Monday, March 24, 2014

Jumpstart smiles

At the beginning of the year, Stacia told us that even if we went to Jumpstart in a bad mood, we would leave the classroom smiling. I didn’t buy it. I couldn’t believe that being in a roomful of three-year-olds would make me less stressed and/or annoyed. I was so wrong. It’s impossible not to smile when a student excitedly tells you they made it through the day without biting anyone.

I think the coolest thing about preschoolers is that they change and grow so much each week. This means each time I walk into the classroom I’m delighted and surprised by the progress each student has made.

Yesterday, my shyest Jumpstart friend sang and danced while playing with stuffed animals in dramatic play. At the beginning of the year, they wouldn’t even look me in the eye. Getting a one-word response was like pulling teeth. But this past session I rocked out with him to “That’s The Way Uh Huh Uh Huh I Like It”.

Yesterday, one child who has had a particularly difficult time learning the letters in their name read the word “Jumpstart” on my shirt. At the beginning of the year, the letters in her name were unfamiliar symbols. Now, in addition to reading everything on my shirt, she begs me to let her spell everyone else’s name in the class as well as hers.

But even though I get to watch my kids frequently grow, there are constants too.

I will always be greeted with a hug by one little boy.

One friend will always run around screaming “JUMPSTART!!!!!” when we walk into the classroom.

My kids will always tell me about the super awesome amazing things they did in school that day.

I will always leave Jumpstart with stories to tell and a smile on my face.

~Faith Ferber
Corps member
Team Opportunity

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