After a challenging group writing activity, the 10th-grade students of SMAN 1 Seluma were in need of some heart-pumping excitement. Fortunately, ETA Conor Jackman and counterpart Pak Oki had planned the perfect game. At the mention of a game, the students jumped up and pushed the desks aside. The 10th graders stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a large circle, and Conor introduced the game “Cat and Mouse” — which a student aptly renamed ‘Tom and Jerry.”

Instructions were simple enough even if the twist was at first unclear. Two shirts would circulate the group. The gray shirt must be tied in three knots, then untied before being passed on to the next student. The blue shirt must be tied in a knot once and then untied before being passed on. The ever-alert 10th graders quickly realized the blue shirt would circulate rapidly while the gray shirt moved slowly, creating the effect of the blue shirt chasing the gray shirt. When the blue shirt ‘caught’ the gray shirt the student holding both needed to create and say a sentence using correlative conjunction.

The cheers and nervous anticipation of the imminent ‘catch’ reverberated throughout the room. Students shouted playfully at others they thought were moving too slowly and squealed in delight as their peers struggled to untie the gray shirt. In the end ‘Tom and Jerry” was a big hit and will likely be a mainstay activity to review and practice English.

Conor Jackman is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Seluma, Bengkulu.