BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing), for me, among others, is a challenging class to teach. Never have I imagined that I am capable of teaching BIPA. Remembering the first time teaching BIPA, I felt anxious, yet overwhelmed with interest.

Teaching BIPA is not only about teaching language. You, as a teacher, are required to be knowledgeable about social and culture of Indonesia. The participants of BIPA may vary from their educational backgrounds, daily habits, and understandings based on where they come from. Those factors might influence their interest about everything related to Indonesian cultures.

Be a Knowledgeable Teacher!

Based on my experience, teaching BIPA is quite challenging because as BIPA teachers, we teach numerous international students with various backgrounds. When teaching BIPA, some of them may have hundreds of questions about the culture and social life of Indonesian people. For that reason, it is necessary that BIPA teachers be knowledgeable about culture and the social life of Indonesian.

Some questions that I often encountered were: “Why do Indonesian people use their hands when they eat?” or “Why is it necessary to use our right hand when giving things?” The fact that Indonesia is a country with the biggest Moslem population also grab their curiosity about religion. Once a South Korean student asked me why Indonesia has so many religions. Those questions might sound simple for us Indonesian to respond. However, explaining and giving the proper answer to make the international students understand are not that simple.

For that reason, BIPA teacher should know about Indonesian social life and culture as well. Moreover, if you live in an area with strong local cultures, such as Sundanese environment, at least you should know a bit about the Sundanese culture and how Sundanese people live. Thus, being language savvy is not enough for being a BIPA teacher.