It’s Never Goodbye, but always see you later alligator

My journey with Jumpstart is officially over! Even though we are all going different places this upcoming year, both our kids and corps members, there will always be a special bond that unites us together. There is no way that I could summarize what an amazing journey this has been. Instead, I’ve written a little poem that captures our voyage: it’s never goodbye, but always see you later alligator. Regardless of if you are a returning or not, Jumpstart is a community that works together for a common good. Hopefully one day the students we teach will be in the position to also give back. Thankfully we have the wonderful opportunity to plant this seed and watch it grow. I am definitely proud to say I was a Jumpstart corps member. Couldn’t think of any better way to spend my last year as a college student.

“It’s Never Goodbye, but always see you later alligator”

The time has come

To say goodbye

And although some

Will question why

Soon time will tell

That all is well

And back at Sunshine we will be

To share more books

And sing more songs

Recite more poems

And play along

And even though, the song for now is:  “Goodbye Jumpstart”

The journey has only just begun

Time will elapse

Summer will pass

And Jumpstart will be back once more

To sing for the children that we adore: “It’s time to put the books away and come to Circle Time”

Remember that: It’s never goodbye, but always see you later alligator!

-Danielle Jones

Team Leader

Team Kindness

Beyond Jumpstart

Now that the year is coming to a close, I am realizing how much more I probably learned from my kiddos than they learned from me. Certainly, we will both leave with an exponential amount of training, support, and the intangible and palpable takeaways. I feel, though, that at this point in my learning career, I can apply this experience to many parts of life. I have a much better understanding of what it will be like working with socioeconomically disadvantaged children. I am far more cross culturally cognizant than ever before. I think it takes an incredibly adept individual to understand the cross-cultural barriers between social classes and consider them with competence. My families have shown me that being disadvantaged does not equate to bad parenting, less love and support, or negligence. I have really gained a better understanding of what it means to be a parent and a child in this environment. I hope I can learn more about these chasms during my time in India working with trafficking victims. I’ve also been able to apply my studies to understanding life in the periphery. Marginalized individuals in the periphery have a higher potential for violations and offenses internationally. Providing an education to children immediately enables them to circumvent so many routes to destructive ends.

I think the expansion of our team benefitted our children infinitely. The smaller groups and extended individual attention led to higher productivity and learning for each child. My kids’ learning was so enriched by each story and reconstruction. Centers were always thought-provoking and good conversations happened at every session. I am so thankful for what happened this year. As anyone else, I am going to miss my kids a ton, and I hope only the best for them.

~Leanza Bethel

Corps member

Team Learning 2

Good-bye Jumpstart it’s time for us to part

I can still remember the day I discovered Jumpstart. I remember when I returned home after Eagle Summit I sat myself down and I was determined to finish the application and send it in. I remember my interview day and how I was so nervous to meet with my site manager. I laugh thinking back to that because honestly I had nothing to fear. I remember meeting my team at training for the first time, not knowing at the time that these strangers would one day become my family.

Jumpstart really has become my second family while attending AU. From my team members to my partner children, each and every one of them is important to me. I am so glad that I was able to participate in such an amazing program and that I have had the opportunity to work with such amazing children. Each session was it’s own mini adventure, filled with ups and downs and surprises with every passing minute. I was able to watch my children grow with each session. I can still remember session plan one, first implementation welcome. My kids couldn’t tell me what letters were what in their names, they just knew it was there name. Now, my kids can spell their names and make all the sounds.

 Our partner children are superheroes with fantastic values. We taught them kindness and respect, determination, a love of learning, the magical world of books, and much more. The list goes on and on. But something we never really focus on is what our children teach us. I know that we are the teachers in the classroom and we are the ones who are education our students but something all teachers should do is learn from their students. I know that I have. My children have taught me to appreciate the little things, find joy and happiness in everything, that imagination is the most powerful tool, that sometimes session plans aren’t followed, and most importantly, according to one of my partner children, matching socks are a must! 

Saying goodbye to Jumpstart is hard. I will miss my children, my team and my site manager. I know that it will be ok though. I have watched my partner children grow and I have high hopes for them in kindergarten. I say good bye to Jumpstart with a heavy heart and I will miss it. Jumpstart was a fantastic journey that I was lucky enough to be a part of. So with that said,

Good-bye Jumpstart

Good-bye Jumpstart 

Good-bye Jumpstart

It’s time for us to part

Veronica Pereira

Team Joy 2  

Are your glasses attached to your eyeballs?

The level of inquisitiveness and observation that my Jumpstart buddies possess never ceases to amaze me. The weather in Washington D.C just decided to drastically change from chilly to burning hot. The first day of this odd weather, one of our partner children immediately noticed and explained that it must be really hot outside because we all were missing our Jumpstart jackets. While this observation seemed superficial, I was still impressed and am continually by such connections. Another example happened the other day I came into session with contacts in when I normally wear pretty prominent glasses. One of my buddies immediately asked me if my glasses were attached to my eyeballs today and if he could see them. Opening my eyes wide at his level, I was shocked by his unbelievably accurate description. He was able to describe something that I barely give thought to in the most practical yet creative way. This is by far my favorite part of working with my partner children this year. Just when I am unsure if the repetition of vocab and concepts soaks into their minds at all, or just passes through their tiny ears, they again surprise me. Their cross-curriculum references still catch me off guard in the best way. The times when someone asks me if I had red jam this morning on my bagel like in Dogs Colorful Day or assure me that their cat is safe from the storm like in One Dark Night, I can’t help but feel accomplished and proud. These amazing moments of synthesis remind me that we, as Jumpstart, actually are making a difference in at least one child’s life.  Whether it is tomorrow eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, or in ten years when they are getting fitted for contacts, somewhere deep in their brain will know that Jumpstart planted this seed. These 300 direct service hours have not only reminded me of my purpose in enriching our partner children’s learning, but also has increased my own appreciation and observations. Jumpstart has facilitated a new love and understanding of my own education, interpersonal interactions, and future. For that I am deeply grateful to Stacia and the entire American University Jumpstart family, the teachers and staff at Sunshine, and all of our fantastic partner children.  Now when I attach my glasses to my eyeballs, I see so much clearer from a four year olds point of view.

~Athena Roesler
Corps member
Team Connection

It’s All Worth it in the End!

I’m nearing the end of Jumpstart, and I almost don’t want to stop. It seems like even through all the hard work, the time flew by so quickly. I can remember our first weekend of training just thinking ad asking myself what did I get into. I was also amazed at how structured the program is and I didn’t quite understand why Jumpstart wanted its corps members to think a certain way, act a certain way, and respond to children in a specific way. It wasn’t making any sense to me, but one thing I did know was that I was NOT quitting, I would stick it out till the end and try to give it my best.

Now looking back on this journey I have to take a deep breath and remember the times I would stay up till 6am in the morning prepping my center and going over core storybooks. I look back and almost want to shudder but instead I smile because the numerous hours I put into prepping my session was worth it when I see my children’s faces when session was over. I could see the joy and hope on their faces knowing that we would come back to them with more fun stuff!

I believe whole-heartedly that my children are aware Jumpstart is coming to an end, because they all seem extremely well behaved and they start saying things like I love you, or your hair looks nice, or just random things during session that I cant help but smile or laugh at. I think they either know its coming to an end, or we’ve just grown on each other in a way that I and my children are so comfortable with each other that I can understand them more and see who they really are, and the same for them. If the latter is the case then where we have grown on each other leaving is almost scary. But I will say that my site manager was right; at the end of Jumpstart you realized that you have started calling he Jumpstart kids “My Children” rather than “the kids”, and from that I know that they did grow on me and I come to terms with the fact that I’m leaving, but still cherish the times my children and I had together and help each other. All I know is that it’s all worth it in the end, and I wouldn’t mind doing it all over again!

~Osato Aibangbee
Corps members
Team Learning 1

Great Stories

                  In these past few months, I’ve had some really awesome experiences with the children we work with in Jumpstart that demonstrated their developmental progress while they were having fun. I love this aspect of Jumpstart where all activities are child-led and learning is fun. One great example, a few weeks back, was when we included the word “disgusting” in our lesson plan – mentioning it as a vocabulary term in our reading as well as breaking it down as a “Guess What Word I’m Saying” word, dividing it into individual phonemes. The kids didn’t seem too interested in the activity or the word that week but at the end of session, one of the children used the word disgusting correctly, which was a great surprise. Then, a few weeks later, another child brought it up when describing one of the characters of a story when he got his clothes dirty. Since then, the word “disgusting” has popped up in session periodically. Another great experience to show me that the kids are learning was when we recited the poem “Three Little Monkeys” about the monkeys and the crocodile that ate them.  The kids were really into the poem but then during sharing and goodbye, a lot of the children brought up the concepts from the poem in their artwork or writing from the day, showing that they comprehended the concepts taught in the poem. Finally, this week we saw some awesome rhyme and phonemic awareness at session when all of our kids were really into suggesting words that start with the same sounds – some of them naming words that started with the same sounds but others naming words that rhymed with the word suggested (although it’s not exactly what we were looking for with that activity it was awesome to see the understanding and development)!

~Kirsten Peterson

Corps member

Team Learning 1 

The Finish Line

 I can’t believe that I’m so much closer to 300 direct service hours serving as a Jumpstart Corps Member. I wasn’t sure if I could do it and I can honestly say I was a bit worried about being able to efficiently complete the mission of Jumpstart and amount of hours required as a member. At the beginning of the year I found myself in a situation where I was unfamiliar and unsure of the outcome. In high school and during my freshman year of college I had committed myself to a great amount of activities but never had to worry about not having enough time. Through my entire experience I learned that Jumpstart is a BIG promise to the organization and curriculum but more importantly to the individual who accepts the challenge.

Jumpstart has been an amazing journey that has allowed me to find out more about my interests, my capabilities and myself. First off, when I think of the exit interviews and how I will be scheduling mine soon I’m ecstatic because I did it! No one did it but me, and even when I thought I wouldn’t be able to, I did. I learned that despite my crazy and overwhelming schedule this year I was able to complete hours because I wanted to. If that meant I was the crazy girl at 2 A.M. cutting out pictures of grapes and other food in the library, so be it. I was determined and I still am determined to complete my hours as a Corps Member. The reality is that when you really want to do something you just do it. It doesn’t matter what challenges or obstacles you face. Determination can overcame all difficulties.

I’ve overcome my difficulties but I didn’t do it by myself. It wasn’t always easy and I know I couldn’t have done it without the support of others. I remember being really stressed out about hours and emailing Stacia who always had huge amounts of extra hour opportunities and individual plan possibilities. Also, I couldn’t have asked for a better team. My team leader, Reka has been so helpful and encouraging as well as my fellow team members. We haven’t only created a team but a strong family who I know I will stay in contact with. As I near 300 service hours I have a better understanding of the connection I’ve created not only with my supervisor and team members but Corps members across the nation. I’m excited to leave this experience with so many new relationships and a large supportive system that I’ll have for the rest of my life.

The exciting thing about reaching the finish line of Jumpstart is realizing how much it has revealed about my capabilities, drive and aspirations. Being able to complete it with people you have connected with makes it even better. However, what I think is most important about completion of your 300 hours is realizing no one did it but you.

~Chante Harris
Corps member
Team Connection

The End

Its so weird. It feels like yesterday that I was filling out my entrance paper work and just meeting the team. It feels like yesterday that we were planning and crafting weeks in advance for sessions to come. It feels like just yesterday we went into Appletree to observe our classroom. Now, it was just yesterday I sat with my team and planned graduation. The end does not seem near, my time with jumpstart cannot be ending. SO much has happened, but it hasn’t been enough time. We met all of our goals and made a real connection with our kids, but I am not ready leave. I have thirteen children and one teacher who mean the world to me. They brighten the darkest days. I am not ready to say goodbye to them—I am not ready to leave.

 My departure from Jumpstart symbolizes so much. I will officially be done with half of my college career. I will be leaving for Ghana (GHANA!) in three months. Those two things alone are enough to send nervous chills down my spine and raise goosebumps on my body. This is the final stretch. It is my last three weeks of jumpstart. This year it is so much different from last year. Last year I had the promise of returning to the program. I had the promise of continuing to do what I love.

            But this end does not need to be followed by sadness. In fact it should be celebrated.

            I will not let this hold me down. There are still three weeks left; three weeks to continue doing what I love; three weeks to finish out strong—stronger that we have been the entire year. Although I may not be ready to say goodbye, I am ready to continue the hard work my corps members and myself have been putting in and stepping up. Here is to the last push. Here is to the last three weeks. Here is to doing what I love.

~Brooke Williams

Team Leader

Team Learning 1 

Jumpstart has impacted my life

            I can’t even begin to describe how much my life has been impacted by my wonderful Jumpstart children. The thing is, I never wanted to be a teacher. I never saw myself as a mentor, a leader, or motherly in any way. When you sign up for Jumpstart, however, you don’t have a choice. You have acquired these characteristics and you have to do it fast. I don’t mean this in a negative way at all—I mean this in the most loving way possible. The children that I have been lucky enough to work with are so trusting. After spending time with them for only a short amount of time, they open up to you telling you about their family, what they love, what they are afraid of, and giving you hugs. Its because of this, that I instinctively had to become a good mentor, leader, and role model—I couldn’t bear the idea of disappointing them. I hope that I had the most positive impact on these children that I could possibly give. I know that they did that much for me. Although I won’t be retuning next year, I’ve left this program with nothing but positives. I’ve been taught countless lessons of humility, patience, dedication and hard work. My view on education has also been changed—I couldn’t believe how underprivileged some of the children I worked with are. I know that I cannot do anything to change the economic standards of their schools, but being aware of what goes on outside of the middle-class bubble continues to inspire to engage in community service and other volunteer projects wherever I go.

~Alexandra Mazzarisi

Corps member

Team Learning 1