Post 9: Perspective

I started taking abacus lessons when I was in the first grade 13 years ago and quit when I was a sophomore in high school. During these nine years, I had accumulated unforgettable memories and friendships; those years remain fondly close to my heart because they helped shape the person I am today. When I quit, I took a year off to focus on schoolwork before returning and becoming a teacher's assistant for abacus classes for beginners once a week for an entire year.

One of the classes had about 25 students, all of whom were five to seven years old. Managing a class of that size combined with immaturity can be chaotic at times but is to be expected. While the teacher, Ms. Huang, was introducing herself, I patiently waited for my turn to speak and managed to take a glimpse at each student; I was trying to deduce whether he or she was a loud or quiet type. However, as Ms. Huang's words faded I realized I was inevitably caught in a web of memories and began reminiscing about my younger "abacus" self.

Back in first grade, I was the quiet and shy type - in some ways, I still am. I remember experiencing the same things that my students were experiencing: fidgeting in my seat, waiting for class to end, wondering if my mom was still outside waiting for me, and doing anything but listening to the same teacher, Ms. Huang. As I grew up, I discovered the art of cheating and occasionally copied answers from the back of my workbooks until I was caught by my mom. Even though I told my mom not to tell anyone, she ended up informing Ms. Huang and I was given a short lecture about how cheating will not help me improve. I also remember neglecting practice and wanting to quit as I reached high school; when I finally did quit, I regretted it and wish that I had continued competing against my friends until I knew that I had done my best.

As Ms. Huang's introduction began solidifying back into audible words, I saw myself in some of these students. During my time as the TA, there would be kids who cried because their parents were not in the room with them, cheated by copying off the wrong answer key, and frustrated because they could not understand a concept or figure out a problem. I helped these students by utilizing my experiences to make them feel more comfortable and confident. Furthermore, I encouraged them to practice as much as they could so that they could be faster in calculating than everyone else.

If there was one thing that I could say about being Ms. Huang's TA, it would be the profound connections over a realm of differences. Although my students were mentally and physically different, they were also me. We all had different branches, but we also all came from the same tree.