Program Spotlight: Adult Evening Programs

This interview concludes the series of profiles on SNBC's Evening Programs instructors, as part of our monthly Program Spotlight. 

Jiapeng Jiang teaches computer classes for Cantonese-speaking adults through SNBC’s Evening Programs. These free classes aim to serve the unique needs of the Sunset community, which is home to many Cantonese-speaking adults with limited English proficiency. Here, in his own words, Jiapeng talks about his experience as an instructor for SNBC’s Evening Programs.  

SNBC: Please tell us a bit about yourself.

JJ: I am a huge warriors fan, love to play badminton, and work at the San Francisco Ballet as an IT specialist, even thought I hate ballet and opera.

SNBC: How long have you been with Evening Programs?

JJ: I have been with the program since fall 2011.

SNBC: How did you first hear about SNBC?

JJ: I first heard about SNBC at San Francisco State University, where I graduated.

SNBC: What do you enjoy most about your position as an instructor?

JJ: I enjoy when my students understand and learn from what I am teaching.

SNBC: What do you hope students gain from taking your class?

A: I hope they learn how to communicate with people through the Internet and how to search for information, as they need it. 

Program Spotlight: Adult Evening Programs

This is the second of a series of interviews with SNBC's Adult Evening Programs staff. We are highlighting these fantastic instructors this week as part of our Program Spotlight. 

Sung-Hee Kim teaches watercolor and acrylic painting classes for SNBC’s Adult Evening Programs. A highly trained and accomplished artist herself, Sung-Hee enjoys sharing her passion for art with adults in the Sunset through SNBC’s free Evening Programs.  

SNBC: Please tell us a little about yourself.

SK: I am an art instructor in SNBC’s Adult Evening Programs. I earned my MFA in Oriental Painting in South Korea in 1997, and my MFA in Abstract Painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2007.

SNBC: How long have you been with SNBC’s Evening Programs?

  

SK: I have been working with Evening Programs since January 2012.

SNBC: How did you first hear about SNBC?

SK: I heard about SNBC from my first daughter who graduated from A.P. Giannini Middle School last year. She really enjoyed all of SNBC’s afterschool programs, so I knew that SNBC ran a lot of great programs.

SNBC: What do you enjoy the most about your position as an instructor? 

SK: I really enjoy teaching art as well as making my own works as an abstract painter. As an Evening Programs instructor, I really enjoy teaching the kind of art that I like the most! Most of all, I am really happy to meet all of my great and talented students. I always learn new ideas from them. 

SNBC: What do you hope students gain by taking your classes?

  

SK:  I love working on my paintings because it heals me all the time. I hope that all of my students can have this same feeling and also improve their works. I respect all of my students’ creativeness in art, and I hope they gain more confidence in art from my classes. 

SNBC: Is there anything you'd like to add?

A: Learning techniques in art is important; however, I think that to improve, it is very important to practice and complete works on new subjects in art, even though we make mistakes.  

Program Spotlight: Adult Evening Programs

This is the first of several interviews with staff from SNBC's Adult Evening Programs. We are highlighting these fantastic instructors this week as part of our Program Spotlight.

Linda Schneider has been involved with SNBC since 2007. Linda started as a Flash Animation instructor at our afterschool program at A.P. Giannini, and now also works as an instructor for our Daytime Computer Classes and as a computer and technology instructor within SNBC’s Adult Evening Programs. Linda’s students span over 60 years in age and come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience with computers and technology. Fortunately, Linda is well-versed in working with people of all ages and skill-levels, and is an expert teacher of all-things tech! This fall, Linda is teaching basic computer literacy classes and creative content-creation classes (i.e. Photoshop, Flash Animation, InDesign). She is also collaborating on SNBC’s first-ever instructional video tutorials, the first of which will be available on snbc.org later this week. In her own words, Linda tells us a bit about herself and her experience as an Evening Programs instructor for SNBC.

Linda Schneider teaches middle school-aged youth and adults in SNBC's afterschool programs and Adult Evening Programs

SNBC: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with technology and computers.

LS: I'll never forget my first computer experiences in 1994 when I was earning my Master of Fine Arts degree. Computers scared me and I was afraid I would break them. As they say, "I've come a long way, baby!" My memories have given me the patience needed to help my beginning students. Nothing pleases a teacher more than to see those beginners become confident in their own computer skills.

SNBC: How long have you been involved with Evening Programs?

LS: I’ve been with Evening Programs since April 2010, but I have been involved with SNBC since 2007.

SNBC: What do you enjoy the most about your position?

LS: Seeing the expression in a struggling student’s eyes when they "get it."

SNBC: What do you hope students gain from your class?

LS: The ability to teach themselves whatever they want to learn. To always have an inquiring mind.

SNBC: Is there anything you'd like to add?

LS: I thoroughly enjoy the sense of community that we have within SNBC’s programs. The Evening Program Potluck Dinner exemplifies this and gives everyone a chance to mingle informally.