Empowered Voices – The Joy of My First ETA Connections Match Meet-Up

“Over time I learned to not overdue the planning of activities, to relax and build deeper rapport, to watch, to listen, to encourage this 4-then-5-year-old into whose life and family I was so fortunate to be a part.”

By Vonna Heaton

It was November 2023, and I headed to the library to meet my ETA Connections match. I knew little about the child, other than he was a 4-year-old male, in preschool. The other volunteers met their students a week earlier. I could not join them because of a schedule conflict. Hard to imagine today that I allowed another event to take priority over the opportunity to meet my young student at the same time as other volunteers met theirs. 

I first learned of the ETA program from a chance meeting and short discussion with a neighbor.  She spoke of working with a 4-year-old.  I had started to feel a “pull” to work with kids.  I don’t recall much of our first discussion about the program.  I put the topic in my “later” to-do list and moved on.  It would be another year before I attended more directly to that pull to work with young kids and sought more information from the neighbor.  I was struck by the due diligence practiced by the program staff when considering new volunteers.  Volunteers being a good “match” was just if not more important than student-volunteer matches.  I recall thinking that parents could rest assured that we volunteers were thoroughly vetted for suitability.  

I was nervous and arrived early at the library for that first meeting and orientation. I was the only volunteer to meet a student at the Gaithersburg Library that brisk November day. Joslyne, the Connections facilitator, was there to support me, thankfully. There was so much to look over, that container of amazing supplies. There were several diverse kinds of puzzles, paper, crayons, books for each month of the school year, the ever-popular whiteboard, markers and erasure and the adorable hand puppets. I later named my hand puppet, Rocket the Rooster. There were so many eye-catching supplies that I could not take them all in at the time. Over time I savored each item, building lessons around and between them. 

My student arrived with his father and two sisters. I remember seeing him for the first time and noting his smiles. Big, huge smiles, coupled with a bundle of nervous, excited kids’ energy. The family was supportive, encouraging and very caring of their son and brother. I melted with joy upon greeting them. It was such an easy-going orientation. We all seemed happy that the ETA Connections journey with this young one had begun. 

It had been decades since I spent time with preschoolers. I was a teacher when I first graduated from college. I recall having to serve as a student teacher as part of my teaching certification and going solo in my own classrooms. I taught middle school and high school, while my twin sister taught elementary school. She was a valuable resource as I developed “lesson plans” for my sessions. My experiences with nieces and nephews came back to me reminding me of the boundless energy displayed by young ones!

Turns out I am good at lesson plans. I like the structure and creativity associated with planning how we will spend our time. I like balancing movement activity with reading, writing and math. With left and right brain activities. With art activities and brain teasers to aid mental agility. The “Would You Rather” game became one of our favorites, as we added more ridiculous queries to ponder.

The ETA Connections program offers a wealth of resources.; sample lessons, sample movement activities, activity suggestions, and background on Montgomery County PS expectations. Everything we needed was available. So many online resources are curated for our use. The elementary school newsletters were another excellent resource for highlighting areas of classroom focus. Another excellent resource was the other volunteers; so many had valuable experience to share at the weekly Connections volunteer meetings. My notebook filled quickly as I captured their suggestions. I enjoyed sharing my own experiences as well, sharing which exercises we enjoyed, which we did not, which were logistically challenging, and which were easily adaptable to varying levels of difficulty. From those early meetings during the pre-K year, I mostly remember the encouragement we newbies received. The advice to not focus on phonics on building a solid relationship and aiding the student’s social, emotional learning was invaluable. 

Over time I learned to not overdue the planning of activities, to relax and build deeper rapport, to watch, to listen, to encourage this 4-then -5-year-old into whose life and family I was so fortunate to be a part. 

But all of that was later. On that Saturday, the first time I met my student and his family, he and I focused on the hand puppets and the first book. Maybe we also explored one of the puzzles while Joslyne introduced the tablet and explained to the father how to access the Zoom link for the soon-to-be-first virtual sessions. We were all awed that tablets were being p for each student! Such generosity from ETA donors! 

I recall discussing administrative items, such as when we would meet and sharing contact information. All necessary details, for sure. One sister offered us snacks that the ETA program had made available. I was struck by how polite and helpful she was. She was a wise soul, quiet and kind. It occurred to me this family was extraordinary in ways I did not yet understand, and I was fortunate to collaborate with them.  I do not recall the snacks. I was wearing a N95 mask and did not partake, but I recall thinking how thoughtful the ETA staff had been in providing them and that the family enjoying the food and drink offerings. 

I can’t think of a single thing I would change about that first meeting. When we parted an hour later, my pre-K student match and his father each carried supplies. As he walked away with his family, my young student turned back to look at me and smiled, his face full of happiness. We were off to a great start. Our time together, aided by support and commitment from his family, would continue to expand with joy, learning and mutual growth in the months and year to come. Our ETA Connections journey began.