Editorial by Dillon C. Zimmerman
What does service look like to you?
For my high school robotics team last year, it looked like dissecting fish. Our focus on ocean health and exploration inspired my students to volunteer at a citizen science organization. There, they prepared tissue samples that provided key insights on potential toxins or concerns that helped provide water quality data to grow healthier communities. Reflecting afterward, several students expressed how rewarding it was for their work to be utilized to benefit others, extending beyond the classroom.
Classwork can often be disconnected from service. But I have grown increasingly convinced that learning is most impactful when it leaves the classroom. This realization began in 2023 at the Loma Linda University EXSEED Science Leadership program in California. There, I, along with other educators, learned the Stanford Design Thinking Process, an engineering strategy focused on empathetic problem solving. As we worked through the model, I was reminded of Ellen White’s thoughts on Christ’s method of evangelism: “The Savior mingled with people as one who desired their good. He showed sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He invited them, ‘Follow Me’” (The Ministry of Health and Healing, p. 734).
While mission trips, medicine, education and church work have long been essential service activities, I fear we sometimes ignore other avenues, leaving students who don’t fit these molds feeling uncertain of their place in God’s church body. “Design Thinking” builds a bridge for me to reach these students, using empathetic problem solving for unique service projects. It has also prompted students to incorporate Christ’s method as they take their learning outside of the classroom. For example, in my 3-D printing class, it’s been inspiring to see students shift from “What must I do?” to “Who can I make this for?”
This school year, I invite you to ponder how your child’s learning can extend to and transform their community. This may help them see service as a lifestyle, not relegated to certain jobs or times. Imagine how a student’s creations, writing, history, art and more can be used to uplift and meet the needs of others. This may look different, given the age, location and resources of our kids, but with creativity and prayer, we can find ways to use the talents God has given to connect with our world.
Don’t be afraid to start small, trusting that God will help you and your students to “go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19, NIV). He can use the gifts He has placed within you to care for others—both inside and outside the classroom.
Dillon C. Zimmerman is the coach for the high school FIRST Tech Challenge team and teaches high school Chemistry, Physical Science, Forensic Science, Physics and Intro to Engineering at Spring Valley Academy in Ohio.