• The Mirror (A clear reflection of the Self)

  Who am I? What are my values? What have I learned about myself through this experience? Do I have more/less understanding or empathy than I did before volunteering? In what ways, if any, has your sense of self, your values your sense of "community." Your willingness to serve others, and your self-confidence/self-esteem been impacted or altered through this experience? Have your motivations for volunteering changed? In what ways? How has this experience challenged stereotypes or prejudices you have/had? Any realizations, insights, or especially strong lessons learned or half-glimpsed? Will these experiences change they way you act or think in the future? Have you given enough, opened up enough, cared enough? How have you challenged yourself, your ideals, your philosophies, your concept of life or of the way you live?

• The Microscope (Makes the small experience large)

What happened? Describe your experience. What would you change about this situation if you were in charge? What have you learned about this agency, these people, or the community? Was there a moment of failure, success, indecision, doubt, humor, frustration, happiness, sadness? Do you feel your actions had any impact? What more needs to be done? Does this experience compliment or contrast with what you're learning in class? How? Has learning through experience taught you more, less, or the same as the class? In what ways?

• The Binoculars (Makes what appears distant, appear closer)

From your service experience, are you able to identify any underlying or overarching issues which influence the problem? What could be done to change the situation? How will this alter your future behaviors/attitudes/and career? How is the issue/agency you're serving impacted by what is going on in the larger political/social sphere? What does the future hold? What can be done?

THE ROAD OF REFLECTION

• "What" asks where have you been, what did you do, what happened, what did you experience? Who has been involved? What were the actions and reactions? What processes were involved? What were the relationships? What were the feelings brought on by the event?

• "So what" asks about the meaning and where you are right now. What impact did the experience have on you? What change has happened as a result of the experience? How are you different? How are others different? How do you feel now? What is the relationship between my "community service world" and my "other worlds"?

• "Now what" looks to the future. What is the next step? Where do you go? What do you do? How do you respond to what happened? How does this move you towards your vision of the future? Who must be involved? What knowledge, resources, or skills must you have to move to the next step?