2nd Year in Jumpstart

            I began this semester as a Corps member for my second year. I learned a lot in my first semester as a Jumpstart Corps member, but as I proceeded to my second year I found that there’s still a lot to learn. I had an entire year of experience under my belt but I was entering a new school with new students and a different classroom culture. I was moving from the Sunshine Early Learning Center to Cedar Tree Academy, a much larger school. The tactics I learned from my reading groups last year were not necessarily working in the new reading groups. The team dynamics were completed changed and I needed to learn to adapt to them. Despite the differences, I find this year to be as rewarding as before. Even though I have entered the classroom with certain expectations and ideas about education and elementary education in DC, I have learned a lot this year. I transitioned from three years old to four year olds. I was surprised how smart my kids were in the classroom when I first met them. I had to learn how to interact with them differently as well as how to implement the Jumpstart curriculum in a way that is more challenging for four-year-old students. At face value, it may seem like Jumpstart’s intentions are to merely promote the learning of preschoolers. Once you become more involved, though, you realize how much the Corps members benefit from learning so much about our communities and the education system as a whole.

Christina Mills

Corps member

Team Joy