ETA Joseph “Joe” Janik Miller organized a teacher training on Saturday, October 26 at SMA Negeri 1 Padangsidimpuan. The school hosted English teachers to discuss and practice “Creating Student-Centered Classrooms” with the Regional English Language Office’s English Language Fellow Rosetta Buick. The Head of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the City of Padangsidimpuan invited teachers from the city and its neighboring regencies. Through the 40 teachers in attendance, the training reached an estimated 6,000 students in North Sumatra.
The Indonesian National Curriculum asks high schools to produce students capable of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. The training supported this effort by presenting an exercise that teachers can use to create the conditions for collaborative, communicative, creative, and critical language learning. It also provided a site for teachers to practice giving instructions. Rosetta presented an exercise in the morning, then teachers practiced giving instructions to tenth graders in the afternoon. In the English classroom in Padangsidimpuan, teachers ask students to communicate in their third or fourth language. Students impressed their guest teachers with their communicative skills and high spirits on the Saturday afternoon.
Joe appreciated the energy of all attendances. Some teachers travelled up to seven hours to SMA Negeri 1, and others had never talked to a native English speaker before. While he enjoyed leading mock teaching and describing life as an ETA, Joe’s favorite moments from the day came celebrating the courage of teachers speaking up in front of strangers and making new friends.
Joseph “Joe” Janik Miller is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Padangsidimpuan, North Sumatra.
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