Witness to Change

“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands,” sang Ms. D’s and Ms A’s class

This was Jumsptart’s first week working in the classroom.  As Team Joy tried its hardest to engage the students in “If you’re happy and you know it” and “Ten Little Fingers” among other songs and rhymes.
I was having a particularly difficult time engaging one of the children in my group.  She was very shy and didn’t seem very interested in any of the activities.  But throughout the time Jumpstart was there, after much encouragement and coaxing from my teammates and I, she began to open up, smiling and talking to the corps members and even other children.  This was a rewarding experience.
    
Working with Jumpstart so far has been an extremely rewarding job.  I am to witness change being made in my own community, and know that I am part of that change.

I must admit that it is sometimes a struggle juggling Jumpstart and school, along with other activities, but knowing that my job makes a difference, especially in education, overpowers the cons.  By working with Jumpstart I have begun to see the struggle for a good education in America.  There are so many factors that play into a child’s development including community, stable family and environment, and good teachers.  All of these factors do not always remain constant in children’s lives, but by helping them get a good education, I have gained hope that these children, will be prepared for school and the social world.  This will increase their self-esteem and integrity, which will drive them to want to do well; as long as this is reinforced by at least one person in their lives, whether it is a teacher, a parent, a pastor or a friend, I am confident that they will achieve great success and life.
Such skills start in the early ages, when children are learning their numbers and alphabets.  That is why Jumpstart is so important.  

This past Wednesday was my time teaching at Centronia, a bilingual education center for young children.  I helped out with four-year old children, and it was so much fun.  It was interesting to see how different they were from the three-year old preschoolers from Sunshine Learning Center were.  They were more talkative, more involved and very smart.  This said I’m looking forward to seeing our preschoolers learn and develop as they grow into the same talkative, involved, smart children I have the most faith they will.  Another thing I liked about Centronia was that I was able to speak in English and Spanish with the Children and the Teachers, this helped me with my Spanish and helped the children better understand what they were told.  My favorite part was snack time when we had my favorite, arroz con leche, and enjoyed talking and doing activities with the children.  

I know that my Jumpstart team and I will continue to have difficulties in and outside of the classroom; however we are always rewarded for our work when we are greeted with hugs, or a child learns to recognize his or her name, or when we just have an all-over good session that day.  That is the truly the best part of this job.

-Casia Thompson

Corps member

Team Joy 1