Take Two

As we progress through this Jumpstart year, the books we read to the children have naturally grown more difficult. This fact has not gone unnoticed by the kids, who don’t hesitate to express their distaste. More than once, my reading groups have been interrupted by an eager chorus of “it’s time to put the books away” three pages into the story. But we always plunge on, sometimes winning the kids over, and other times struggling to even finish.

That’s why I’m always a little worried when I return for second implementation. There’s always a chance that the questions I ask won’t register with them. If they could barely pay attention through the first reading, how can I expect them to reconstruct the book with me? There’s nothing I dread more than the idea of sitting with three adorable children, answering my own questions as they stare idly around the room or pick at their nametags.

But they always surprise me. In utter despair, I’ll think to myself, “There’s no way they’ll remember why Samson had to buy Clara a new piñata.” And yet, I pose the question aloud and one of my kids shouts “Her don’t understand that her dog is fake!” Though it may seem to be a small victory, it never fails to make me happy. It’s amazing to me that they can recall these details days after the fact. They manage to retain more than I do with my own classes. People always refer to children as sponges, and in these moments when I realize how true that statement is, I’m simply impressed.

In my opinion, the most interesting part about read to reconstruct (and Jumpstart for that matter) is when you get the opportunity to see how children think. Obviously, I can’t remember how my thought process worked at that age. I don’t recall how I chose my friends or how I felt about school or how I talked about my sister and brothers. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to go into a classroom twice a week and try to figure it out. So in sessions I talk and play and ask questions until my heart’s content because they’re a mystery to me. And this classroom provides the closest, most genuine insight I’ll have into the mind of my four-year-old self.  Read to reconstruct has the capacity to delve into their feelings and thoughts. And there’s nothing I enjoy more about Jumpstart than listening to the kids convey their opinions in a way that’s both simple and genuine. 

~Laurel Cratsley
Corps member
Team Learning