On Sunday from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm, the Roslyn AYLUS branch helps and works with teachers from the Chinese Cultural Association of Long Island.
Being a TA means that you have to guide the students when the teacher is occupied. It’s our responsibility to guide a teacher during technological difficulties they may experience during a class session whether that might be logging into and signing out of accounts or teaching them how to clear the screen of writing. Additionally, setting the mood for students is also something we try to do. Although keeping students safe and making sure that they are doing their work is crucial, we understand that we can’t see these experiences as a burden but instead provide them with the learning environment they need. We try to talk with the kids in our classes, learn what they do for fun, talk with them until they build the courage to talk with others and support them to participate in class. A learning environment where the kids can feel free to talk and engage in class is vital to their education, and letting their bashfulness get in the way of that wouldn’t be right.
During snacking time or break time, kids would eat their treats. It is crucial for them to sanitize or wash their hands prior to eating their snacks because it’s always good to be safe rather than sorry. Although sometimes the kids want to trade their food, we strictly forbid this as someone could have an allergy, teaching that everyone is different.
Eventually, cultural classes started. In arts and crafts, we allowed the students to try and make origami fish while following the instructions given by a video on the screen. The teacher and us helped give the student step by step instructions to those who couldn’t keep up with the video. Although some students would rather make other creations with their origami paper, we encourage them to focus on the steps and try their best to make the fish instead, an intricate design.
Members who participated include:
Yany Amy Wu (3 hours), Tiffany Lin (3.5 hours), Mathew Zhong (3.5 hours), William Wei (3.5 hours), Chloe Wu (3 hours), Angeline Li (3.5 hours), Charleen Fu (3 hours), Christopher Zu (3.5 hours), and Mingyao Xu (3 hours).
Reporter: William Wei
