Lauren Vigilante, a sophomore in St. John’s The School of
Education, took advantage of the opportunity to do Academic
Service-Learning as part of Fr. Stephen Bicsko’s Theology 2100,
Introduction to the Bible, course during the Fall 2007 semester. As
a Special Education major, Lauren chose to go to P.S. 131 in
Jamaica, NY, to assist with a first-grade class. Lauren was
impressed by how much diversity existed in the school. “I recall
meeting the Principal, Randolph Ford, when I first went to P.S.
131. He said, ‘We are all one.’ I never forgot that and came to
learn that it was lived out in that school,” Lauren said.
“Principal Ford worked with the different cultures, religions and
ability levels of the students to create harmony.”
“As part of the service-learning I was asked to keep a journal
of my experiences at the service site. It was a wonderful
opportunity for me. I really reflected on what I did. I may not
have done that if I was not asked to keep the journal. I easily
related what was happening at P.S. 131 to the course readings from
the Bible. In this school I discovered that administrators, faculty
and staff work to keep the children from feeling separated. This
reminded me of one assigned reading from Matthew 25:31-46. This
selection relates how God rewards those who realize that when they
reach out to a neighbor in need, they acknowledge God’s presence in
that person. The passage read, ‘Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you
did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.’ I reached
out to care for the children and in particular a boy who seemed to
be separated from the others in his class. I realized that
separation comes in different forms. A child can be separated from
his peers because of language limitations, culture or perhaps
religion. I saw a need in this child and sought to make him feel
included. This experience taught me a lot.”
As a result of my experience at P.S. 131 and with this Academic
Service-Learning project I am more convinced that special education
is the field I want to move ahead with. I helped the students and
the teacher at P.S. 131, but they in turn helped me more than they
will ever realize. I will never forget them,” Lauren said.