Welcome to the February 2019 edition of the ETA Monthly Highlights! Around this time of year, you will find the ETAs and their school communities consumed with their local WORDS competitions.
Each of our 22 ETAs hosted a local competition at their schools and the first place winner of this competition will compete in the national WORDS competition in Jakarta during the month of April! In this batch of The Monthly Highlights, you will find ETAs praising their students for taking the time to produce creative storybooks and showcase their creations through lively performances. Additionally, in this month’s highlights, you’ll see that our ETAs feel more comfortable than ever at their sites. This month they led presentations about American culture, celebrated birthdays, led teaching workshops, and of course engaged students with creative activities in the classroom.
The grant year may be winding down but our ETAs are not slowing down any time soon. Find out more about the ETAs’ February activities in the stories below.
Many thanks to all of the ETAs for their wonderful stories and photos.
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Please share with us your favorite stories: which stories struck you as interesting, which teaching method is the most fun or you’d like to apply, or which activity you’d like to hear more. Email us at socmedia@aminef.or.id and we’ll post your feedback in the next newsletter and you may win a special thank-you gift from us.
Ignite English!
On February 2, 2019, ETA Sabrina Verleysen had the wonderful opportunity to ignite English language learning and give positive motivation to secondary school students in a remote village outside of Demak. Thanks to a close friendship with Miss Muji, an English teacher from Madrasah Aliyah As Samaniyah, the morning event was organized and prepared for.. Read More.
Mentorship, Initiative, Leadership & Knowledge (otherwise known as MILK Mondays)
On Mondays after school, ten to twenty middle school students from various middle schools around Pangkalpinang come to SMA Santo Yosef for English Club. SMA Santo Yosef English Club members greet the nervous students at the door in English and welcome them to their school. They energetically begin a series of games and activities that.. Read More.
A Birthday for the Books
ETA Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace was not looking forward to spending her 23rd birthday 10,000 miles away from friends and family. But what she wasn’t expecting was the celebration of a lifetime at her school in Gresik! Liz was greeted by surprise parties in each of her classes, complete with students serenading her on their instruments.. Read More.
Learning About Young Activists
For the recount text unit, ETA Anna Ringheiser and her counterpart decided to use some texts that might be relevant and inspiring to the students. Anna chose some texts on teenage activists from all over the world, from the United States to Afghanistan to Sierra Leone. The young activists have fought for the right to.. Read More.
A Day at the King of Words and Spelling Bee Competition
This month ETA Darby Jones had the honor of assisting at a “King of Words” and spelling bee at her site in Sangatta Utara. After connecting with a local English educator during an International Education Week event last semester, Darby was invited to be a pronouncer and presenter at the event for elementary and middle.. Read More.
All on the Same Page
Eleven incredibly brave students wrote an original story, created a children’s storybook, and performed the story to a panel of judges for SMAN 11 Padang’s WORDS Storytelling Competition. The competition originally started with 33 participants, so this group of students is truly dedicated and hardworking to complete the entire process. ETA Sophia Lopresti and her.. Read More.
Temanggung on the World Map
Filled with lessons on Black History Month, Valentine’s Day and English Speech Competitions, the month of February was certainly one to remember in Temanggung, Central Java. However, the highlight of the month came early on when ETA Allison Cwikla and her 10th-grade student Sabrina Zata Hasifa received phone calls from the US Embassy to hear.. Read More.
United by Snack Boxes + Potential Certificates
On February 23, ETA Gordon “Peter” Bensen, in collaboration with his school, MAN 1 Kota Payakumbuh, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Payakumbuh, hosted a workshop for English teachers from all throughout West Sumatra. The workshop was led by Rebekah Williamson, an English Language Fellow from the Regional English Language Office (RELO) who came.. Read More.
New Year, New Opportunities
On February 28, SMA Don Bosco Padang hosted its first ever AMINEF-Fulbright ETA WORDS Storybook and Storytelling Competition, run by ETA Amanda Cahn and counterpart Ibu Desy Angriani. The theme of this year’s competition was “The Future of Indonesia.” Fourteen 11th grade students created their own original storybooks, and then presented their stories in front.. Read More.
Ready, Set, Action!
February had been…………. From video projects to WORDS performances to games in the garden, February was full of activities. On February 3, ETA Alexandra Gwynn facilitated a community screening of two video projects created by Kopi Hitam, a burgeoning Tengger production group, and select students at SMKN 9 Malang. The videos focused on Tengger culture.. Read More.
