The importance of training

When you’re working with preschoolers, there are good days, and there are bad days, and sometimes it feels as though, as a corps member, you may spend more days trying to teach your children how to do Jumpstart than you do actually implementing the session smoothly. Working with three year olds, we are faced with the disadvantage of working with human beings who haven’t developed a strong long-term memory, so even after they have learned how Jumpstart functions, winter breaks appears and when we come back, we have to start all over again. This month has been the most trying for me as a corps member, because I have had to start over at step one in figuring out how to keep my member children engaged in reading, circle time, and center time activities. The children are still adjusting to being back in school and to changes that we have made to Jumpstart; now, with an extra Corps members joining my group we have changed our reading groups, and it was a challenge to explain to one of my reading group from last semester that she has a new friend to read to her.

Throughout these challenges I have found our trainings exceptionally helpful. What sets Jumpstart apart from similar programs with which I have been involved is the wealth of resources, in the form of trainings, other corps members, online supplements, and our site manager, that is constantly at hand for all team members. Training doesn’t stop once you’ve joined Jumpstart, or completed one term of service. There is always so much to learn about classroom management, and always new ways to improve reading and engagement for the member children. Sometimes the continual trainings feel like overkill, but when you walk into the classroom on a challenging day and you find yourself using the classroom management techniques you learned in the latest trainings session, you realize just how useful and influential all your Jumpstart resources are.

Corps members can’t always depend on children understanding how Jumpstart works, remembering their names, or wanting to follow the rules for session. However, what we can always depend on is the quality of our training and the strength of the support we are constantly offered.  The most important life skill that I am going to walk away with at the end of my second term of service is an understanding of the importance of preparation, training, and learning resources. Now that I am preparing for grad school, these skills will be invaluable in helping me ready myself for my future education and my future career in social work.

~Rebecca Davis
Corps member
Team Determination

Making Progress

It has been so exciting to see the progress that my kids have been showing over the course of one semester. With new corps members on our team, we are able to have more one-on-one time with each child. I can only imagine how much more significant each class time will be with a smaller reading group. One of my partner children started off the year with the ability to spell and read his name. Now, he is able to read the names of his reading group peers, too. One of my other partner children could not tell which one her name was for the longest. Suddenly, in November, she came out of nowhere and picked out her name. It was so great watching her reading group peers support her and feel as excited as she was. I am still working on her behavior during reading.  I have started to realize that asking her more questions makes her feel more important to the success of the group. She feels like she has a stake in the others’ learning if she gives them the right answer. My youngest partner is showing a clear improvement in meaning and use of print. He realized that in order to remember what had happened in the book before required turning back the pages to read the words. He still has trouble finding his name, but he has begun to figure out some of the letters. I had one child last semester who has now gone to a different reading group with the addition of two new corps members. He was the little leader in our group, so I am sad that he is not with our group anymore. He showed great improvement both behaviorally and educationally. Even when he did not understand things very well, he would be excited to learn. His zeal encouraged the other kids to participate, too. I am excited to see what this semester will bring. I hope to see all the kids on Tuesday and assess my goals for the semester.

~Leanza Bethel
Corps member
Team Kindness

Education is the Key

Education is the key to success! This is a phrase I grew up on and can identify like no other. From a very young age I was taught the importance of knowledge and how it can affect how you live your everyday life and the person you become once you’re older. My parents set a foundation for me that not only explained the significance of learning but highlighting the mistakes they made in order to provide me with a stronger understanding of education’s role in my life. I remember reading books to my mother and father with my three sisters throughout my childhood. Literacy became a prominent part of my growth and understanding. Through Jumpstart I now have a new appreciation for reading and all my parents did to assure that my literacy rate at a young age met and exceeded their expectations.

Furthermore, as I continue on my journey as a Jumpstart member I find myself not only setting those same expectations for my kids at site, but even more for myself. I expect that I will always be more than prepared and that I will do my best to enhance their educational experience while participating in Jumpstart. I recognize that through my hard work, dedication, and preparation I can give them tools to meet all expectations. While at session I try my best to carry out the session plans and recently have taken the advice of my site coordinator to take my tasks as a member one step further. Now that I have experience as a Jumpstart member I am extremely excited to add high quality materials, ideas, and techniques to the curriculum. I know that now I will be able to utilize my creativity and expand my role as a mentor and teacher to my kids. The opportunity I have as a Jumpstart member is one that I am extremely grateful for and everyday I attend site with my kids I hope to instill in them the Jumpstart core values that I share as well. Expectations are a huge part of life and thanks to Jumpstart I know I am meeting the ones I have set for myself and have been set for me throughout my childhood.

~Chante Harris
Corps member
Team Connection

Jumpstart is a lot of work

When applying to Jumpstart I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I just knew that it was going to be a lot of work. That definitely proved to be true. Jumpstart is a lot of work but it is all worth it, and I’m starting to see that more as I continue through this journey. I’m about half way through my 1st year as a Corps member, and this experience keeps getting better each session I go to, and every time I see my kids’ faces when we come into the classroom. The joy on their faces when they talk about the things they love, or when they tell me stories make all the hard work worth it. I have worked with many kids in the past in all sorts of programs, but it’s something about pre-school kids that make we want work harder and make everything worth their time. I get so happy seeing the improvement in my kids whether they learn how to correctly write their name, or if they overcome their shyness and share during sharing and goodbye for the first time. It amazes me how much they pick up, and how quickly they learn in one session or gradually through multiple sessions. I’ve learned quite a bit from Jumpstart, firstly I wasn’t aware just how much fun it could be to create materials for my kids and how relaxing it makes you feel. I see on a first hand basis how much work goes into teaching pre-school kids and how important it is to give them a great foundation. Many people overlook pre-school and don’t find it important, but I’ve learned just how important it is and how it affects children’s education moving forward. That’s why this program is so important and valuable; it’s a great experience that although trying and tough, worth it in the end!

~Osato Aibangbee

Corps member

Team Learning 1

A Snapshot of Reading

If you take a snapshot of my partner children during reading you will see one child reading the book herself, one child listening carefully, and one rolling away. But this is a far from accurate depiction of my group.

When I first started Jumpstart I was horrified, I mean, how was I supposed to get three children to sit quietly while I read to them for any extended amount of time? And to tell you the truth, sometimes it is a struggle. There are days when my children are more interested in what is going on across the room rather than within the story and other days when they would rather sit on the cubbies or run around than sit quietly. But it’s on those days when you have to remember that they’re children.

And, with that, you have to remember that all children are different. Each child faces his or her own struggles and has his or her own interests. Some days, those differences are extremely evident and it is difficult to attend to the specific needs of each child. 

But, on the other hand, there are the days when their differences bring them together. For example, when the child rolling across the floor is engaged in a story, nothing can stop her from connecting with the characters and find out the solutions. When she and the child reading the book are engaged, the child sitting quietly starts to become engaged and gains more confidence as he speaks up.

This leaves the question, how do I harness these differences to bring my group together? It isn’t always easy but a lot of it comes with keeping my partner children in mind when I prep my materials. Knowing what interests what child helps to keep my children engaged and active in the story. The other part is knowing that I can’t control everything and accepting that fact, I constantly have to be adaptable and willing to take any challenge I face head-on. My reading time isn’t always perfect but it is always wonderful to see how the children interact with one another and having the opportunity to learn more about them.

~Jennie Maibor

Corps member

Team Joy 2

Forming Relationships

When I applied to Jumpstart in the beginning of fall 2012 I was not looking for anything more than a job. I thought kids were adorable and I loved playing with them and spending time with them but that was the extent of it. I did not anticipate forming real relationships with my kids, their teachers, and their parents. I also did not anticipate referring to the children as my kids. None of these things took very long. From the very first day we entered the classroom the children treated us like celebrities. They were yelling “Jumpstart is here, Jumpstart is here!” One could hear the sheer excitement in their voices and it was plastered all over their faces, and this was not just a one-time deal. Every time we enter the classroom our kids get excited. Every time we enter the classroom I get excited. One thing I love to see with my kids is improvement but since I have started working with Jumpstart my definition of improvement has changed drastically. Anything from paying attention during circle time to being able to recognize the letters in their names to being able to spell their classmate’s names, are all improvements.  Even if I don’t recognize any visible changes during my time at Jumpstart, the belief that somewhere down the line something we did will be beneficial to their academic careers makes it all worth it.

~Efua Hayford
Corps member
Team Connection

Preconceived Notions Do Not Help

            Some people are just natural perfectionists. They can’t help it. They just want everything to always be perfect, without one single mistake. If anything does not go as planned, then the perfectionist might think he or she has failed. It’s embarrassing to admit it, but I am a perfectionist. I am always striving to do my best and am really hard on myself when something does not go as planned. However, this does not mean that I am a crazy person. Jumpstart has taught me that it’s ok to relax and be calm. Things are not always going to work out the exact way we may have imagined, especially when dealing with 3-5 year olds. That is ok. Jumpstart should be fun and not stressful.

            I am a Corps Member for Team Joy 2. The word “joy” is specifically in my team name, because these kids are supposed to bring joy to our hearts and vice versa. Throughout my first semester with Jumpstart, I have learned that this is supposed to be a fun and interactive job; if stress becomes the main emotion behind Jumpstart, then something is wrong. Yes, things can get hard at times, but what makes Jumpstart so special is that it teaches us how to let go and relax.

            I still remember my first day of session. I was so prepared to go into the classroom and implement everything I had already practiced during training. However, session did not look exactly like my training did. Sometimes kids may not sit down for the entire time for reading or they may not participate in the way you want them to, but it’s ok. Whether we may think so or not, we are changing these kids’ lives. We are setting them on the right path for a successful life.

            The lesson I have learned with Jumpstart is that all of our preconceived notions of how session is going to look need to be thrown in the trash before entering the classroom. If we already have preconceived notions of how session will go, then we will freak out if anything other than that occurs.

      

      I love my Jumpstart kids so much. Some days may be stressful at school, but as soon as I enter the classroom and throw away all preconceived notions about session, I feel so much better. Just seeing how excited these kids get when we walk into the classroom and hearing them all yell, “Jumpstart!” brings joy to my heart. I may be a perfectionist at times, but Jumpstart has really helped me to see beyond all of my preconceived notions and learn how to relax and be calm about things. Jumpstart may feel hard at times, but these kids help me remember the joy in helping others. 

~Nicole Rouhani 

Corps member

Team Joy 2

A Challenge Worth Facing

I am always surprised by the magic only children can see. Blind to these little joys by my newfound adulthood, I am reminded of this magic every time my team and I walk into the classroom on any given Tuesday or Friday. Carrying books, baby dolls, and brand new materials for them to explore, our students beam at us like we are wearing red superhero capes instead of Jumpstart t-shirts. Each new story is a portal into a magical world and each paint brush or marker is a chance to express themselves. This is not to say that their admiration and excitement does not come without its challenges.

During our Jumpstart trainings and team meetings we spend a great deal of time talking about classroom management. Getting any small group of 4 year olds to sit quietly through a whole book is challenging, but my team and I have  had an especially difficult time. In our first few months in the classroom we have come to love and genuinely care about each and every student and look forward to seeing them twice a week. However, our wonderful, energetic, wiggly kids often seem to be having too much fun. As a team and as educators we have struggled to find the balance between being fun and being effective.

As I prepare to reenter the classroom and don my red Jumpstart t-shirt I am confident that my team and I will be able to find the balance between keeping our students excited about Jumpstart and effectively managing the classroom. It will certainly be challenging to master and there will be a lot of stressful moments, but I think that it is important to remember why I wanted to work with Jumpstart in the first place: There is nothing better than the sense of pride a child gets when they master a new skill, remember what happens in a story during Read to Reconstruct, or remember all of the words and hand motions to a poem they learned during Circle Time. The look of pride, excitement, and joy on their face is worth any battle to me and so I look forward to these first few challenging, but fun, sessions that are on the horizon.

Elyse Evkhanian
Team Leader
Team Joy 2

Taking it to the Next Level: A Resolution

Around this time of year, there are a lot of what people call “new year’s resolutions”. These can range from swearing to stop a bad habit, to stopping a bad swearing habit.  Regardless of what one chooses as their resolution, there’s an inherent flaw with thinking about progress in this way; There’s a key difference between talking about improving and actually improving. One can claim as January rolls around that they plan on losing a certain amount of weight this year, or that they plan on doing so many hours of community service. For many, there will be that initial start where  minimal progress is made in the beginning, and the eventually, one gives in and returns to their past lifestyle. A new year’s resolution may sound convincing, but without the constant hard work on a weekly basis, the good intentions don’t become a reality.
As Jumpstart Corps Members, we have built a wonderful foundation for ourselves and our children. We have made connections with the children, exposed them to a vast new vocabulary, and enforced skills that will help them continue to succeed throughout the rest of their lives. These kids are amazing too; They want to learn and explore and improve. They enjoy doing learning based activities and socializing with language and understanding. But now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal. In fact, now would be the perfect time to push harder than ever. As a Team Leader, I know that if I hold myself to a higher standard, then I will work harder to accomplish bigger, bolder goals. I know that if I put in the work week by week by making better materials, having more preparation, and presenting the skills and domains of the Jumpstart sessions, I can take my progress to the next level. And the most rewarding part is, when I put more work in, I am making that much more of a difference in our children’s lives.
I can’t wait to take it to the next level in the upcoming semester. It’s not enough for me to know what I have to do. I have to follow through and do the work. Jumpstart doesn’t just help these kids progress and learn, it helps all of us progress and learn. We as Jumpstart corps members grow with these children and build on skills. We learn patience, teaching strategies, discipline, and work ethic. Open yourself to these skills and you will accomplish more, feel better about your progress, and overall continue to set new higher goals for yourself. In the end, isn’t that what we are really hoping our children will do? We are not only teachers but role models. Our work ethic and enthusiasm about learning and growing can be an example for the kids whose lives we affect every week for the better. We’ve done a great job of building the foundation and doing what we needed to set ourselves up for success; We just need to continue to work and not let up.
So what will it be? Are we the one that makes the resolution and then gives up after we hit the wall or are we the one that takes down barriers and continues to progress every day. I know we are the latter, because Jumpstart Corps members truly care about their work and want to help these children become engaged and committed. We are moving forward, and Jumpstart at AU is expanding, growing, and improving. Our potential is great and our determination is admirable. We have all the tools to continue to excel and improve every single session. If we work this hard  and use our passion to have fun with learning, there’s no doubt we will be at a whole new level of progress.

~Shawn Bush
Team Leader
Team Learning 2

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Vacation. It's that one light at the end of the tunnel. There are countless other things that make that light special for each and every person. Be it family, friends, relaxation, it makes the mundane, humdrum days manageable. Jobs, school, work, all the stress is relieved. And it's great. But what I think sets a job apart from another is one where the vacation is your light at the end of the tunnel versus the job in which you can appreciate the vacation, you love the break, but it makes you antsy. Antsy, because you watched all six seasons of a hit television show, or you caught up on all of the books on your reading list, maybe your hometown is too small for a big city student. Antsy, also, because your job is the light at the end of the tunnel of the day: your job gives your private college experience a little more meaning and purpose. Luckily, jumpstart is that  job. I sat through my seasons and read through my books and now I have an ache in my bones to get back into the classroom, read with the kids, prep for session.

  And It was my favorite question to answer over the holiday. With vacation comes an onslaught of questions. Returning to home after a long semester, the furthest thing from your mind is school. Yet, that is all your family can seem to talk about. Walking into a bumbling holiday party, your excitement builds as you get to enjoy the holiday with people you love. You beeline for the refreshments table to replenish before the reveling in the holiday cheer. But, As you make your way to the other end (of what seems like a small room) you stop 20 times to talk to this aunt and that uncle and your third cousin twice removed and the boyfriend of your second cousin three times removed. They fire at you the same questions, stop after stop, relative after relative. You've been in the house thirty minutes and your still battling your way through the sea of inquisitive family members (most of whom you can barely remember their name).  Sometimes you'll get lucky and with the string of school questions they will throw in "so, are ya workin'?". Face brightens. Sigh of relief. The conversation now takes in the candor the relative was looking for- spirit and passion. I go on and on reliving the children's successes, my successes, the stresses, the funny stories. The ironic thing is they have to stop me from talking, excusing themselves to go speak to Aunt Tottie about this or that. I am the one who is supposed to excuse myself. That is okay, I got the chance to talk about my passion at school. Win for me. I got a chance to look at my semester with jumpstart, not in thick of things, but with a clear mind. I was able to take a mental refreshing deep breath. I prepared myself for next semester.

Although, the preparation involved too much Netflix and many trips to Barnes and Noble, I am so excited to begin my work again. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the stress (brought on by myself) and get caught up in the flaws only you can see. But the month away has allowed for my brain to refresh. I missed jumpstart. It serves as my escape from the anxiety of college. This semester my resolution is to remember this excitement and remain as stress free as possible. Its time experience the stories that will reignite my passion mid-interrogation. Its time to get to the light at the end of my tunnel: Jumpstart.

~Brooke Williams
Team Leader
Team Learning 1

Changing Perspectives on Life

Jumpstart for me started as an ordinary job but has become a treasured part of my life. A few days back, my father said that “whatever you do in your life, you have to love doing it”. The first thought that came to my mind was Jumpstart and the sessions that I hold with the children. I realized that the most positive part of my life is the time I spend with the kids and that I love working with children.

Jumpstart has changed my perspective about my life and what I wanted to do in life. My initial idea of a career was working with other adults. I never thought that I would want to work with children. But as Jumpstart started, I realized that I love working with children and it would be a dream to be able to work with children as a career. I started thinking about my career choices and I have made a decision to work with kids as I go into the career world. I hope to become a pediatrician in the future. I never thought about becoming a pediatrician before but Jumpstart has changed my mind.

The most beautiful part of working with children is getting to know what they think. As they share ideas and make the most intriguing connections between ideas they are learning and ideas they already know, I feel like I am learning as well. Their perspective is always unique and imaginative. They see things that I don’t see and this quality that they have can allow them to become unique individuals.  As I work with them, I realize that the effort I put into their sessions can change their lives for the better. The thought of having an influence in their lives is overwhelming. Even if they won’t remember me as they grow older, a part of my effort will always stay with them. This thought always makes me want to work harder and be more enthusiastic for them. 

Last semester was the hardest semester in college so far, but my Jumpstart sessions always revitalized my energy for the rest of the week. I didn’t realize how much Jumpstart had affected me until I had to be absent from one of the sessions. I was stressing over a difficult test and I decided to take a day off from session. The whole day as I made the decision to be absent was frustrating because I didn’t want to be absent. As I sat in the library during the session time, I couldn’t concentrate on my books just because my mind kept on wandering to the session and what the children must be doing.  I regretted missing that one session and the regret stayed with me for days making me feel miserable.  That’s when I realized how important it had become to me. 

As the next semester starts I realize I have limited time to do as much as possible with the children and I hope to do as much as I can.

Memoona Khan

Corps member

Team Learning 1

The importance of the team

As college students, sometimes it’s hard to stay completely focused on Jumpstart. We have exams to study for, and meetings to go to. Some of us have internships, or commitments to clubs and sports. We all have busy schedules that we try to balance with our friendships, relationships, and of course sleep. Jumpstart can get a little lost in the crunch of time; maybe we spend a little less time prepping our books than we should because we’re cramming for an exam, or spending time with friends we haven’t seen in a while. Sometimes waking up at 7:30 a.m. to get ready for session feels like the last possible thing on earth any of us want to do.

When we step back and take it all into perspective, however, we all find the motivation to keep waking up at 7:30 a.m., prepping our books, going to CAT, and gathering supplies. We remember that, in the end, no matter how much easier it would be to skip a session now and again, we aren’t doing this for ourselves. We are doing it for the students that we love. There are moments when sticking to it becomes really hard, and it almost feels like it isn’t worth it, but it always is in the end, even if you lose a little sleep.

One of the best things about Jumpstart, especially in those difficult moments, is that we always have our team to support us. Getting to the Nebraska parking lot at 8:00 a.m. when you’re low on sleep is a lot easier when your teammates are there. We all have busy lives, and we’re all tired, but we give each other energy, and we help each other out. No matter how unprepared I may feel for one day personally, I know that session is going to be all right, because my teammates are there to give me energy and support me. We all work together to get things done; we have had days without our team leader, or without a team member, and we have always banded together to get everything done together.

In times like those that we have faced recently, it is important that we all remember that, no matter what else we have going on in our lives, what we do in Jumpstart is unspeakably important. There are children in our classrooms that depend on us, and we can’t let them down by forgetting how important our work is. Even on the worst of days, our team is there beside us to help us through, so that we can make the difference we are there to make, and do make, every day that we spend with these children.

~Rebecca Davis

Corps member

Team Determination 

Looking Forward to Next Semester

Over the course of the past semester, Jumpstart has come to mean many things to me: joy, cheerfulness, appreciation, and dedication. Not only have I learned the meaning of Jumpstart through my team’s sessions and work with our partner children, I have also come to better understand the importance and role of Jumpstart throughout the past two vacation weeks, which have unfortunately been absent of any preschool classroom time! By being away from the classroom for so long, I now better understand what exactly I miss about Jumpstart. For instance, the craziness and excitement embodied in every session, the students’ smiles that always exemplified hope and curiosity, and the moments that illustrated a student’s social or academic growth. And, by thinking about what I missed, I realized that, throughout the past semester, I had become so accustomed to the routine of Jumpstart that I neglected to recognize the instrumental role that Jumpstart plays for our community, our students, and us, as corps members. 

Last week, while I was riding the train home and completing the “Jumpstart Alphabet Booklet” for my partner children, there was a young boy, who was sitting diagonally from me. I immediately noticed the little boy because he watched me as I colored the pages. After a few minutes, the young boy began to smile and wave at me, and when I smiled back at him, his smile grew and turned into a laugh. It was his smile that caused me think about Jumpstart and the students that my team teaches. In fact, I believe that his smile and laugh captured everything about Jumpstart and the students that we work with: the love our partner children have for the world around them, the curiosity that our students have to grow and to learn, and the concern that our partner children have to express their unconditional appreciation for everything. It is those same smiles that I always looked forward to seeing in my partner children, just before entering the Jumpstart classroom.

After realizing the anticipation that I had for my students’ smiles and excitement, I discovered what truly motivates me, as a corps member: the joy and hope engrained in the classroom’s culture and the students’ personalities. Additionally, just as I teach my partner children, they have taught me a new life outlook, which is infused with hope, joy, and promise through their everyday smiles. In addition to teaching me the value of appreciating everything and to finding joy in the discovery of new things, my partner children have also taught me ‘how’ to be joyful and generous. I have learned that hugs, holding hands, high fives, and exploration not only express gratitude and joy, but those simple actions also collectively withhold the power to brighten a room’s mood, strengthen a friendship, and support a community.

Overall, the past two weeks of vacation have allowed me to better understand the meaning of Jumpstart and its importance in the community and my life. By not interacting with our partner children or conducting any Jumpstart sessions for a while, I have been able to reflect and more fully appreciate how the program has filled and will continue to fill my weeks with humor and optimism.

~Grant Conway

Corps member

Team Joy 2