Education Advocate

Tomorrow will be the start of my second semester of Jumpstart. It has been honestly one of the most personally challenging but most rewarding jobs I have ever had. The kids are just the most amazing little people I have ever meet, seeing them succeed makes the whole job just feel like part of my life instead of work. Now it isn’t always great but most of the time it is. There was this one-day that the kids were just crazy and running free and wild like animals. Nothing could keep them still until I had them act out the characters in the book, I think it was Noisy Nora and a kid just screamed out “Nora” every time I said Nora while reading, although it was distracting to me I knew he was listening and engaged. The children love to “Play” which we encourage as we work alongside them in low ratios but throughout playing we make the experience educational. My favorite is dramatic play. Currently as my team had to restart with new kids we are still learning bout families, the kids get to share there stories through playing and also get to create their own families with the baby dolls. Little victories make the time in jumpstart go by fast. Every time a child recognizes a new letter or can spell their name using the techniques given to them on how to write their letters to connecting the story to the centers and circle time after, I just uncontrollably smile. These kids may not all come from the background I did, just a normal background not living below the poverty line but you would never know, these kids are just like every other child I have worked with, they smile, laugh and learn the same exact way. I know that as my time closes in the Jumpstart program I will never forget the people I have worked with including my fellow team members, the program partner staff, the parents, the Jumpstart site supervisors, and especially the children. I have seen myself now becoming the “Education Advocate” that Stacia, my site manager, told us we were all becoming through this program. I now see what I want to do for the children in America and for my future. I see myself as advocate for children and education and also following my path in communications. I thank Jumpstart for helping me find my place within working to benefit this world.

~Alexandra Fraioli
Corps member
Team Learning