Day 1 of Teaching was just as hectic as I’d expect the rest of the experience to be, yet it was a considerably shorter day. In fact, it was just 30 minutes!
Senin is Monday, and the image above shows that there are three English classes taught by my mentor teacher, and what is called an Upacara or flag ceremony. That started at 6:55 AM, something that the western world would quickly call “TOO EARLY”. This being Indonesia, an Islamic country, the people would wake up to pray at around 4AM which also marks the beginning of their day. Although they wake up early, there was no shortage of energy.
The Ceremony took about 30 minutes, in which songs and speeches were said from the staff as well as the students. There were also many salutes and stands of attention, giving it a militaristic feel. I’m sure that it’s a symbol of nationalism in Indonesia, which is reminiscent of the Pledge of Allegiance done in the States. However, I’m not sure.
Upon finishing the ceremony, we (Pook, Be, Mirei, and I whom are the teachers for the middle school) were brought around to meet the staff, teachers, and Principal. With a short briefing of what was to come in our 3 weeks, the other three (who are to be math teachers) were disbanded for the day. I was allowed to give a short lesson to my first class of 7th graders. Of course, I took that opportunity to speak to as many of the students as I could.
I took part in a small lesson focusing on the use of Descriptive text, but mainly took the time to present about myself and how I grew up. My mentor used that as a way to show the children why one shouldn’t be afraid to speak in English and/or to go abroad. I respect his philosophy as a teacher and truly look forward to working more with him.
The Children were active, were loud, and truly participated. I asked many direct questions to keep the class motivated, especially by sometimes making a fool of myself to keep them entertained (I couldn’t draw a bear so I drew a blow with four lines as legs). I was happy to see that these students not only could use English fluently, but were eager to speak with me. They didn’t shy away when I asked them questions, not even if I singled one out. This gives me hope for the coming weeks.
Brian's Indonesia SEAMEO 