My Jumpstart

Now that my team, Team Kindness, has been in the classroom for six session plans we are starting to see the kids becoming attached to us; we are their Jumpstart. I have had a student propel herself at me when we walked into the classroom and attach herself to my legs. Our students have also started to learn our names and they now are starting to remember the order of activities we do and our transition songs. The changes in how the students react and behave to Jumpstart from our first session to now is a drastic difference and it is amazing to see.

We walk into our classroom and the kids start singing “Goodbye Jumpstart” we start laughing and just tell our kids that JumpStart just started and its not time to go yet. Then when we are going over our name cards my students hold up their cards in the air and ask for Miss. Alexis, who is the team leader for Team Kindness, to come around and collect them so we can start reading. During reading time my students always sings “It’s time to put the books away” even though we just started reading. They laugh and laugh when we tell them that it isn’t time to put the books away.

Even though our kids are just now starting to understand the schedule of Jumpstart they became attached to Jumpstart by our third time in the classroom. They will scream and literally jump when its time for Jumpstart and when it is time to leave because their parents came to pick them up they started to introduce us as “my Jumpstart” from the very beginning.

Even on the metro rides to and from session we have encountered kids and parents who see our shirts and go “Jumpstart?”. I wasn’t sure to believe those stories when we heard them in training but they are true!!

Anyone that is involved with JumpStart in some way gets connected and finds that connection soon after being introduced to the program. Corps members, students, classroom teachers, and parents alike all see the red shirt or Jumpstart logo and heads turn looking to see if the person wearing the shirt is “their Jumpstart”. Seeing the connection that I have made to the program and the connection that my kids have made I cannot wait for all the good things that come after we have been in the classroom more than a few months! Things will only get better and the smile will only get bigger. 

~Stephanie Dudek

Corps member

Team Kindness