The Roslyn AYLUS volunteers assisted at the Chinese Cultural Association of Long Island’s school on December 8th. From 1:30 to 5 p.m. at Great Neck South High School, our group supported various activities at the school.
As Teaching Assistants (TAs), we start our fulfilling afternoon by promptly moving to our assigned classrooms and checking in with the teachers—an essential task we perform every week. Our duties today involved more than just taking attendance, checking students’ classwork, and guiding students to the restroom. When students faced challenges in hearing the teacher or understanding the lesson, we supported them by repeating questions and patiently guiding them through the learning process. A big part of our jobs as teacher’s assistants is being able to communicate between the teacher and the child’s needs seamlessly. In doing this, genuine interactions between ourselves and the children have played a major role in ensuring that they feel comfortable. Establishing that kind of security allows the kids to feel comfortable in this environment, fostering a positive outlook when learning Chinese. This also allows us to voice their concerns to the teacher and vice versa should there be any communication issues.
During their extracurricular activities sections from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., we brought the students to their respective extracurricular activities. Each volunteer had different tasks to take care of the students in unique extracurricular activities, which included calligraphy, art, Kungfu, and others. In Kungfu, we made sure that the students did not mess around with each other and focused on learning new moves and enjoying Chinese culture differently. While it was initially challenging to memorize all the new Kungfu moves within a short period, they succeeded as they practiced and became more familiar with them.
We aim to encourage a more spirited community and cultivate a positive student atmosphere. Engaging in this rewarding effort creates a lasting impact on the younger children and generations. Working closely with educators and children to celebrate and explore Chinese culture has been a truly enriching experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help CCA achieve its important goal of sharing Chinese culture and education with the local community.
Members who participated: Jinrui Lei(3.5 hours), Lynn Lin(3.5 hours), Hunter Chen (3.5 hours), Simon Long (3.5 hours), Elisabeth Ouyang (3.5 hours), Emma Wei (3.5 hours), Jasmine Lin (3.5 hours), Jasmine Wang (3.5 hours)
Reporter: Simon Long
