“Teaching is not about filling a pail, but about lighting a fire.” Participating in the SEA-Teacher program gave me valuable lessons and experiences that prepared me to become future educator. That is why I did not want to waste this opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. According to the schedule, during our first week we were only supposed to observe classes, in the second week assist the teacher, in the third week practice teaching, and in the last week deliver our final demonstration. However, because of my excitement and eagerness to teach and experience how Indonesian students would interact with me as their teacher, I asked permission from Dr. Yayuk, the SEA-Teacher Coordinator of UMSU, if we could teach even during our first week. She told us that we were allowed, but it depended on our cooperating teacher. Thankfully, our cooperating teacher gave us the chance to teach, so we began asking about the topics and what we should or should not do in class.

Teaching Indonesian students was quite challenging because in one class only two to four students could understand English, so I had to translate my lessons into Bahasa to help them follow. During our teaching experience in Indonesia, we were given many tasks because we went there to showcase what we could do. We never said “no” or complained, because we knew our main goal was to grow and learn new experiences.

Having classes at Al-Amjad Islamic School was fun, interactive, and memorable not only for us but also for our students. The students really liked us and were eager to learn and interact. Even though it was difficult for them to speak English, it was never a problem because they always found a way to communicate—whether by asking friends to interpret, using translators, or even sign language. Their curiosity, questions, and willingness to connect with us made every lesson meaningful.

This teaching experience was a mix of challenges, joy, excitement, and unforgettable moments, an experience that no one can ever take away from me.