Purposes of practicum
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows"
-Sydney J. Harris
And that is exactly what this program did. The SEA teacher project has turned my mirrors into windows. A mirror both helps us observe what we do and hinders our ability to predict the future. Windows, on the other hand, has a catalytic approach and helps us notice what we are not aware of. In other words, windows broaden our perspectives and allow us to see beyond our current thinking. Education is a tool that encourages us to see what we are supposed to see. I came to Indonesia to teach, ironically, I was the one who was taught the most. This program has made me fall in love with my profession all over again. You don't just teach "kids", you are teaching future doctors, engineers, teachers, and even presidents. The profession that makes all other profession. This program has made me realize my sole purpose in life. To teach with passion, love and empathy. That teaching is not a career only, it is a calling. This program opened doors for me. Doors that could lead to everywhere. And I'm forever grateful.
Procedures of Practicum
Every teacher's guide or the "blueprint" is the Lesson Plan or the Daily Lesson Log. The Lesson Plan revolves around the objectives. You first make your objectives, then you decide what instructional materials you will need, and then your subject matter. You make activities that will help you achieve your objectives. You don't have to follow your lesson plan word for word, since you are teaching children. We never know what might happen on the day of the teaching. Books tell us over and over again how children are noisy and are very hard to maintain but it cant tell us HOW hard it is. Only experience can teach you that. So the challenge is how are you going to keep your students engaged all through out the class. Classroom management is important in the primary grades. I had to be a teacher and a caregiver all at once in teaching. Our supervision is the most powerful tool we have to keep our students safe. Supervision and awareness 24/7.
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Outcomes of Practicum
I am very proud of how I was able to go through this. I am still human and of course I may have my lapses. I was scared at first, and this is usually something I don't participate in but I did. I tried my best to teach, to make an impact on a kid's life, to study the methods, to observe the differences between two countries, and to represent my alma mater and country well. I am very happy to say that teaching is my calling. I have fallen in love with my profession all over again. I have learned so much than I expected. I have met friends along the way, and people with kind hearts. I'm glad I took the risk. Now, I feel like a totally different person. My younger self would be so proud.
The Challenges of Practicum
01
LANGUAGE BARRIER
I was able to live in Jakarta, Indonesia for a month and 8 days. But I didn't know that not all Indonesians can talk and understand in English. It was hard to order the ride from the dorm to the school on our own. We had buddies that were in charge of ordering for us so that they can speak in Bahasa Indonesia but I felt like burden to them. They had to do it for every day and if we talked in english, they would charge us more and some wouldn't talk because they couldn't understand us.
02
THE POLLUTION
I don't get sick easily in the Philppines, but the minute I arrived in Jakarta, I keep on getting sick. First I had sore throat, then fever. The air was bad. And I couldn't do anything about it. I had to drink medicines to keep myself healthy.
03
LACK OF AWARENESS
In Sekolah Harapan Prestasi, I loved that they were inclusive. They had children with special needs in a class. But the only problem was, I wasn't aware of this. So in teaching, I felt like I wasn't properly equipped with efficient knowledge and skills to teach a classroom full of students mixed with children with special needs. Because It's going to be different because I wouldn't want to accidentally traumatize a child. A child can disrupt a whole learning environment alone. And I want to become a teacher who is equipped with knowledge and skills to meet the demands of every student I handle.
Suggestions
Actually the program has exceeded my expectations. But it wouldn't hurt if the SEA-teachers would get more time to be familiar with the place. To travel on their own. To inform them beforehand what they need to bring, to prepare and to guide them in teaching and cut them some slack for minor shortcomings. We were all beginners once.
