Summary and Suggestions

Purposes of Practicum

The SEA Teacher Program (Southeast Asian Teacher Program) is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for pre-service teachers like me. It is an initiative aimed at fostering the professional growth of educators in Southeast Asia by understanding the cultures, similarities, and differences with one another. Its primary goals are to promote collaboration, cultural exchange, and the sharing of effective teaching practices across the region.

I am beyond thankful for the opportunity given to me by the University of Santo Tomas, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, and Sekolah Menengah Pertama 1 Negeri Surakarta for showing a path I can take for the better. It opened my eyes to a different culture, what I am still lacking, and what I should improve upon.

Procedures of Practicum

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) prepared a meetings and a proper calendar of events to ensure that the SEA-Teacher Delegates would have a good understanding of the program. This is all so that the delegates are able to follow the intended outcomes and and be able to participate fully in all of the events during the student exchange.

The University of Santo Tomas and The Universitas Sebelas Maret created a pre-departure meeting ensuring us of what to expect when we arrive at Indonesia and the necessary cultural and social customs that will be expected of us to follow. This aided us in being more prepared and respectful once we arrive to our receiving country. Once we arrived in Indonesia, we were taken care of by UNS, the receiving university, with a breakfast to make us comfortable after our flights and then introduced us to warm and welcoming accommodation with a kind dorm mother. A welcoming ceremony was held which introduced the university and curriculum of Indonesia, giving us the chance to meet notable faculty members of UNS-FKIP, including the Dean. They prepared for us what to expect in terms of local etiquette, local rules, online transportation like Gojek, and our calendar throughout the student exchange. We were deployed to our assigned school, SMP 1, and we were also guided by our respective Supervising Teacher about everything we needed to know, from the school system to the lesson plan and, finally, towards our final demonstration of teaching. At the end of our practicum, a farewell ceremony was held with our Supervising Teachers and Principal.

Outcomes of Practicum

Being able to experience both the Philippine and Indonesian education opened my eyes to a worldview of better appreciating the flexibility and culturally rooted education can be. I became very attached to SMP 1 both with the teachers and the students. I learned a lot of wisdom from my stay as a SEA Teacher Delegate, from the teaching practices, to adapting to new environments quickly, the difference in lesson plan & curriculum, and the diverse activities that SMP 1 shared with us. I learned of my strengths and weaknesses throughout this whole journey as I plan to integrate the wisdom passed on to me by my supervising teacher, Bu Yayuk, and our buddies from UNS.

The Challenges of the Practicum

One of the major problems that was to be expected was just the fact that I was a foreign exchange student teacher. I knew that there was going to be a language barrier, especially since in Surakarta City, the students have to learn three different languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese, and English. The other was the cultural differences, as the necessary adjustments were a bit difficult, especially since I was from another country. However, I was still able to adapt well and prepare before the trip to Indonesia. I was able to learn at least a few basic Indonesian phrases and tried to control my speech to be slow. I am thankful to UNS for providing us with Bahasa Indonesia classes, as I was able to utilize some phrases during class and daily life. The other problem was adjusting to the new class time schedule, as lessons in the Philippines were shorter, with 60 minutes, while lessons in Indonesia had an 80-minute lesson divided into two periods of 40 minutes. Although it was the perfect time for EFL students, it was still a lot to get used to. However, I was able to adapt and prepare to maximize as much time as possible given to me, so that as their teacher, I know the students understand my lessons. Overall, I believe I was able to proudly represent my country well, and even when obstacles came my way, I was able to adapt and overcome everything.

Overall Impression

The thought of being a part of the SEA Teacher Program was unimaginable for me, as I was not in the best mental state back in my 2nd and 3rd year of college. I believed that I used at least most of my life's luck just to be able to get this opportunity, and experience something that was more than just me. I was in love with the beauty of Indonesia, as it was my dream to teach there when I had more experience. I grew attached to Surakarta, SMP 1, and the people I was able to meet throughout my stay in Indonesia. My worldview changed, not just as a teacher in education and teaching practices, but as a person whose goal was right in front of them. I am very grateful to everyone I met, all the individuals behind UNS-FKIP, SMP 1 Negeri Surakarta, and Kost Dan Guest House Graha Pajang.

I want to acknowledge and credit the faculty members of UNS-FKIP, Bu Wendah, and our buddies, who accompanied us daily, even with their busy schedules, and helped guide us through Surakarta, gave recommendations to maximize our enjoyment, and helped translate and communicate with non-English speaking individuals for us, in order to bridge the gap in communications.

I want to thank our supervising teachers at SMP 1, Pak Edi and Bu Yayuk. They were so kind and welcoming to us student exchange teachers. They were patient and understanding of us from the very beginning of our first deployment. They were there for us from our observations, lesson plan making, and our teaching itself. I want to thank the Principal of SMP 1 for encouraging us to participate in the events and experience all the things the school showed us. All of these would not have been possible without their guidance and support throughout our stay in SMP 1. I am extremely grateful for our dorm mother, Bu Dewi, who ensured that we felt like a family throughout our stay. From inviting us to dinners and even meeting her family, I felt embraced by a culture and felt like a part of their family.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family for supporting me throughout all of this, as I would not be able to start if they had not encouraged me to try. I want to thank my co-delegates who were there with me throughout my journey in Indonesia.

Suggestions for the Future

Longer Exchange Period - although I am already grateful for the time I was able to spend there, increasing the duration of stay would let the teachers who will participate be more immersed in the environment, the educational system, and the local way of life. An example would be the Bahasa Indonesia Classes, as great and important as they were, we were not able to maximize our ability to utilize it to the daily life we had there. In addition to this, a longer stay would allow the teachers to build a closer bond with the students, faculty, and other educators, as once future delegates have a better understanding on their own teaching practices in Indonesia, it would translate better in their final demos, while also improving cooperation and cultural exchange.

Page updated

Report abuse