Ariel Yang Racial Biography Timeline by Yang Yang

Born in the Era of Economic Advancement

yyanautumn — 2024-10-02 01:10:06 UTC

Born and raised in the 90s in mainland China, when the economy took off and a lot more resources and opportunities were provided to our generation compared to the old generation that went through the turmoil of the unstable society and wars.

2008 Beijing Olympic Game

yyanautumn — 2024-10-06 16:50:00 UTC

2008 marked a historical moment for China, for it first in the modern times drew the attention from all around the world to the opening of a world-wide sports event. The success of the event also epitomized the integration of west world culture and influence into China. In that year and the six years following, I chose English Studies as my academic focus in high school and college.

Graduated from College

yyanautumn — 2024-10-06 17:03:36 UTC

I eared my B.A in Business and Medical English Studies from China in 2014. Growing up in a single-race country, China, I never experienced racial discrimination or marginalization in my mother country. However, the study of English in college familiarized me with the multi-racial cultures in the U.S and also equipped me with the lense to look at different perspectives between the east and the west.

2015 - The Turning Point of My Life

yyanautumn — 2024-10-06 17:07:29 UTC

After working as an ENL teacher in China for a year, I immigrated to the U.S with my family in 2015. New chapter of life was opened.

How the NCLB Affected me...

yyanautumn — 2024-10-06 17:14:19 UTC

The No Child Left Behind Act dictated that the English Language Learners in schools should receive quality instruction not only in English learning but also in content learning. I became a language paraprofessional to help ELLs succeed in school -- this is how I entered the educational field in this new country.

Covid - 19 Chinese Virus?

yyanautumn — 2024-10-06 17:23:23 UTC

As an educator (a paraprofessional, then a mandarin teacher, then an ENL teacher), I help to create a safe and welcoming learning environment for students from all racial backgrounds; but myself never experienced intense racial discrimination since I did not go to public schools in the U.S.

However, I experienced hatred and misunderstanding from strangers during the spread of the COVID-19 -- "Why am I being blamed for my racial identity?"

2024 Presidential Election

yyanautumn — 2024-10-06 17:28:37 UTC

I moved to a new school in Long Island. As divided as the presidential election, the Long Island school hosts most White students, with small percentage of Asians, Hispanics, and Blacks. New challenge: as a minority teacher teaching ENL and mandarin, how can I instill inclusion, understanding, and openness into the young generation in this modern "segregated" school?