On Sunday, November 10th, the AYLUS Roslyn Branch volunteered at the Chinese Cultural Association of Long Island’s Chinese school (CCALI) from 1:30PM – 5:00PM. Our job to help in this Chinese school was to assist as a teacher’s assistant and help the students with different types of classwork.
As teaching assistants, we played a vital role in supporting the teacher and ensuring a positive, engaging learning environment for the students. Our responsibilities began with creating a welcoming atmosphere at the beginning of class, greeting the children, helping them settle into their seats, and checking their homework from the prior week. Throughout the class, we took care of various logistical tasks, such as taking students to the bathroom, distributing papers, and assisting with checking classwork, which allowed the teacher to focus on delivering the lesson without distractions. We also helped with administrative duties like going downstairs to copy materials and facilitating the school store, where students could redeem coupons they earned through active participation. A significant part of our role was providing individualized attention to the students who were struggling with the lesson, offering them extra support and ensuring they didn’t fall behind. We were also able to explain small activities to the students to help them have a more joyous and fun experience during class. At the end of class, we made dismissal a smoother process by helping students in packing up their belongings and saying goodbye to them to provide a positive yet excited attitude about returning. While these tasks may seem small on their own, they were essential in enabling the teacher to focus on the main goal while creating an enjoyable and well-organized environment for the students.
Being a teaching assistant gave us valuable insight into the challenges teachers face. Despite difficulties, the experience was rewarding, helping us develop patience and compassion for young children. Volunteering in the classroom allowed us to contribute to an engaging environment that motivated the students to return eager to learn, while also deepening our understanding of the teaching process.
Members who participated included: Simon Long (3.5 hours), Hunter Chen (3.5 hours), Joy Zou (3.5 hours), Sofia Chen (3.5 hours), Jinrui Lei (3.5 hours), Lyann Lin (3.5 hours), Emma Wei (3.5 hours), Elizabeth Ouyang (3.5 hours), Jasmine Lin (3.5 hours), Mingyao Xu (2.5 hours)
Reporter: Elizabeth Ouyang
