Joy: Something Only a Preschooler Can Teach

These past two weeks, my team and I had classroom observations where we had a chance to get to know our kids, the teachers, and our preschool. Our first day was nerve-racking. Navigating the complex DC streets in a 15-passenger minivan was only half of the challenge; we had been training for over a month for our first day in the classroom, and that day had finally come. We didn’t want to make any mistakes, and we also wanted to form positive relationships with the kids. Although helping out in a pre-school is certainly no walk in the park, our first few days were not as rigorous as we expected. Fortunately, we’re so well trained, that we didn’t have to worry in the first place—all three days went by with ease.

We essentially filled in wherever we could—everything from helping tie shoes to running centers. The highlight of these days, by far, was recess. Anyone who tells you they did not enjoy recess as a child is lying—it was a chance to get out of the building and explore with your friends. I remember building sandcastles unnumbered and playing tag galore. To be back on a playground, of everything we did with the children, really took me back to my preschool days. During these few days, I was baked countless “cakes” out of wood chips of all different flavors. I “ate” every single last one, down to the last crumb—I couldn’t risk disappointing the little chefs of the playground. Although there were not many places to hide on the jungle gym, I sure did a lot of seeking, often finding the same child in the same place over and over again. My favorite thing to do with the kids was a good old-fashioned game of “Duck, Duck, Goose!” These games would start out with a few kids, and each child would take their turn. Soon, more would join in. Eventually, everyone wanted to be goose at once, and the game fell apart. It was a fantastic time while it lasted, and it brought back to me the childhood joy of recess time.

Joy—that’s the key word. Joy is my team’s name and our main core value focus for the year. Joy is defined by Jumpstart as “creating a culture of fun, excitement, and hope.” Joy was recess. By playing with our kids, we fostered joy, and they brought the same amount of joy back to us. This degree of fun, excitement, and hope can only be found in a preschool; with no other age group will you find the same degree of curiosity and energy. It is an excellent reminder to us college students to take a break from working and studying every now and then to find some joy of our own. With session starting next week, I look forward to filling my afternoons with more joy, and getting other reminders that you can only learn from a preschooler.

~Alison Brown
Corps member
Team Joy 2