My practicum abroad in a nutshell, and some prospects for the SEATeacher Program

This blog post is about the summary of my SEATeacher experience and my suggestions on the program for future improvement.

PURPOSES OF PRACTICUM

After having four years of intensive studying on the different theories in English and education, practicum is the perfect time to put my knowledge to the test. However, I think it is important to understand that practicum is not just about the application of theories, because the experience is so much more than that. It is the time when pre-service teachers like me discover new things about the self, to the point that it becomes surprising even.

Before, I had a vision that I would teach English abroad. To me, this was the best way to achieve my dream of work and travel. I get to go out of the Philippines, teach other peoples to speak the English tongue, and in turn learn their language and culture to make me feel at home too. The idea was a perfect way for me to get educated, and what is more is that I get to be well-compensated (you know what I mean) for teaching them a language they have always wanted to learn.

Now, I have finished my practicum and I am aware that a lot has changed in me. In the most general sense, I was able to stretch my limits and boundaries: choosing to finish instructional materials overtime (overnight, most likely) instead of having a good night's sleep, standing up and speaking in front of classes for hours, still flashing a smile despite feeling tired, listening to those who want to simply tell a story, learning from those who have long been in the service. "What for? " I often asked myself this question especially when I experienced difficulties and felt like giving up, and I was always led to the same answer - the students. "This is for my kids," I would say. And that settled everything.

The greatest discovery I made in this experience is realizing that practicum is not only centered on the self. It is about how the self connects with others to create something meaningful. It is the shift from solely working on the self to working with others and draw from them one's purpose and value.

On that note, I conceived an entirely different vision for myself. Going out of the country is not an equivalent for work and travel. It is just a matter of balancing work and leisure, and I am sure I can do that even if I choose to stay and teach in my own land. I love my country and my people, and I feel it best to serve the Philippines.

PROCEDURES, OUTCOMES, and CHALLENGES OF PRACTICUM

I never knew I could experience teaching overseas at a much earlier time, but I am very grateful to have it even before I have actually started teaching because the program has shown me many other paths to take in developing my teaching career. With that, my experience at Sekolah Islam Athirah will always be valued for two particular reasons: (1) it has given me much freedom to explore my teaching methods; (2) it has broadened and deepened my understanding about how cultural differences greatly affect the teaching-learning process.

I am deeply in gratitude for my cooperating teacher Ma'am Diba for the trust she has given me in handling her classes despite the short time I had with them. I loved every time she said, "Ma'am Trish, the time is yours," because there was always a sense of assurance and belief in me in the way she said those words. Because of the way she treated me, I was confident enough to explore many teaching methods, trying the traditional to the most modern ones. The experience allowed me to see my strengths and points for improvement, which further reaffirms that even if I have already finished my teaching hours for practicum, I am indeed still a work in progress.

Furthermore and most importantly, my practicum experience has given me a better understanding of how it is to teach when there are (big) differences in culture. I realized that teaching (English) abroad is no easy feat because there are many factors that have to be considered first before the teacher's work becomes eventually successful.

Immersion with the target culture is one sure fire way to bring down barriers between the teacher and students. I feel that this is one thing I did not fully reach, given that one month is not enough to at least have a grasp of who and how the students are at Athirah. They simply viewed me as a foreign visitor who wanted to complete her practicum at their school, nothing more or less. By the time I could have already established rapport with my classes, I was already at the airport leaving Makassar. If I only had more time with my students, I am sure they would have had fun learning the lessons I would teach them.

OVERALL IMPRESSION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENT

If I were to rate my practicum experience from a scale of one to ten, I would give an eight for the following reasons:

Points worth celebrating

1. I had a new family. My coordinators Pak Yasser and Ibu Widya, my closest buddies Rama, Ayu, Wiwik, Annisa, Ririn, and Syamsul of the Universitas Negeri Makassar / Makassar State University were the most amazing people I have met during my stay in Indonesia. They always made sure that I was welcome in their country by giving me the best experiences that they could offer, from the scheduled field trips to the simplest late night outs. With them, Makassar was home.

1. I claim myself to be half-Indonesian. Syamsul, my buddy, kakak (older brother), and a 4th batch participant of the same program, claimed himself to be a half-Filipino after his practicum experience at Pangasinan State University, Philippines. At first, I could not understand why, but as my own experience came to a close, I shared the same feelings then. It was delightful getting to know their language by talking with the many people I had met and encountered, and experiencing their culture by wearing the hijab (head cover for Muslim women), batik (Indonesian traditional clothes), and eating all the Indonesian food I could get. The people of Makassar and their warmth are some of the things I will never forget.

Points to ponder on

1. Better coordination between sending, host universities and the receiving schools. If all the parties involved in this program would have better coordination among themselves, I think the chances of following the schedule or time table provided by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) are better. If receiving schools are well-oriented with the objectives of the program, then they would have a better understanding on the tasks to be done by the participants.

2. Strict alignment of majors and implementation of one SEATeacher per coordinating teacher policy. Three co-participants got displaced because their major did not have an equivalent subject in Athirah. The nature of their major was similar to home economics, but they were assigned to teach English. As a result, I had to share with a co-participant who also majored in English Ma'am Diba's 8th grade classes since she was the only one who could accommodate us. Because of this instance, Ma'am Diba could not give appropriate feedback since she would always mix up Kim and I. The same goes with the other three co-participants, since they taught a field which was entirely different from what they knew. Maybe next time, with the proper alignment of majors and one is to one ratio for SEATeachers and cooperating teachers, genuine feedback would be made possible.