October 2026 Edition
Welcome to the October–November edition of the Fulbright AMINEF ETA Monthly Highlights, where we celebrate our English Teaching Assistants’ remarkable efforts and achievements across Indonesia. This publication spotlights the impactful work ETAs are doing in their classrooms and communities. In October and November, the ETAs settled into their sites and new routines. This aligned with the changing of the seasons in the U.S. and the cross-cultural exchange of America’s autumnal traditions.
AMINEF American Program and Communications Teams
We welcome your thoughts and reflections.
Share which stories stood out, what teaching approaches sparked ideas, or which activities you’d like to explore further. Feel free to write to us at communications@aminef.or.id. Selected feedback will be featured in the next edition—and you may even receive a small token of appreciation from us.
In October, ETA Samir Tusneem facilitated an interactive, collaborative activity to help students strengthen their understanding of recount texts while developing their English reading, writing, and speaking skills. Working in small groups, students received a series of pictures depicting a past experience. Their task was to analyze the narrative and use the pictures as inspiration.. Read More.
This month, ETA Henry Calkins and his co-teachers created a new activity for students to apply their simple present tense learning in real-world situations. Over the last two weeks, Kelas X students have been learning the simple present tense. The first week focused on verbal and nominal sentences in positive, negative, and interrogative forms. The.. Read More.
In October, English Teaching Assistant Jason Yan kicked off teaching with an Analytical Exposition lesson for the 11th graders at SMK Krian 2 Sidoarjo, a topic that emphasizes the importance of being able to form and support an argument in English. To make this lesson more engaging, Jason incorporated an activity that got the students.. Read More.
National Batik Day on October 2nd commemorates the recognition by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) of Batik cloth as a masterpiece of intangible human heritage. To celebrate, SMKN 4 Palangkaraya hosted an online Batik Day called “Bridging Cultures Through Cloth: Exploring Indonesian Batik Motifs & American Fashion Styles.” The goal of this.. Read More.
Cross-Cultural Exchange Despite Challenging Times
Despite some unexpected circumstances, ETA Eliana Steele found ways to share American culture with high school students from across Indonesia. Unfortunately, Central Kalimantan has been seriously impacted by ongoing forest fires, causing schools across the province to pause in-person activities. Although traditional extracurriculars have been cancelled at Eliana’s school, Eliana was introduced to an online.. Read More.
In October, SMAN 3 Banjarbaru’s after-school English clubs have been busy and excited since the arrival of their new English Teaching Assistant (ETA), Morgan McCarthy. This month’s English Club lessons included learning how to make origami paper cranes. During the lesson, students learned about the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl from Hiroshima… Read More.
On September 18th, ETA Robert Valero kicked off the year’s first English Language Club meeting over Google Meet with students from his school, SMA Santo Paulus Pontianak. The meeting started off with introductions from the club members, sharing their backgrounds, their reasons for joining English Club, and the topics and themes they would like to.. Read More.
American Education and Culture Presentations
After their classes end for the day, ETA Millicent Yurong and counterpart Bu Annisa of SMKN 2 Balikpapan prepare for a different kind of lesson. Because Balikpapan has not had an ETA in recent years, the ETA and counterpart have been discussing American culture and education with various English clubs, student government groups, and teacher.. Read More.
English Fills the Room: RELO Workshops in Pekanbaru
In October, ETA Zahra Chowdhury attended the Regional English Language Office (RELO) Practical English for Young Learners (PEYL) workshops at BGTK Riau in Pekanbaru. The program, run by the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, trains primary school English and homeroom teachers to strengthen English learning at the elementary level through active, student-centered methods such as play-based.. Read More.
Teaching English Interactively
Would you give up a Saturday to attend a seminar for the chance to speak with an American English Teaching Assistant? For the dedicated teachers from SMKs in West Sumatra, the answer was an easy ‘yes’ when asked to give up one of their personal days and make a trek to Padang City. Many of.. Read More.
