Benefits of the routine

After every Jumpstart session, on my walk back to my apartment from the shuttle, I call my mom. She has worked in early childhood education for longer than I’ve been alive. She truly enjoys hearing my stories from the day, and by this time has even started learning the names of “my kids.” We talk about the session’s core storybook (most of which she is familiar with), and all of the fun and challenging moments of session.

I tell her the sweet moments, too. When one of the girls draws me as her friend in the writing center, identifying me by my orange painted nails. Or when one of the girls takes notice of my glasses and asks why I wear them and I explain how they help me see better. Or when my dramatic play center of “grocery shopping” turns into picking up the fake fruits and vegetables from the floor, or when we played the alphabet matching game in puzzles with ALL of the cards because they were getting bored with only a few matches available at a time.

I tell her how smart the girls are, in addition to how much I notice their progress. I told her on the first day about how one of the girls in my reading group knew all of the letters well enough to help me go through everyone’s name (including the card labeling it as “Miss Simpson’s group.” (Apostrophe and all!) I told her about how familiar they were with the story of “Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and “Peter’s Chair.” And how silly they think the idea of a frog walking a dog is in “Down by the Bay.”

I also share with her the challenging moments: when we were short two team members and I had to cover dramatic play. Or when someone is crying and I have to try to figure out why, when they don’t want to tell me what’s wrong. Sometimes she gives me advice on how she would handle the issues I face. Sometimes she tells me stories about issues she has faced in her interactions with young children and how she has handled them.

I know the children we work with benefit from the routine of the Jumpstart session. They aren’t the only ones. I benefit from the routine of it, too. In my crazy school week, it’s nice to have a few hours that I know, at least roughly, what I’ll be doing, and that I’ll be enjoying it. From the moment I meet up with my team at the metro, to the moment I get off the phone with my mom after session ends, I know my Tuesday and Friday afternoons will be fun.

Caitlin Simpson

Corps Member

Team Compassion