Today was really great because I got to meet all of the students and the teachers in my class. They were all very excited about having Jumpstart there and could not wait to tell us about how they were learning about the letter “I” that day. They were doing centers. At one, they were practicing how to write their names on the chalkboard—a few of the kids even wanted to see how I spelled my name. In another, they were circling the letter “I” wherever they saw it. When the timer went off, they had to put their hands on their head and “hold a bubble.”

It was really interesting to see the different class management skills that were employed there. The most effective one was the aforementioned putting the hands of the head and “holding a bubble” in their mouth. If they had air in their mouths they could not talk; if they had their hands on their head they could not play with any materials. As soon as this happened, they would immediately pay attention to what their teacher was saying and then follow directions.

Another method that I saw employed was the rewarding of points. The group that was standing in line the quietest with everyone holding their hands on their head and holding the bubble was rewarded with points. Using points as an incentive, the teacher was able to better handle and gain control of her class. She also yelled, “freeze” and proceeded to shut off the lights. That way they could not see anything and had to pay attention to what she was saying.

Overall, it was a great experience. All the kids seem super fun and enthusiastic. I cannot wait until Monday when we actually get to start Session One and begin to work with the children. They are all so excited to learn with Jumpstart and I am so excited to implement the Jumpstart program with them. Unfortunately, I did not have that much time to actually get to know the kids. We arrived late because there was some coming from under the metro car and had to evacuate and grab the next one; furthermore, I also had to do TOPEL testing in other classrooms. On the bright side, the TOPEL testing went really well. I was able to get through a lot of students, with the help of one of my other Jumpstart friends, and we are almost done testing in one of the other teacher’s classrooms.

-Ariel Rothman