As an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) based in Palangka Raya this year, Mackenzie Findlay is having anything but the typical ETA experience. The annual haze that descends on Kalimantan and Sumatra due to slash-and-burn deforestation reached unprecedented levels this year and was exacerbated by the lack of rain. As a result of the hazardous air conditions, school has been canceled for the last two months, and Findlay was evacuated from Palangka Raya.

While other ETAs have been stationary at their high schools, Findlay has been teaching in classrooms across the archipelago and working with students of a wide range of ages. In Jakarta and in Banjarmasin, Makenzie worked with the Regional English Language Office’s (RELO) ACCESS Program. ACCESS, funded by the US State Department, is a two-year English program for underprivileged high school students.

Students selected for the program typically have low English skills and because of their socioeconomic status, are unlikely to have further opportunities to improve their English. Classes range from 10 to 20 students and meet twice a week for two hours over the course of two years. Over the course of the last few weeks, Findlay has had the opportunity to work with students at both the Menteng and Rawamangun sites in Jakarta, as well as at the Banjarmasin site. Findlay assisted the teachers by leading activities, playing games, modeling pronunciation exercises, and teaching tongue twisters.

Before leaving the Rawamangun Jakarta ACCESS program to work with the Banjarmasin ACCESS program, the teachers asked Findlay to present the lesson plan she’d shown them previously about International Day of the Girl.

“I was thrilled to have a chance to deviate from the textbook and lead a class on a topic I’m quite passionate about!” said state of Washington native Findlay.

Starting off by introducing the concept of role models, Findlay later asked the class who their role model was and why.

“Some of the students were shy at first… After they shared their role model, I explained that my role model is Malala,” said Findlay. “None of them knew who she was so I explained her life story and then showed a video profiling her.”

After showing the video, Findlay handed out short narratives of four young female heroes – female education activist Malala, Malaysian pop star Yuna, Kartini, and Indonesian entrepreneur Evilia “Evi” Adriani. In small groups, students read and discussed the narratives and then as a large group the class discussed the issues that these four girls care about and why it’s important to talk about them on International Day of the Girl.

“I never thought I would get the chance to teach a class like this. I thought I would be required to stick closely to the textbook,” said Findlay, who majored in Women and Gender Studies in university.

The class concluded with each student writing a short essay on an issue that girls face that they care about, why it’s important, and what they can do about it. Some students wrote about sexual harassment on the street, others wrote about giving women the choice to work after college instead of immediately starting a family, while others talked about media representation. Findlay said one of her favorite responses was from a male mechanical engineering student who said he wanted to change the way airplane pilot schools admit students so that women are not discriminated against in the admissions process.

“I’m excited to have discovered how to teach other important topics, such as the issues discussed on International Day of the Girl, in an English class,” said Findlay. “I look forward to incorporating more topics like this into my lessons, and continuing to learn with my brilliant students across the archipelago!”