On November 12, Brianna Adu-Kyei was invited to SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Taman’s sister school, which catered to pre-K through kindergarten. The goal for that day was to participate in an English cooking class. She was quite nervous—although she adored children, she wasn’t very experienced with such a young demographic—but accompanied by her co-teachers, she greeted the school’s staff. She peeked in at each of the classes offered before the event’s start at 9 a.m. The kids had a range of responses to Brianna (who looked very different from everyone they’d seen up until that point), but were quickly won over by high-fives and a bright smile.

They danced together, drew, and sang various English songs, such as “Baby Shark,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Brianna found it delightful that the kids were having early exposure to and acquisition of English, which made her consider a possible read-along exchange between her older high school students and these younger ones, promoting speaking and listening practice.

For the main event, she made klepon for the first time and helped roll the sweet balls in their palms. After some photos with each class, she returned to teaching her students for the rest of the day.

Brianna Adu-Kyei is currently teaching at SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Taman, Sidoarjo, East Java.