Hong Thach

I love my job, mostly because I get to do something everyday that has a very real positive impact on the kids at my school.

For example, two years ago, Hui Bin came to America as a new immigrant. He spoke no English, as his primary language is Cantonese. Those first few weeks at Lincoln Elementary were a difficult time for Hui Bin. During recess time, he would either sit or walk alone and not interact at all with the other kids.

I phoned his parents and offered Playworks’ after school program to Hui Bin. At first his parents refused as they assumed it would be expensive. After I explained that Playworks is a non-profit and the program is free of charge, they agreed to let him join my after school program. By playing games with me and the other kids after school, Hui Bin learned how to communicate. Then he started to play during recess too. He’d play Cookie Monster, Basketball, Mr. Clock or whatever I was leading on the playground. It was great.

Hui Bin became more outgoing, eventually leading and even teaching his fellow classmates to play Four Square. His parents say they are so relieved that he has returned to the outgoing and happy boy he was when they lived in China.

One day he walked up to me and said, “Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be with you when no one in this world seemed to care for me when I was a new immigrant.”

That’s just one example of how I know that the power of play really works. For Hui Bin it was the opportunity to play that transformed a difficult school situation into something really positive.

Hong Thach