For ETA Lindsay Smith, this month was full of WORDS! During February, Lindsay and the English department staff at SMK Muhammadiyah 7 held information sessions and workshops for students interested in participating in the English storytelling competition.

At these workshops, students worked together on developing and drafting their stories and storybooks. Lindsay loved seeing the students’ original artwork and creative designs and had tons of fun helping them develop their stories, work on characters, and practice their talents.

After several weeks of hard work, the students told their stories at SMK Muhammadiyah 7’s local competition on February 22. The students took many directions in relating to this year’s theme of “Heroes” — some students presented stories about family members, some discussed historical figures or myths in Indonesia, and some even drafted stories about original superheroes.

The day was full from start to finish, with students arriving at school bright and early to go over their stories one last time with any friend (or mirror) they could find at school, and practicing their wide range of talents — including singing, wayang-style puppetry, and gymnastics — in hallways and empty rooms, turning the whole WORDS wing of the building into a storytelling party.

During the competition, Lindsay was impressed and inspired by the creativity, enthusiasm, and diligence that all of the students displayed, and was also happy to introduce them to fellow ETAs and judges Shannon Pinzón, Nathan Kumar, and Gabriel Umland. After a long day, and a quick foto-foto session, the winners were announced. Lindsay looks forward to accompanying SMK Muhammadiyah 7’s first-place winner, Tiyan Ayu, to Jakarta for the national competition — and to see all of the other students’ performances!

Lindsay Smith is currently teaching at SMK Muhammadiyah 7 Gondanglegi near Malang, East Java.