Scholars and Sessions

            This is my first year as a Corps Member and a Team Leader and my beginnings with Jumpstart were rocky, to say the least. I came into Jumpstart not knowing what to expect nor what was expected from me. I had previously worked with elementary children in a less structured, mentor-based program so I was excited to gain experience in a curriculum setting. After hours and hours of training, I felt like I was ready to start as soon as possible. As we came nearer to Session 1, however, I quickly realized that I was not prepared at all. I was hesitant about everything, from the state of my materials to my capability to lead a team. I felt overwhelmed because it began to dawn upon me just how much responsibility my role in Jumpstart entailed and how much time I needed to invest to produce quality results.

            The first day I went to our preschool, I remember being incredibly nervous because I had no idea what to expect. Things didn’t get any better once we stepped into the classroom. We did not have a full roster, so there were scholars without name tags. The scholars had not finished eating snack so we were at least 20 minutes late before we even began session. There was not a separate area for Let’s Find Out About It which made attention retention difficult during the lesson. The list of problems goes on. I had to think quickly on my feet to make mishaps work and flow with the lesson plan. I wasn’t expecting a perfect session on the first day, but I wasn’t expecting to feel so overwhelmed and unprepared than I did by the end of that first day.

            After talking to my team afterwards, we were able to pick apart aspects of the session that worked and did not work at all. This was incredibly helpful for me because the feedback allowed me to step back and reorganize our approach to the classroom. It also pointed out to me what I needed to explicitly communicate to my Corps Members so that they work with me, rather than contribute to the chaos when they don’t fully understand what is happening during session.

            By Session 2, our team was two weeks ahead in session preparation and we each knew the lesson plans well enough to do them in our sleep. Our second implementation of Session 2 was probably the closest we will ever get to a perfect session. I feel more adept as a Team Leader, especially when I have my Corps Members to back me up. I’m excited to finish off this semester strong!

~Emily Woo

Team Leader 

Team Courage