During her first week at SMAN 1 Matauli Pandan, ETA Katrien Weemaes was delighted to meet the countless students and teachers eager to practice their English skills. While remembering everyone’s names posed a daunting challenge, Katrien was determined to make personal connections with her school community’s kind and generous members.

To further these efforts, Katrien organized nightly study sessions with the asrama students who lived in the dormitory. There, they learned more about their interests and developed confidence in speaking English. After meeting with students from each class, they provided Katrien with unique preferences for what topics they wanted to cover during the study sessions.

The 12th graders were interested in learning more about American culture and history; the 11th graders wanted to refine their formal English skills through writing essays; the 10th graders chose to strengthen their conversational speaking skills while focusing on English grammar. With differing interests, the evening study groups were separated by grade, allowing for personalized lesson planning and additional quality time with each student attendee. Apart from the formal academic intention of these sessions, this time has been helpful in allowing Katrien to connect with her students in a more casual setting. The students are encouraged to ask unfiltered questions relating to their interests, which help shape the topic of discussion in future meetings. Katrien looks forward to learning more about her students over the next several months.

Katrien Weemaes is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Matauli Pandan, North Sumatra.