Students teaching younger students

Earlier this month, 48 students from Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood took a trip back in time to elementary school - but this time they were the teachers.
The high school students spent their entire school day as teachers at P.S. 58, School of Heroes on Grand Avenue in Maspeth as part of the Junior Achievement of New York’s “High School Heroes” program. They taught the younger students lessons in math and reading, and also counseled them on the importance of receiving a quality education and the impact it will have on their future.
“Through the Junior Achievement of New York High School Heroes program, elementary students experience positive and rewarding interaction with high school students who serve as role models,” said Douglas E. Schallau, President of Junior Achievement of New York. “The younger students look up to the older ones. They are very receptive to hearing from those who have successfully navigated the challenges they currently face, especially when they are from the same neighborhood.”
Many of the Grover Cleveland students participated in the program last year, but taught different grades this time around.
Antonio Yip, a senior from Ridgewood, taught fourth graders his first time and moved down to teach second graders this past time.
“[The first time] was very stressful because I wasn’t really good at presenting and teaching in front of a lot kids who were younger than me,” Yip said. “It was much easier the second time because we had a smaller class and could give them more attention.”
Grover Cleveland has participated in the High School Heroes program for the past four years, and this year it expanded its partnership to working with a second elementary school.
While the high school students receive great experience that they can put on their college applications and resumes, many of the students said that was not the reason why they chose to take part in the program.
“I want to do it because I got to be a hero for a day and a model for young kids in elementary school,” said Grover Cleveland Senior Adrian Yau, who is co-president of the school’s national honor society and helped promote the program.