What else will they say?

Paper bits on the floor. Desk drawers full of children’s books. Stickers, beads, and multicolored feathers disorganized on the counter. Cabinetry space full with two backpacks, a Larissa Gerstel tote, baby dolls, laminate rolls, and miscellaneous craft supplies. A giant polka dotted box labeled “Circle Time” tucked beneath the desk. This is the current state of my dorm room, and I’m more than fine with it.

    Perhaps most freshman dorms don’t look as though preschool threw up in them, but I also don’t know if most freshmen enjoy children’s activities as much as I do. I love preparing preschool materials for many reasons. One, for a full time student who decided to intern at a policy center her first semester, cutting paper, gluing, prepping books, etc gives me time to relax. Making “J is for Jumpstart” books for the class gave me the opportunity to simply color pictures after a long day; how much better could it get? Additionally, I love seeing kids get excited over what you’ve prepped. By the second session my class of 26 little girls started jumping up and down saying, “Jumpstart! Jumpstart is here!!!” Going into a session well prepared and with materials that look fun and inviting is a great feeling as a team leader, my core members say the same, and clearly the children feel fantastic too.

    As my team is still only on session plan 2, I haven’t gained enough experience as to say what my favorite thing about a Jumpstart session is. I might say it is when the entire class catches on to a song and yells the lyrics as loud as they possibly can, because the joy in the girls’ faces is priceless, or perhaps it is when I am able to wander from center to center and support my core members, because then I get one on one interaction with the students. Though these four year old girls are always interesting, last session was particularly humorous. I went to the “dramatic play” center where the activity was meant to be pretending to paint furniture, as Peter and his father did in “Peter’s Chair.” After half an hour of this activity, the girls had diverged into painting shoes and pants and other things creatively. I sat down on the floor with them, and one asked if she could paint my hair. I obliged, which drew the attention of several others. Before I knew it, I was being done up for my wedding!

    “Miss Kershaw is going to get married. Do you want to get married?” one student asked.

    “Oh, I don’t know. Who will I marry? A handsome prince?” In unison, several reply:

    “Noooooo!!!!” Well, though that was a letdown I did my best not to laugh, and continued by asking open ended questions instead. However the girls managed a very interesting conversation on their own.

    “We are going to paint your hair…”

    “And curl it…:”

    “And paint your makeup…”

    “And your hair will be purple for the wedding!”

    “YES!!!”

    “You’re going to be the prettiest purple haired girl ever!” And so on. These girls were having a hay day, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it too. I can’t wait until next session, the session after that, and every session to come, really. 

~Dorian Kershaw
Team Leader
Team Compassion