Part 3. Getting to Know the English Teacher of the “Eka Chita Prandyan” YEAH foundation

When volunteers come to the foundation, I usually explain about the groups and the class schedule. Different groups come to the class on different days. I also always need to find some ideas for the lessons before teaching the groups. Sometimes I share the lesson ideas and curriculum with the volunteers so we can discuss about the lesson plans in advance. We also search for games or English songs to play and sing with the children.

Every time the class begins, I prepare the materials for teaching like board markers, erasers, books or flashcards. Most volunteers are really helpful with the materials that they bring or make themselves. After that I check the children’s attendance. Also, whether there is a volunteer or not, I love to say hello to the children and ask what day and what date it is today. Sometimes I ask the children to write the day and date on the whiteboard. After class, the volunteers and I sometimes give feedback to each other on how the lesson went.

It is also my routine to introduce every volunteer who comes to the foundation to the children in class. After the introduction, both the volunteers and the children can ask each other questions about anything that they want to know such as hobbies, family, interests etc. As for the rest of the activities at the foundation, I mostly help the children and the volunteers with translating between English and Indonesian. Furthermore, during the break or after class, the children have the opportunity to ask me for help with for example their English homework from their school.

The more I teach English the more I learn English. Teaching is the activity that makes you become smarter. I guess, eventually I obtain pedagogy skills too. This is because as a teacher, I feel the urge to learn how to deliver the lessons to the children in an easy way for them to comprehend, how to keep the students’ attention during class and how to encourage the children to speak up or ask questions when they are confused. These points are very challenging to tackle.

There are some volunteers who are experienced in teaching or working as professional teachers, they give me advice on how to handle the kids but also about teaching English. They are really nice and I will always remember their suggestions. On top of that, I also continue to learn French and German from some of the native volunteers. That is a wonderful experience, teaching and learning at the same time!