First visit to an Indonesian school

As our massive bus rolled into the courtyard, small smiling faces suddenly appeared in windows and doorways out of the sky-blue colored school. From my window I smiled back- equally curious and eager to remember everything from this special visit.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an Indonesian classroom, but I imagined rows of children with folded hands listening quietly as a stern but respectful teacher lectured. That image was decimated on arrival. As four other Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) and I entered the sparsely decorated room, we were greeted by a chorus of enthusiastic “Hello Miss! Hello Mister! Good morning!” from a group of about thirty girls dressed in intricately designed uniforms and white head scarves.

When we introduced ourselves, everything we said was followed by a harmonized “Ooohhhhh” or “Ahhhh” and if we said anything positive about Indonesia (IE- “I love the food here!” or a simple “I like it here”) the kids went nuts, bursting into belly-clutching giggles and applause. When they started begging us to sing, their teacher finally stepped in and took over the class.

All of the ETAs are studying the Indonesian language and teaching methods in a city called Bandung until September 17 when we will be flown to different schools around the country to teach. Typically our lessons are held at the Sheraton hotel where we are staying, but instead of meeting in a hotel conference room, today we observed local English classes to see how Indonesians teach.

We sat in the back as the teacher began a lesson which sounded more like a pep rally than a lecture. “Is this a BOOK?” he shouted while pointing to a book. “YES! It is a book!” the students shouted back in unison. “Is this a PEN?” he asked. “No! It is a BOOK!” was the reply. This continued for about ten minutes, with the teacher pointing to different objects in the classroom and the students getting progressively louder. Once the teacher began calling on individuals, the girls suddenly became very shy though, giggling nervously and covering their faces with their hands.

At the end of the class, I asked to take a picture and the girls immediately began chattering excitedly and striking poses. They kept asking me, “Do you have Passbook?” Not knowing what “Passbook” was I apologized, but that didn’t stop dim their smiles or chatter (I later figured out they were trying to say Facebook which is extremely popular among Indonesian children).

Ever since I found out that I would be traveling to Indonesia, I have been looking forward to teaching, but meeting these kids has only doubled my excitement. I have never seen energy like this at an American high school, except maybe at a football game. As our bus rolled out of the schoolyard and headed back to the Sheraton, my thoughts wandered to Genteng, the village where I will begin teaching mid-September, and I smiled knowing that I am in the exact right place to teach.