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For all teachers out there reading this, think about having your practice teaching for a month overseas. Isn't it quite interesting?
Who would have thought that I'd get the chance to do the things that you love -- teaching and traveling? Definitely, not everyone gets the chance to do that. I was fortunate enough to have this experience to go abroad, travel, and teach at the same time.
Practice teaching, arguably the most important subject of an education student to fulfill his/her degree, is the subject that every teacher-aspirant prepares for. This is the time when these aspirants realize whether or not they are really tailored for the job. In this stint, although short lived, many experiences (good and bad) have led me to reflect and learn from them.
For this one-month practice teaching, we were assigned to the SMP Lab School UNTAD Palu. One week was devoted for observation, 2 weeks for assisting and actual teaching, then one week for reflection. Our mentors rigidly followed the schedule as we went along with the program. In this practice teaching, I got to experience the culture of Indonesia by actually immersing myself to the community. I got to learn a bit of the language, a bit about the food, a bit about how people go about their daily lives.
In the school, I also got the opportunity to compare and contrast it with how the educational system is in the Philippines. A lot of things are similar but there are also a lot of differences. A lot of which were already mentioned in my previous posts.
My main challenge in this endeavor was the language. It's really difficult to communicate and get around with people if you don't see each other eye to eye. Even the body language can sometimes be difficult since they could probably interpret it differently. We had to learn words that were essential in making transactions especially at stores. For my students, having no rapport with them because of the language is upsetting. Perhaps it would have been better if I put more effort in learning Bahasa Indonesia, but one month isn't enough to actually engage in a conversation.
Don't get me wrong, but I enjoyed being in Indonesia. Indonesia is a nation filled with beautiful views, hospitable people, and great (and spicy) food. Everything about the culture is a wonder. The educational system, although slightly different from the Philippines, is also something worth looking into. However, looking back into the objectives of the program, the objective on enhancing the English language communication skills isn't really fulfilled for me. It was, for me, quite the opposite. Nonetheless, looking back at the total package, it was a great experience doing the two things that you love -- to teach and to travel.