ETA Gabriel “Gabe” Umland spent his first English club meeting introducing himself and the Fulbright ETA program. Upon introducing the program, Gabe also showed photos of all the current ETAs in Indonesia and the group discussed their many similarities and differences. Then, Gabe, had the students fill in the blank for the phrase “all Fulbright ETAs are ___________.” The students wrote things like “kind,” “smart,” “beautiful,” “unique,” “diverse,” and “brave.” Once students had completed this exercise, Gabe asked them to erase the phrase “all Fulbright ETAs are” and replace it with “all students at SMAN 1 C are,” while keeping the same adjectives they had written about the ETAs.

By flipping the narratives the students were able to draw parallels between themselves and the ETAs, celebrate the many amazing attributes they shared, and acknowledge diversity among themselves and among the Fulbright ETAs. The exercise left everyone jovial and excited to learn about English and the world around them.

Gabriel “Gabe” Umland is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Cerme, Gresik, East Java