January 2025 Edition
As we step into the new year, January brings new opportunities and experiences. In this edition of the Fulbright ETA Monthly Highlights, we reflect on the strides made, the challenges overcome, and the impact our dedicated cohort of educators across Indonesia created. Each story encapsulates resilience, creativity, and dedication that defines our mission, from innovative teaching methods to community outreach initiatives. Join us as we celebrate the commitment to fostering cross-cultural understanding and empowering learners with the English language skills they need to thrive in a growing, interconnected world. Plus… see the exciting ways many of our ETAs are preparing for the AMINEF WORDS National Competition!
AMINEF American Program and Communications Teams
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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.
SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung Local WORDS Storybook and Storytelling Competition
On January 20, 2025, Annie Cowen, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) at SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung, hosted her Local WORDS Storybook and Storytelling Competition. The event aimed to promote creativity, build students’ confidence in using the English language, and celebrate cultural expression through storytelling and writing. Leading up to the competition, students crafted original.. Read More.
WORDS 2025: Celebrating Tradition Through Storytelling at SMKN 5 Pontianak
On Monday, January 13, 2025, SMKN 5 Pontianak hosted its WORDS Local Competition, an annual storytelling and storybook event organized by AMINEF in collaboration with the Fulbright Association. The competition featured eight talented students from various classes who showcased their creativity and English proficiency through the theme “Tradition.” The event began with opening remarks by.. Read More.
A Successful Local WORDS Competition at SMKN 1 Kutalimbaru
January marked the start of a new semester at SMKN 1 Kutalimbaru in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra. The beginning of the semester also signaled the much-anticipated Local WORDS Competition. ETA Brady Allen and fellow English teachers welcomed the participating students to the competition on the third day of the New Year’s break. Brady was thrilled.. Read More.
Back-to-School Classroom Activities
After a restful break, ETA Kylie was ready to get her students’ adrenaline pumping! In Ibu Siska’s class, students reviewed the simple past tense and learned how to play Bang!, an English Language Club favorite. In Bang!, students must race to say the correct English response before their opponent. This friendly competition resulted in laughter.. Read More.
Gratitude is the Attitude: Thanksgiving & Ramadan
To set the scene for upcoming Ramadan celebrations, ETA Hannah Semmes and her English Club students celebrated Thanksgiving at her house, where they prepared food together, learned new vocabulary related to the holiday, and discussed traditions (the theme of the upcoming national AMINEF WORDS competition). Students noticed similarities between Thanksgiving and Ramadan when people join.. Read More.
When ETA Alyssa reunited with her students at SMAN 1 Tomohon during the first classes of the new year, she decided to use the downtime to casually and entertainingly re-engage her students with English. To catch up after the holiday break and get to know one another better, Alyssa gathered her students into a circle,.. Read More.
All-Time Debate: Should Uniforms be Required to be Worn at School?
ETA Adeena Ali kicked off the lesson with an engaging This or That icebreaker. Students chose between a series of hobbies and foods by walking to different sides of the room. The quick decision-making energized everyone and prepared them to dive into the day’s lesson. Next, the class explored the concept of an Analytical Exposition,.. Read More.
Recounting the Magic of Encanto
This January, ETA Maria Osman and her co-teacher transformed their English class into a creative hub with a lesson on recounting text inspired by a short story video from the film “Encanto.” The lesson combined storytelling, analysis, and artistic expression, offering a memorable way to explore this text type. The lesson began with students analyzing.. Read More.
Tradition and Drama at Local WORDS Competition
At eight o’clock on the morning of Saturday, January 18, 2025, ETA Mary Breen and her counterpart Bu Winda added a second strip of tape to secure a banner in the school’s multimedia room. They had already counted snack boxes, lined up chairs, laid out scoring rubrics, and found an extra black pen for the.. Read More.
