On Wednesday, March 11th, ETA Brianna Adu-Kyei finally got to run the lesson she’d been waiting for: Introduction to SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar). As she read through essay paragraphs and homework assignments, correcting each one from her 12 classes of 30+ students, she noticed a lot of the same mistakes repeatedly. As a result, she devised the whole presentation in one excited sitting.

That morning, her 10th grade class got a little help from some retro aids. Back when Brianna herself was learning SPaG in elementary school (when the dinosaurs roamed, her students insist), her own teachers played their childhood Saturday morning Schoolhouse Rock cartoons to help them learn. This nostalgic session was helped by the Interjections song from 1974, about 50 years back in America’s 250-year history. Students tapped their toes, bopped their heads, and hummed along to dancing commas and exclamation points.

Teaching may have its ups-and-downs, but it’s always rewarding to watch growth happen right before her eyes. Her class caught on quickly, getting through all 20 slides with new confidence. Still, it was fun to hear them groan over the 34 more slides to come!

Brianna Adu-Kyei is currently teaching at SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Taman, Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur.