort without recognizing their own privilege made it easy and a lot of MCPS kids don’t have the same access to the easy SSL options (which is why you see 25 pct of kids in danger of not graduating due to this.)

My father grew up poor and was horrified by the SSL requirement. He got up a sunrise every day to work before school, and came home after school to work until bed every day (except for homework but I think he often did that while at work). He said he never could have done 75 hours of volunteering, as the hours didn’t exist. As an adult, he volunteered a ton. I really doubt that there’s much connection between these mandated SSL requirements and future volunteerism.

+1 These comments of “it’s effortless my son did by volunteering during the summer as CIT at the camp where we paid to send him all through elementary school” are tone deaf. Some kids are watching siblings or working actually paying jobs during the summer that don’t come with SSL. I would suspect most MCPS kids aren’t going to any summer camp because of the $$.

I'm the PP who wrote that my son finished his hours after 7th grade, and huge assumptions are being made here. We have no money to spend on fancy camps or after school programs. My kids went to a title 1 school and there is an *extremely* reasonably priced program there that does after school and day camp. The reason he was able to volunteer was that we weren't able to afford camps! The way people jump to conclusions on here is insane. Just because someone thinks differently than you does not mean they fit into some profile you imagined for them.

Being able to pay for any camp all through elementary school and having your kid have the freedom to volunteer for no money all summer puts you in a different income strata than many of the MCPS students who are in danger of not graduating due to lack of SSL hours.

Rather than being offended that your camp going kid is being lumped into a group with MCPS kids who go to camps you deem “fancy”, maybe you could consider that your statements that it’s “effortless” to get SSL hours because you can always volunteer for a camp are the equivalent of saying “let them eat cake” to a big chunk of the MCPS population.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Or ones you have to pay to get. My kid’s friends get a lot of SSL hours by serving as volunteer at races for their own paid summer swim team.

Yet some parents say it’s so “easy” to get hours without effort without recognizing their own privilege made it easy and a lot of MCPS kids don’t have the same access to the easy SSL options (which is why you see 25 pct of kids in danger of not graduating due to this.)

My father grew up poor and was horrified by the SSL requirement. He got up a sunrise every day to work before school, and came home after school to work until bed every day (except for homework but I think he often did that while at work). He said he never could have done 75 hours of volunteering, as the hours didn’t exist. As an adult, he volunteered a ton. I really doubt that there’s much connection between these mandated SSL requirements and future volunteerism.

+1 These comments of “it’s effortless my son did by volunteering during the summer as CIT at the camp where we paid to send him all through elementary school” are tone deaf. Some kids are watching siblings or working actually paying jobs during the summer that don’t come with SSL. I would suspect most MCPS kids aren’t going to any summer camp because of the $$.

I'm the PP who wrote that my son finished his hours after 7th grade, and huge assumptions are being made here. We have no money to spend on fancy camps or after school programs. My kids went to a title 1 school and there is an *extremely* reasonably priced program there that does after school and day camp. The reason he was able to volunteer was that we weren't able to afford camps! The way people jump to conclusions on here is insane. Just because someone thinks differently than you does not mean they fit into some profile you imagined for them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yowsers. This thread might take the cake for irrational, uninformed opinions.

My kid finished his hours the summer before 8th grade with minimal effort. Find something they're interested in and build on it. There are many, many things to push back on in K-12 education right now - particularly in MCPS - but this is not one of them. This is an opportunity to explore strengths, interests, and potential pathways - frame it for them in a positive light and they'll be interested.

Do let us know the details of how your kid completed his hours before 8th grade with minimal effort.

+1. It’s often that the kid “volunteered” as a CIT in a program that mommy and daddy had to pay for.

This is true. I know many kids who have a high number of a student service learning hours because they are now counselors at an expensive camp they attended since kindergarten. (you cannot be a counselor if you’re a random student off the street )

They also get many hours from working on the swim pre-team as buddies. Those swim clubs are also expensive.

I am all for getting rid of this ridiculous requirement. Or, reducing the hours to 10 hours and making it so it’s true meaningful volunteering rather than either paid hours like the examples above or sitting in a classroom watching videos.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Show me where is the V in SSL

I guess we're missing the "S" too, as a lot of students are getting credit for hours that have little to do with "service."

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Show me where is the V in SSL

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yowsers. This thread might take the cake for irrational, uninformed opinions.

My kid finished his hours the summer before 8th grade with minimal effort. Find something they're interested in and build on it. There are many, many things to push back on in K-12 education right now - particularly in MCPS - but this is not one of them. This is an opportunity to explore strengths, interests, and potential pathways - frame it for them in a positive light and they'll be interested.

Do let us know the details of how your kid completed his hours before 8th grade with minimal effort.

+1. It’s often that the kid “volunteered” as a CIT in a program that mommy and daddy had to pay for.

My kid volunteers at school a lot and with a community organization and has their SSLs done in 8th grade. Not everyone is paying for them!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing like mandatory “volunteer” hours, amiright?

Or ones you have to pay to get. My kid’s friends get a lot of SSL hours by serving as volunteer at races for their own paid summer swim team.

Yet some parents say it’s so “easy” to get hours without effort without recognizing their own privilege made it easy and a lot of MCPS kids don’t have the same access to the easy SSL options (which is why you see 25 pct of kids in danger of not graduating due to this.)

My father grew up poor and was horrified by the SSL requirement. He got up a sunrise every day to work before school, and came home after school to work until bed every day (except for homework but I think he often did that while at work). He said he never could have done 75 hours of volunteering, as the hours didn’t exist. As an adult, he volunteered a ton. I really doubt that there’s much connection between these mandated SSL requirements and future volunteerism.

+1 These comments of “it’s effortless my son did by volunteering during the summer as CIT at the camp where we paid to send him all through elementary school” are tone deaf. Some kids are watching siblings or working actually paying jobs during the summer that don’t come with SSL. I would suspect most MCPS kids aren’t going to any summer camp because of the $$.