I am thankful for...

With the upcoming holiday season coming up and Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am starting to put together my annual “I am thankful for…” list. My family has a tradition to share our lists after our huge turkey meal while sipping hot cups of pumpkin tea. So far on my list I have family, friends, Carly (my roommate), Mariam (my honorary roommate), Urban Decay’s Naked Pallet, Mac Cosmetics, Essie nail polish, Zayn Malik, my iPhone, my mac book, Forever 21, Amazon.com, and choosing American University. As a college freshman from New York City, the transition from the big apple to Washington D.C. was….a unique one at the least. The first week of college was all fun and mingling but now the college pressure is slowly sinking in. American University was the best decision I made to date and the decision to join Jumpstart at American University is an essential part of that.

After I heard about the Jumpstart program, joining was a no brainer. I wanted to become a part of it. Although I am an international relations major, there is an inner teacher in me. I have been tutoring all my life and been employed at numerous learning centers. Jumpstart was fresh and unique. Jumpstart bridges the gap between early childhood education and elementary school and I have never heard of a program like that.  I am a first generation Bengali-American and was an ESL (English as a second language) student all up until the second grade. I was lucky; I had a supportive and encouraging group of people who made sure I overcame the language barrier. Not all children have that. I want to make a difference in a child’s education just as how numerous people have in mine.

My first day in the classroom at Sunshine Early Learning Center was a learning experience for not only me but also everyone in my Jumpstart team. We left the classroom fully mesmerized by all the children and their loving faces and gestures.  I think I can speak for everyone in my team when I say that we all left feeling motivated, eager to come back.

The children at Sunshine are all very bright, but as normal, not all children are on the same level. I work with children who know all their alphabets and others who are just beginning to learn. The best feeling is when you see that enlightened look on a four years old face when they can easily pinpoint all the letters in their name after struggling for a few tries.

My journey with Jumpstart is still a relatively new one. I have much to learn and much to give. Team Joy 1 leaves each and every session knowing not only did we teach our kids something new but they have also taught us something new.

~Nabila Khatun
Corps member
Team Joy 1