WEEK 3

A busy week ahead. It was a bit of a whirlwind. I was feeling a bit homesick at the beginning of the week, but I was also excited to start teaching my own classes.

Before diving in with the teaching practicum, we observed Prof. Nurbi's class which helped me to get a sense of their classroom culture. On the next day, I started my teaching practicum, teaching English to Grade 10 bilingual class and a Grade 11 regular class. For starters, I was really nervous to start teaching my own classes. But with the warm welcome of students and teachers at the SMA Labschool, it lessens. My cooperating teacher has been hands-on, helping me with everything from lesson planning to classroom management. Below is a class schedule that she provided for our teaching practicum, as you can see English classes were being taught 80 minutes or more per day.

For morning class (7AM) - I usually start around 7:15 AM, because they have flag ceremony and muslim prayer. For 10AM-12 NN, I ended it 15 mins. before the time, because students need to prepare and gather around the court to do their prayer.

Majority of the population is Muslim, it's important to accommodate the daily rituals and practices associated with the faith. The flag ceremony and the Muslim prayer are significant aspects of the school day, and by allowing time for these activities, we are not only respecting the traditions of your students but also fostering an inclusive and respectful learning environment. Just like in our country, the Philippines - we have flag ceremony, school hymn and multi-faith prayer. By making adjustments to the class schedule to allow for these practices, we are exemplifying a spirit of unity, respect, and inclusivity that go beyond the borders and aligns with the values of cultures.

I also learned that the Indonesian education system does not focus on teaching grammar explicitly, but rather embedded it in the context of texts. They don't isolate grammar skill when teaching, they incorporate it with reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Also, they are not fond of games for ice breaker or motivations in classroom management, that's why when I incorporate games in the lesson, I can tell that students really had fun. Yes! we can do both too, learning while having fun. In creating the lesson plan, my cooperating teacher told me that I can do where I am comfortable making one, I can use my school's template or the SMA template that she sent me.

You can access my the lesson plan I created for my evaluation here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pFQOOhJP-PsSxFT4yqLK_axA6jvXrt4pn3uwcOOGM3U/edit?usp=sharing

Teaching is a lot of work, both physically and mentally. I spend hours planning lessons and creating teaching materials. I also have to be constantly on my feet, managing the classroom and interacting with students.

I had my first evaluation with my mentor teacher by Friday, and she gave me some feedback on how to improve my lesson planning, classroom management and/or teaching skills.

By the end of each day, I am exhausted. But I am also fulfilled. I love seeing my students learn and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

I also realized that lesson planning is a time-consuming task that requires ensuring they are engaging, informative, and meet the needs of all students. Second, creating teaching materials can be challenging, especially for students with different English proficiency levels. Also, managing the classroom, resolving conflicts, and maintaining student engagement can be challenging. Interacting with students can be draining, and it's essential to be aware of their needs and emotions.

Despite the challenges, I am learning a lot about myself and about how teaching works, and I am growing in this field of profession that I am taking. I am also making a difference in the lives of my students, and that is what makes it all worthwhile.

PS: I also taught them some Tagalog words like "Mabuhay, masayang araw", "Salamat", "Aba, syempre po", "Opo",

"Mahal kita", and "Pak Ganern".

For the weekends, I did some lesson planning for the coming week and final evaluation. We took some time also to visit the streets of Paris Van Java with my friends. Paris Van Java is home to a variety of high -end stores, including international brands like Adidas, Michael Kors, Sephora, H&M, Uniqlo & Zara. It's a great place to find designer clothes, shoes, and bags.