English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) and their co-teachers (Indonesian English teachers they work with at their schools) participated in the annual Fulbright ETA Program Mid-Year Enrichment Conference in Jakarta from December 9 to 13, 2024.

The conference marks the halfway point of the grant and allows ETAs and co-teachers to share their experiences, learn best practices from one another, and gain more knowledge on teaching, community building, cross-cultural communication, and problem-solving skills. These skills will continue to strengthen their collaboration in the second semester.

The ETAs helped to lead sessions, shared activity inspiration, and worked with AMINEF behind the scenes to make the conference successful.

ETAs and co-teachers participated in various sessions, ranging from “The State of Indonesia Today” to meetings with an Indonesian Government Panel. ETAs appreciated sessions led by their fellow ETAs, opportunities to learn from one another, structured work time with their co-teachers, and a visit to American Space Voice of Istiqlal at Istiqlal Mosque. Co-teachers also enjoyed the sessions, particularly those related to cross-cultural communication, teaching, Community Engagement Projects, and scholarships.

Each participant indicated they gained valuable new knowledge and insights from the conference. Participants were eager to return to their schools and incorporate new ideas into their classrooms. ETAs and co-teachers are especially looking forward to planning the WORDS Storytelling Competition, additional Community Engagement Projects, and workshops at their schools in the second semester.