Mahjong Club Boosts Math Skills at Bella Vista Elementary

0:00It's April 26th. You're listening to California News today, AI-powered local news. At Bella Vista Elementary in Monterey Park, 4th and 5th graders are leveling up their math skills through a unique Majon club. Started by 4th grade teacher Andy LaWong and co-founder Rachel Huang, the afterschool group has 16 kids playing the traditional Chinese tile. Game twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Instead of boring worksheets, they're mastering patterns, strategy, and probability by stacking tiles and spotting sets like seven sticks or character. Suits. LaWong picked up Majon just last year from Huang and local social clubs, turning his newbie struggles into a teaching gold mine. He pissed the idea to principal Jennifer Martinez, who greenlit it fast for its cultural tie-in and fresh math approach. They even recruited kindergarten teacher, rural in Chen, to help run sessions, keeping things smooth as the man spiked. Kids are hooked, saying the fast pace sharpens their quick thinking and pattern recognition

1:01over straight counting. One-fourth grader loves switching strategies mid-game, while a fifth grader digs mixing tiles and hanging with friends. Teachers know even non-manderant speakers are picking up characters, building flexibility and a growth mindset. The club follows a structure build-up, like counting collections from cognitively guided instruction training. No full games those first two weeks. Just hands-on tile grouping. Now they're playing Hong Kong style, chasing three-point wins with pongs and gongs, blending play and learning seamlessly. This Majon twist proves games can rewrite math class vibes, sparking joy and smarts that stick long after the tiles clank.