This month ETA Darby Jones had the pleasure of meeting, getting to know, and playing games with students at a local junior high school in Sangatta. Once classes finished for the semester at SMAN 2 Sangatta Utara (her placement site), Darby accepted an invitation from SMPN 2 Sangatta Selatan to spend the morning with about 40 motivated students who have a passion for English. Darby used pictures from home to teach students about herself, American culture, and what she does here in Indonesia. For each topic she presented on, Darby lead structured speaking exercises that mirrored what she had shared about her life. She used American candy she brought from the US to get students to volunteer in pairs and practice public speaking in English. This motivational tool worked like a charm, and every hand in the room was raised – not something you often see in Indonesian classrooms!
Interspersed between each discussion topic were games commonly played in schools in the US and or games specifically tailored for English as a Second Language students. Some examples included “Find someone who…” and “Heads Up, Seven Up.” Students were excited to participate and very active. To end the fabulous morning, Darby was gifted an entire box of lidah sapi, one of her all-time favorite Indonesian foods. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Darby Jones is currently teaching at SMAN 2 Sangatta Utara, East Kalimantan
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