Greetings all readers, fellow volunteers, and
supporters of JumpStart! We are so thrilled to have successfully completed week
one with almost no problems. It is amazing to think back on the first day when
the students wrote their ‘classroom conduct rules’, we played games to learn
each others names, and students looked blankly at me when I began talking in
English. Although it has only been 5 days of class, students can now have an
authentic basic conversation in English, describe information about themselves,
present information about others, and use tons of new English vocabulary. Our
room has transformed into a beautiful place with English posters, charts, and
drawings the students have completed!
I have two favorite moments of this past week.
The first was on Wednesday when we went out for an afternoon of games on the
soccer field to practice numbers. We did jump rope with numbers, tag games, and
soccer matches. The students were so thrilled to incorporate numbers into their
playtime! One student came up to me and said he wished that Yilena and I were
his teachers in elementary school because English would have been so fun! My
other favorite moment was when we have 3 students from different high schools
come to answer questions our campers have. While I thought it might be awkward
and they would be too shy to ask, I was absolutely mistaken. The students were
curious about everything from the schedule of the high school to rules about
dress code to wondering if they will be able to make friends easily. It was a
great moment to see older students help relieve the nerves of the new class of
7th graders!
- Taylor Westfall
