JA in a Day

A couple weeks ago,I responded to a call for volunteers for “JA in a Day”, an effort to provide a day-long blitz of Junior Achievement economic and business curriculum at five Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). I went for a one hour training session, picked up a packet of materials and was assigned to a school.

I was paired up with a second grade class at IPS school 31, not far from the Fountain Square area of Indianapolis. I arrived at the school, and attended a brief thank you and orientation session provided by the school staff and the JA person assigned to the school. The kids had made “Welcome JA Volunteers!” signs for us, and a representative from each class came to the library to escort the volunteers to their assigned classrooms.

I spent the next five hours or so working through the lessons provided by JA and trying my best to handle any curve balls the kids threw my way. What stood out to me immediately was how well behaved and cooperative the kids were, how they remained focused throughout the day, and how open and honest they were. Some engaged in my discussions and activities more than others, but they were all attentive and polite. For the entire day.

I learned a lot that day. I learned that parent involvement in the school was basically non-existent. I learned that in second grade you can enter a class as a non-English speaker and be doing surprisingly well in just a few months. I learned that some families literally pack up and move in the spring to avoid having a child not move on to the next grade at the end of the year.  I was surprised at how many kids knew what their parents/guardians did for a living.

When I mentioned that hospitals are important elements of a community (part of the prescribed lesson), several of the children put up their hands eager to relate his or her own story of being hospitalized due to personal trauma. One boy had been struck by a car (twice), some had broken arms, and one very openly began relating a story of physical abuse.

The contrast between their world and that of the kids in my own community (including my own) remains stark. I wondered about role models, discipline at home, nutrition, safety...love, essentially. Some of these kids have been through pretty rough times already, and most will face significant obstacles ahead. Still, their exuberance that day was downright contagious.

I witnessed first hand the challenges faced by the teachers and administrators, and the professionalism and effort with which they do their jobs. Some pretty amazing people, facing a ton of pressure and not receiving a ton of support.

I don't know if the kids in that 2^nd grade class will remember much about what we learned that day, but hopefully a little bit of it stuck. I really hope they remember the other messages I tried to work in: you can get paid for solving puzzles and working on building cool stuff (shameless STEM plug); it takes lots of different jobs to make a community work; and that staying in school is really, really important.

There are a number of ways to get involved with Junior Achievement of Central Indiana including volunteering in a classroom, at its facility or at a special event. The time commitment of a JA volunteer can vary depending on the program. If you are interested but unsure how you might fit, get in touch with the JA staff - they'll be happy to help.