Sweat beads trickled down the edges of the children's cheeks. One by one each child squinted at me as I grabbed the students in a team huddle preparing for the frisbee championships. Every Saturday in the summer, I work as a teacher in the United East Athletics association to teach asian american students frisbee and arts from ages 7-15. During my 10-11:30 am classes, we work to teach the kids new skills from backhand passes, catches, ground passes, and more. I challenge these students to attest their skills in team challenges amongst their peers because I want these students to build their leadership and teamwork skills. In the Asian community it's common that children don't feel as confident, willing to test new athletic skills and work with peers. They’ve been trained to always compete amongst each other academically and not explore their own interests. Working amongst my students I want to teach them that they can lean on their peers for support and use their relationships to build a deeper bond. Each child deserves to discover further their own passions and cultivate a love for it.

In my 1-2:30pm art classes, I love using my experience in art and passion for the creativity of it. To allow my students to explore how to express themselves through paintings, origami, and drawing. Art is such a calming and universal media that all kids can use as an outlet for expression. To be able to guide my students to see the beauty of art and the fun of using new materials. I've gotten to learn more about the way they communicate and see the world through their joy with the materials. I feel privileged To give back to the asian american community because growing up I loved coming to fun fun saturday (the program made by UEAA). As a kid I appreciated the warm sense of security, trust, and confidence I received being surrounded by peers who wanted to see me grow. To give back and make each child feel that they can grow in all aspects from physical sports, intellectual classes, and craft classes. To ensure their security that they had a community behind them supporting them. That's the main goal for my community because I always want the children to be able to express their creativity, tackle activities to explore their passion. To never look at their culture with shame. I love seeing my students share their language and crafts for eachother.

Working for the Immigration Social Services organization for the past 2 years as a tutor has been such a warming opportunity for me. Ive been able to give guidance and motivation to the young asian american elementary school students ranging from 1st grade - 5th grade. I know in Asian American culture stereotypical students have been pressured to always succeed academically and not expect failure from their courses.

Being a teacher I've been able to encourage my students that it's okay to make mistakes and reach out if they're struggling academically. I want to get to know my students on a personal note and show them that I'm always here for them even when they aren't confident with their homework. If they're struggling to understand their classwork, I've prioritized sharing how important an education is when the students value and love to learn. I want to continue to share the importance of education to all students and make sure everyone understands that success is defined by them.

 

This opportunity working with my community has been so important to me because I've been able to share my love for my language amongst the kids. I want each kid to see that I understand them and appreciate them. I know how it feels to be scared to make a mistake and look down at their identities because of the expectations for success constantly. By being there as not only their teacher but as a friend who believes in their aspirations, Ive been able to show them the value of this world and their education. Ive been able to lend a listening ear to hear their wants, challenges, and their needs in their life. Motivate them to go and tackle these challenges to find themselves. Ive been able to heal a part of my childhood because my students have shown me what joy and hope can look like for society. Whether it's when we create mini art projects from bracelets, lava lamps, and slime. I hope to continue to contribute art, language, and optimism into these students within these after school programs. Aspire the youth in my community to see the beauty of their ideas and education so we can all uplift each other to celebrate our culture.