Any other comments you want to share?
For the parents that see this, YAPA Kids was one of the best orgs that I have been in. I feel like (from a teacher's perspective), that all the students enjoy the classes and give amazing feedback on ways that we should improve in teaching in class. This is honestly a very great organization that I feel like would ultimately benefit your kid(s) in learning during this awful pandemic. We have so many programs to choose from: from the basic elementary/middle school subjects, to subjects such as Photography (which I teach), Art, Python, Java, Card-making, and more!! If you ever have any questions, contact yapakids2020@gmail.com.
For the high school students that see this, YAPA Kids is honestly a really great organization for us! Students nowadays are all about college apps but do not ever care about actually having FUN volunteering! Once you join YAPA Kids, it'll feel like your perspective of teaching will change! I have always personally liked teaching kids (as I have had experience from before), but this was honestly the best experience ever! Not only do you get attached to the kids, you also get a chance to make new friends from all over the world and from different high schools! I cannot describe the experience here at YAPA Kids, that's why you should try it yourself If you ever have any questions, contact yapakids2020@gmail.com.
Olivia Song
What is your favorite part of being a teacher?
I really cannot decide which part I like about being a teacher here at YAPA Kids, from sending out emails to the students and parents to the busy hours of organizing curriculums and rosters, I love everything about being a teacher. The kids that I have taught have enjoyed YAPA Kids, which have made me always engaged in class, listening to their questions, teaching them, playing games with them, and most of all, getting attached to the kids. I may have left some programs that I have taught for a while, but I will never forget those kids. Those kids are what made my summer vacation really fun. Whether you're a class lead or a teacher b, you will all get the chance to interact with the students from preschoolers to 8th graders! I actually learn with the students while teaching them! These kids had the opportunity in not only learning by lectures but by fun games and activities, engaging and encouraging the kids more to focus on our classes! I always look forward to class and to teaching the students.
What do you enjoy about teaching here at YAPA Kids?
There's not really any words to describe how much I love YAPA Kids. I love working on curriculums, talking to the teachers here at YAPA Kids, making new friends, bonding with them, talking with my students, laughing with them, I have made so many memories and I really hope to continue this journey with the rest of my fellow teachers. I know for a fact that everyone that I had invited over to YAPA Kids has definitely enjoyed YAPA Kids because I get to see their faces everyday. I had been a part of 11 programs and in doing so, I had learned how to manage my time better and how to have better organization. I am so happy to be one of the first people that helped make YAPA Kids possible. We now have so many teachers and I am so glad that we are all making our community better, making kids happier, and making each other grateful for the electronics we have to have made YAPA Kids possible.
What have you learned from teaching kids/at YAPA Kids?
I have learned leadership, organization, and time-management skills from teaching kids at YAPA Kids. In addition to being a teacher of 5 programs here at YAPA Kids, I am also the Team Expansion Coordinator, which puts a lot of pressure and responsibilities on me. By being Coordinator, I have learned to give tasks, come up with ideas, and manage everything in a single spreadsheet. I had to leave 7 programs and it was really hard on me, but I understood that my place at YAPA Kids is more towards Expansion, than teaching really. Not that I don't teach any classes anymore, I do. I am class lead for all of my programs and I do all the emails, curriculums, and others in time. By being in YAPA Kids for around 2 months, I have learned that sometimes you need to lean more towards one side than the other. You need to focus on one thing more. You won't have time to goof around. But I have also learned that by joining in more programs or by speaking up, you will gain more respect, and eventually more new friends!