Pengalaman Mengajarku di SMA 1 (My Teaching Journey in SMA 1)

For three weeks, I have shared my days with my five Grade X sections of SMA 1 Padang. It was a very life-changing experience for me as a teacher for I have gained a lot of insights not only as a teacher but also as a person. They were definitely the best group of students any teacher could ask for, because majority of them were indeed very nice and active during the classroom discussion.

For my first week of teaching, I have taught literature from my home country, the Philippines. I am blessed that my cooperating teacher, Ms. Wiwi Rosaria, has allowed me to share a piece of Philippine pride to my students here in Indonesia. I have chosen to teach one of the masterpieces of National Artist Jose Garcia Villa entitled Footnote to Youth. Primarily, I have chosen this short story not only because of its popularity among high school students in the Philippines but because of its significance not only to the Filipino youth but also to the Indonesians as well.

I am amazed that upon sharing the story to my students, my students have shared the similarities among the issues and trends in Indonesia and in the Philippines. The story, having its main characters make life decisions without critically thinking about it, served as an eye opener to the students on the effects of their decisions not only to themselves but also to the people around them.

In terms of reading the short story, I first allowed them to reflect and share among their classmates their priorities in their lives. In that way, the learning and contemplation would not directly be spoonfed from the teacher but instead it came directly from the learners.

After reading and analyzing the short story, I have then allowed them to have an informal debate to whether the main character, Dodong, made the right decision to allow his son to marry at a young age. This activity has then brought the students in a fruitful learning experience for not only they were able to integrate their lesson into a practical application but they were also able to practice their communicative skills in English.

The activity has also increased their confidence in terms of speaking in a foreign language in spite of the factors that make it difficult. More importantly, the students have also developed their teamwork and collaboration with their peers and group mates to come up with a good output.

All in all, I have realized that the teaching methods and the learning and instructional innovations of the teacher would bring a significant impact in the learning process of the students. Through providing positive and insightful experiences for the students, they learn more, feel more, and become more of who they can be.

Taught Literature - Footnote to youth

Similarities among the issues and trends of the students

Debate brought me to a deeper view on how the students view things, especially their decisions in life

Asked preparation for next topic - Song and Allusion