Mahjong Club Boosts Math Skills at Bella Vista Elementary

It's April 26th.

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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

over 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.