Wizarding Lessons in Public Service

Harry Potter lives a life of public service. Even as a young boy he was willing to work with his friends to help the community. While Harry is a fictional character, even our non-fiction wizards and muggles can learn a little from Harry’s dedication for public service.

Recently, as interest in public service rises, I’ve had requests for books and lessons that focus on public service ideals for students. I’ve started many public service projects with kids over the years, and while I’ll highlight some of them later, I found some of my best inspiration from the kids themselves.

One awesome resource for teachers interested in including service learning in the classroom is the book The Complete Guide to Service Learning. This book has great ideas that could be integrated into any core curriculum, integrated into a club or could also be used in a stand alone curriculum as an elective.

This book offers real world projects, ideas on funding and how to sell a public service curriculum to an administrator. I’ve found many good ideas from this book and all of them have been successful in my classroom.

After the fall of The Dark Lord, I’m sure the idea of public service would have occurred to Professor McGonagall. Hopefully this book will help inspire a few teachers to create the drive for community service in the lives of a few young muggles.