KeErah Hutchings

TR 11:30-12:50pm

COMM 2150 - Intercultural Communication

Service Learning Paper
Service Organization
For my service learning project, I volunteered at Thunder Ridge Elementary in Mrs.
Hutchings class. The contact information is listed below:
TiNea Hutchings, second grade teacher/ second grade CTL
Thunder Ridge Elementary
264 N. 750 W. Saratoga Springs, Utah 84005
Room: 103
Email: thutchings@alpinedistrict.org
Phone: 801-669-4610

Project
Thunder Ridge elementary was built 4 years ago in 2011. They are not a title one school
but they qualify for title one programs. It is in Saratoga Springs, it teaches kindergarten through
6th grade (Thunder Ridge, 2015). It is connected to Horizon; a special needs school that teaches
kindergarten to 12th grade (Horizon, 2015). I worked with Mrs. Hutchings second grade class.
She taught preschool for five years and second grade for eight years. She has been the CTL
(Collaboration Team Leader) over all of second grade for the past two years. I helped the
students who had a harder time learning with Math, English, and Reading. I also help with Mrs.
Hutchings Fun Friday activities and art projects when I was there on Fridays which was most of
the time.

Cultural Groups
The main cultures I worked with was age difference, and learning disability. I also had a
chance to work with individual students from different backgrounds. I worked with Lily who has
a really low learning level but her parents dont want her to be in the disability class or resource
but she is in a speech class. I also worked with Kendall who has Asperger since he was with
other teachers and classes, I only got to work with him a couple times. I also got to work a lot
with Tatem an adorable Samoan girl who needed help with her spelling and reading. I also got
the chance to help Ammirah goes by Ammi an African American girl and Joshua a Chinese
American boy with high frequency words and Math.

Challenges
At first I had a hard time adjusting to how the younger kids acted. All the loudness and
energy that the kids have in abundance. It was also a challenge trying to learn how to teach the
student the right way to do their assignments; instead of how I would do it. I was also nervous
about helping students with disabilities because I was afraid I wouldnt know how to help them.
Because my schedule was so busy it was hard to be consistent with meeting times so I had to
learn how to do multiple things to help Mrs. Hutchings with her students. Another challenge was
Kendall was very shy and quiet so it was hard trying to get him to say his words for the
assignment.

Theory
The theory I chose to focus on is Systems Theory that was developed by Paul Watzlawick
in 1967. Watzlawick was an Austrian-American. He was a family therapist, psychologist,
communications theorist, and philosopher. He modeled his theory from Biology were there are
shifts from the individual to the whole. According to the course packet System Theory, Views

human behavior as the result of a series of factors that mutually influence one another (Phillips,
2015, p. 41). The tenents of systems theory are Non-Summativity, Interdependence, Hierarchy,
Boundaries, Calibration/ feedback, and Equifinality.
Non-summativity is only understood if you look at the whole system instead of looking
at individual parts.
Interdependence is the elements of the system that are inter-related. They affect the
behaviors of members in the system and in turn are affected by the other members. All changes
in the system affect the members.
Hierarchy is the many levels within a system, and all systems are embedded in other
systems. They can function independently from the whole system but is still an integral part of
the system.
Boundaries develop around themselves and their sub systems. Human systems cant
control what goes in and out all the time so, there is some openness that varies from system to
system.
Calibration/Feedback in the system acts as stability within a defined range. The
calibration and feedback allow for control of the range. Feedback can be negative when it stays
the same and positive feedback is when it produces change.
Equifinality according to the course packet is the ability to achieve the same goals
through different means (Phillips, 2015, p. 41).

Analysis
I decided to do General Systems theory to my service learning project, because it seemed
like it was the best one to apply all my experiences in the classroom. According to the theory the

second grade classroom is a system within other systems. The students are a subsystem with the
system. A supra system is Thunder Ridge from that it is alpine school district and from there
Saratoga springs. I can apply Non-Summativity to Mrs. Hutchings class, without students she
could not teach and the students could not learn without a teacher. You need the all the individual
parts of the system for the whole system to work.
The classroom itself is the boundary within the system the room is meant for the second
graders but others can come into the system. For example, I crossed the boundary and came into
the system. They accepted the change because Mrs. Hutchings told them my role in the system.
When other second graders came from another class and came into the system for an art activity
most students were unhappy about the outside students using the class supplies like scissors it
wasnt until Mrs. Hutchings told them that it was ok that they relaxed and accepted that they
could. Mrs. Hutchings is at the top of the hierarchy and her giving me instructions to tutor
students like Lily and Kendall affects them as interdependence in the system.
An example of Equifinality would be helping students like Lily, Kendall, Ammi, Joshua
and Tatem with their high frequency words. I had to teach them the same words but I taught them
all differently because they all learn differently and grasped different thing better than others but
I helped all of them reach the same goal of being able to read better.
An example of Interdependence and Calibration/Feedback would be helping Cole,
because he is a higher level student and most of the kids in the class are lower level Cole was
getting negative feedback because he was doing things he already knew and wasnt learning. It
affected the way he acted in class and affected those around him, but then Mrs. Hutchings
changed the system and had me make advance spelling list and math assignments for him.

Because of the change, it challenged Cole and he liked it a lot better. Creating positive feedback
and a new system that Cole can follow.

Reflection
At the beginning of the semester all I could think about was I dont have time for this,
this is just one more thing on top of a long list of things to get done. I also wasnt sure if I
would be able to teach the second graders the right way. I was afraid of teaching them wrong, I
was also not sure if they would understand me. The very first day Mrs. Hutchings introduced me
and Tatem came over and gave me a big hug. Second graders do not know what personal space
is. The minute you enter the room you are their best friend, which was different for me and not at
all what I was expecting, in a good way.
When I tried to apply my theory it helped me understand somethings for my project but
mostly by applying my project to the theory it made me understand the theory better. At the
beginning I thought that civic engagement was you get involved with your community by
serving or actively helping others who need help but dont ask for it. I still believe that but I also
believe that the people I help helped me just as much as I helped them in ways I didnt think I
needed it. The students were so willing to actively learn that it made me realize I had lost that
desire and had been going through the motions and not involving myself more.
According to Mrs. Hutchings whenever I couldnt come and volunteer because of my
schedule her class would be sad and when she announced I would be coming that week they
would get really excited. I feel that I helped the students even Kendall who I didnt get to work
with as much as I wanted to. And even though he was very shy and didnt talk much. I feel like
he opened up more and read more than he did to begin with. I definitely learned a lot from them

they were so open and still had that happiness of learning new things. And striving to be and do
the best that they could. It made me want to become a teacher and that was something I thought I
didnt want to be. Lily asked me if I would keep coming to see her. After this experience I have
decided that I will keep volunteering for the class for the rest of the year and keep volunteering
while Im in school next year.
I can apply my service learning project to future classes and my career, by looking at
school with an active learning mind set like younger students do because they learn so much and
enjoy learning. They made me realize I should be more active in my classes so I can learn more.
I also found that I like to tutor student in reading, it has made me think about doing that more
and possibly consider teaching out of the America and in a foreign country. Not only has this
project made me more aware of other cultures this whole class has made me see them differently
and given me a desire to get more involved in other cultures.

References
Horizon School. (2015). Alpine School District. Received from http://horizon.alpineschools.org/
Phillips, T. K. (2015). COMM 2150 Intercultural Communication Course Packet.
Thunder Ridge Elementary. (2015). Alpine School District. Received from
http://thunderridge.alpineschools.org/