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Nursing education in Haiti is in transition. This article describes the teaching/learning experiences of participants in a nursing educational project in Haiti. The project was guided by an integrative framework of the educational collaborative model, constructivism and situated learning theory. Reflections on the experiences lead to the realization of these four lessons: (a) the service provided must supplement, not negate the values and strengths of the host community; (b) it is important to provide sustainable service; (c) methods used by international educators must be respectful and relevant; and (d) international educators must be willing to engage in the identification and application of new and different strategies. This resulted in a paradigm shift which highlighted teaching as a mode of service delivery. The experience revealed service as the mutual giving and receiving of resources and expertise.

Personal reflections provide snapshots on Patricia Mason’s journey from third grade to higher education and highlight family, teacher, and school influence on her academic growth. Integrated Catholic school and community experiences shaped the cultural and social dimension of her present teaching philosophy. Recollections of childhood school experiences in addition a continuum of her teaching experiences inform her current teaching practice in higher education in suburban New York.

Service learning projects were created and implemented by faculty in the special education unit at Molloy College for pre-service and early career special education teachers. The service learning projects provided an opportunity for faculty to mentor participants in the area of dispositions for teaching through a shared experience outside of the higher education classroom. The projects were conducted in/or with community schools serving the K-12 population and students with disabilities in inclusive settings. It was hypothesized that service learning opportunities would serve as a platform for participants to reflect and to evaluate their dispositions as they act and interact in environments which were multidimensional. The results indicated that this was the case and that participants gained insights into their dispositions when the statements of dispositions were related to an experience. Faculty concluded that a variety of service learning projects provided varied opportunities for participants to exercise beliefs and bring clarity to the term “dispositions for teaching.”

Service learning projects were created and implemented by faculty in the special education unit at Molloy College for pre-service and early career special education teachers. The service learning projects provided an opportunity for faculty to mentor participants in the area of dispositions for teaching through a shared experience outside of the higher education classroom. The projects were conducted in/or with community schools serving the K-12 population and students with disabilities in inclusive settings. It was hypothesized that service learning opportunities would serve as a platform for participants to reflect and to evaluate their dispositions as they act and interact in environments which were multidimensional. The results indicated that this was the case and that participants gained insights into their dispositions when the statements of dispositions were related to an experience. Faculty concluded that a variety of service learning projects provided varied opportunities for participants to exercise beliefs and bring clarity to the term “dispositions for teaching.”