On October 13th, the CLP invited TAWLs to a Movie and Professional Development night! Together we watched Nancy Meyers’ “The Intern” and discussed its relevance to our goals as students working for the Chinese Language Program.
The night began with some ice breakers, and developed into discussions on memorable moments in the movie, lessons gathered, and aspects that are relevant to working with the CLP. Targeting especially the importance of empathy, self awareness and active communication, everyone applied these in contexts they experience in their everyday life.
We were all able to relate the movie to aspects of working for the Chinese Language Program. We discussed the need to have a cohesive and supportive working environment, as well as the need to have a group mentality and ensure every team member is able to have their voice heard. Many also mentioned the hope of making closer connections with volunteers and students, highlighting the community-focused nature of the CLP.
The Chinese phrase “丝滑“ was mentioned by a TAWL at the workshop, leading everyone to agree that it perfectly captures and encapsulates the process of a seamless and smooth-running OP session. An interesting analogy was brought up by another TAWL: comparing all the roles of Tutorial facilitators to teamwork of a crew on an airplane; the Training FACs are the Captain Pilots who guide everyone to a final destination, the Classroom FACs are the Co-Pilots who solve emergency problems and assist if something goes wrong for the Training FACs, and the Attendance FACs are the Flight Attendants who make sure the “passengers” (Volunteers and students) are all “on board” and make sure everyone knows the process and when the “flight” (tutorial) is coming to an end. This analogy further emphasizes the importance of EVERY job and role in CLP and how we must work together and support each other in order to have a “丝滑“ event.
Through this fun night, the CLP community grew larger, allowing everyone to leave the event with new friends and new knowledge in professional development!