On Monday January 18 2016, the 34 English Teaching Assistants and their 34 Indonesian co-teachers descended on Jakarta from all over the archipelago to participate in the annual Mid-Year Enrichment Conferenced hosted by AMINEF.

The 68 English teachers received training on topics such as: working effectively as a co-teaching team and classroom management from Regional English Language Office (RELO) teacher-trainer specialists. Participating teacher-trainers included Itje Chodidah; English Language Fellows Ingrid Naumann, Sheridan Honore, Rebecca Taylor, and Macella Angel; Access teachers Bella Yuniarti, Areyke Manorek, Puspitasari Wardhani, and Gita Septiani.

“I feel reenergized and better prepared to tackle the second half of the grant. I’m excited to bring new activity ideas and teaching methods into the classroom!” said Kelly Fitzgerald, an ETA based in Pangkal Pinang, Sumatera.

The conference also featured a teaching practice at Sekolah Bina Bangsa Mandiri where the ETAs and Indonesian co-teachers worked together under the observation of the RELO specialists.

“Ibu Itje is a powerful, informed and inspiring Indonesian educator who is able to balance talking about systematic and theoretical issues with practical advice,” said Grace Wivell, a returning ETA based in Gorontalo, Sulawesi.

 34 Fulbright ETAs and their Co-Teachers at Sekolah Bina Bangsa Mandiri, Bogor

Perhaps the highlight of the four-day conference was the “Indonesia Through Their Eyes” performance at @America where ETAs performed skits, stand-up comedy routines, and sang about Indonesia to audience members.

“It was fun to see what the ETAs thought of Indonesia!” said audience member Madelyn Usher “It was obvious through their skits that they hold Indonesia very close to their hearts.”

 34 Fulbright ETAs after performing on ‘Indonesia Through Their Eyes’

The conference closed with a dinner hosted by Deputy Chief of Mission Brian McFeeters who spoke about the importance of continuing international exchange programs to foster positive bi-lateral relations.

“Through human connections, our ETAs foster an authentic multi-cultural dialogue between people and nations,” said Executive Director of AMINEF Alan Feinstein. “Their efforts as educators and as cultural representatives help build a world based on international cooperation and mutual understanding.”

 34 Fulbright ETAs and their Co-Teachers after dinner with Brian McFeeters, Deputy Chief of Mission