Language learning can be really intimidating, even for people who have a lot of experience with it—and all the more for those who do not and who feel unsure of how to start. But teachers at SMAN 3 Kota Jambi courageously asked ETA Payton Storey to help them grow in their English skills.

With the tremendous help of Bapak Nofriyen, one of Payton’s co-teachers, who translated, clarified, and enlivened the presentation, Payton hosted a two-day training on the basics of language acquisition. The sessions included lessons on frameworks for identifying and growing English skills, practices to help do that, and live group exercises.

Although the first day was a slow start, the teachers persevered and really enjoyed the second day, during which they used children’s shows and songs to develop fluency and expand their vocabularies. At the end of the training, the teachers reviewed the materials through an intensely competitive quizzing session and celebrated their learning with everyone’s favorite prize: America-themed stickers from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta! #America250

Payton Storey is currently teaching at SMAN 3 Kota Jambi, Jambi.