Memoirs from a Team Leader’s First year with Jumpstart

As I sit and reflect upon my first semester with Jumpstart, I am pleasantly surprised and amazed at the wonderful experience I have been able to have.

When I first decided to apply for Jumpstart, I told myself I would be perfectly fine as a Corps Member. I just wanted to get my foot in the door and further my experience in the Education field. (But) having the chance to be a Team Leader has exceeded my wildest dreams. Never in a million years did I think I would have such a rewarding semester full of growth.

I’ve learned so much, not just about myself,  my corps members, or how the education system works, but also about the amazing students of our future. How extremely talented they are, quite smarter than what we usually give them credit for, and how truly desiring they are to learn. They want to be taught, they want to learn, and they want to be challenged.

With the recent tragedies that have taken place in Connecticut,  I have started thinking about how important the role of educators are in the classroom. Even though I am not a “real” teacher as of yet, my heart is still dedicated to the children whose lives I currently have been blessed to help.

Throughout our lives, the many roles we will assume in the classroom such as teacher, class assistant, and volunteer will include much more than making sure that they know what is outlined in their lesson plans. We are their role models, protectors, the one’s they look up too for a huge portion of the day.  During the semester, we had a fire drill practice and Jumpstart Corps members were also expected to help with the practice procedures, because we are part of the environment that makes the classroom successful. We, too, are someone that our students look up to as examples and protectors.

I am excited for the next semester of Jumpstart at Sunshine. There is so much more I can write about, so many stories, and expectations that exceeded what I ever could have imagined, but I think the most important lesson for me, and hopefully everyone else who has shared this experience, is the knowledge that our presence in the classroom is so much more important than just working with children.

May your holidays be filled with much joy and happiness!

~Danielle Jones
Team Leader
Team Kindness