During her last week at school, before departing from SMA N 1 Tomohon, ETA Alyssa Guiang led a special activity with her classes involving paper airplanes, favorite memories, and dreams.

Alyssa began by explaining the activity to her students. She told them that it was her last week in the classroom with them and that in the coming weeks, she would be taking an airplane from Indonesia back to America. Then, she asked her co-teacher and students if they were familiar with paper airplanes and explained that they are a popular craft for grade school students in America. Alyssa learned that her co-teacher had made paper airplanes during her elementary school days and that several students in the class had already made them in the past.

In honor of their previous English lessons on procedural texts, Alyssa gave the class step-by-step instructions. First, she had the students take out a piece of paper from their notebooks. Second, she instructed them to write a favorite memory from the school year on the paper. Third, she guided them in creating their paper planes: fold the paper in half, unfold it, then fold the two top corners to the middle line, fold each remaining edge to the middle line, fold the figure in half, and create the wings.

Next, Alyssa had the students write their names on one of the paper airplane wings and a place in the world they dreamed of visiting on the other. Finally, they went into the field outside the classrooms and let their airplanes take flight.

Alyssa ended the activity by telling the students that she hoped this farewell exercise would serve as a memorable reminder of their dreams—and that with continued hard work, English study, and belief in themselves, they could let their potential take flight and soar into the horizons of their bright futures.

Alyssa Guiang is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Tomohon, North Sulawesi.