Upper School student Bilan Aden ‘21 serves with Generation Teach this summer
Upper School boarding student encourages STEM dreams in younger students through Generation Teach.
The summer provides incredible opportunities for our students to grow and develop their passions. Bilan Aden ‘21, a boarding student from Somalia, joined Generation Teach for a teaching fellowship over summer break this year to do just that.
Generation Teach is an organization that believes that teachers should reflect the communities that they serve. In order to do that, they recruit college and high-school students and provide teaching fellowships for them over the summer. These young people receive coaching from professional teachers on a daily basis, and complete 40-60 hours of solo teaching by the end of their fellowships. The hope that Generation Teach has is that their program will encourage young people of diverse communities and backgrounds to try teaching and, ultimately, pursue it as a career.
Bilan was drawn to Generation Teach out of a deep love of STEM, specifically Environmental Engineering. Her goal in teaching was to help younger students overcome their fear of thinking that STEM subjects may be too difficult or that a STEM profession may be out of their reach.
“When I read about this program at first, I loved the main message they tried to communicate, which was to foster the growth of these kids and give back to the communities that brought us to where we are today,” said Bilan. “My personal favorite part of this program was watching myself and other students grow into excellence and initiate new relationships that all made everyone feel that they belong to this community.”
Bilan stayed in Rhode Island for her fellowship and taught Environmental Engineering and DIY Fashion to rising 6th graders. Through this experience, she has gained a new appreciation for what it means to be a teacher.
“What my teaching training has taught me can also be used in many different fields in life because a teacher is all a combination of a psychologist, nurse, therapist, and a role model to the kids,” said Bilan.
While she does not want to pursue teaching as a career, she knows that what she has learned during her time with Generation Teach will stay with her in whatever future career she has, which she hopes will be Engineering.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.
