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