February 2025 Edition
As we close February, we reflect on a journey filled with fellowship, creativity, and cultural exchange. In this edition of the Fulbright ETA Monthly Highlights, we celebrate the ETAs’ commitment to nurturing English language proficiency and fostering cross-cultural understanding in classrooms across Indonesia.
This month, we proudly feature two AMINEF-sponsored events: the WORDS competition and the first annual US Fulbrighters Conference. Be sure to read the respective features!
Join us as we reflect on the transformative power of cultural exchange and the boundless potential it unlocks.
AMINEF American Program and Communications Teams
We would love to receive your feedback.
Please share your favorite stories with us, including interesting ones, preferred teaching methods, or activities you’d like to learn more about. You can email us at communications@aminef.or.id. We’ll feature your feedback in our upcoming highlights, and you might even have a chance to win a special thank-you gift from us.
WORDS Storytelling and Storybook Competition 2025
From February 17–20, 2025, ten high school students and their Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) gathered in Jakarta for the National WORDS Storytelling and Storybook Competition. Held at @america, the competition and its accompanying activities have long been highlights of the program, offering students and ETAs the opportunity to bond over shared interests and unique.. Read More.
2025 National WORDS Competition: A Tale of Tradition
The 2025 National WORDS Storytelling and Storybook Competition brought together ten high school students from every corner of Indonesia and their dedicated Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in Jakarta from February 17–20, 2025. ETA Annie Cowen was joined by her student, Eugenia Sharon, the winner of the local competition held at SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung in.. Read More.
Learning English Through Data: Bar Graphs and Surveys
In early February 2025, ETA Hira Baig, in collaboration with her co-teacher and counterpart Ridha Astanti, led an interactive lesson with students from Class 10 Culinary two at SMKN 5 Pontianak. The lesson focused on reading and interpreting bar graphs and charts in English. It encouraged students to apply their English skills in a practical.. Read More.
Guac & Talk: A Tasty English Club Session
On Wednesday, February 5, ETA Brady Allen hosted a special cooking activity for SMKN 1 Kutalimbaru’s English Club students. His co-teachers and students wanted to try a popular American food they had never experienced before. After researching potential ingredients available at the local store, Brady decided that guacamole would be a fun and delicious introduction.. Read More.
The Day in the Life of an SMA Santo Paulus Student
In December, ETA Kylie Eiselstein and her co-teacher, Ibu Siska, traveled to Jakarta for an AMINEF-hosted mid-year conference on lesson plans, problem-solving, and cross-cultural learning and tolerance. They crafted new lesson plans on recount texts: students would write a recount text about one day in their life and recreate that “day in my life” by.. Read More.
Words Across Worlds: Virtual Pen Pals
Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and Islamic scholar, once said, “Speak a new language so that the world will be a new world.” This month, 73 students and teachers from SMAN 10 Bengkulu built new worlds with their pen pals through ETA Hannah Semmes’ Virtual Pen Pals project. Each participant was paired with an English-speaking.. Read More.
In February, ETA Alyssa Guiang and the English Club students at SMAN 1 Tomohon took part in a creative mural project that showcased their club’s vision and celebrated its first year of regular operation. The mural, designed and painted by English Club members, was placed on a prominent wall in the school’s 10th-grade section. The.. Read More.
Jeopardy: Past Tense Sentences
ETA Adeena Ali introduced an American game called Jeopardy, which was used for the first time in a classroom setting. In her 11th-grade class, the game was designed to help students practice using the past tense and learn how to change verbs from the present to the past tense. There were four teams in the.. Read More.
English Olympics Day: Compete, Communicate, Conquer!
On February 15, ETA Maria Osman organized and hosted English Olympics Day, an engaging, school-wide competition that brought together around 200 students from SMK Abdurrab Pekanbaru. This event aimed to enhance students’ English proficiency, teamwork, and critical thinking skills while fostering cultural exchange through American and Indonesian traditions. The immersive experience featured six dynamic games,.. Read More.
Community Engagement…Through Games
It rained every Friday afternoon in Manggar in January and February, preventing students at SMAN 1 Manggar from returning to school. But on February 14, the storm held off just long enough for students from the English Club to gather and begin work on a project. First, ETA Mary Breen led a few classic schoolyard.. Read More.
