5.1 Purposes of Practicum

Basically, The SEA Teacher Project or the “Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia” is a project that aims to provide opportunity for pre-service student teachers from universities in Southeast Asia to have teaching experiences (practicum) in schools in other countries in Southeast Asia.

If I will base on my experiences, I can confidently say that this practicum really met all my needs, that its purposes are really helpful. This SEA Teachers Project helped me discover more about myself. It brought me new family to love, never forget, and be with again someday. It helped me learn a new culture. It helped me be a better person.

5.2 Procedures of Practicum

This one month program were divided into four phases, one phase per week.

For my first week, I’ve been introduced with the teachers and students, especially with my mentor and will be students along the program. It was also the week when I did the observation of my cooperating teacher’s way of teaching.

On my second week, I did the actual classroom teaching. I was given two lessons by my CT to work with. she checked and approved my lesson plans then I did the teaching, but she never left me alone in class. she was always observing and guiding me every time I teach.

My third week had been busy because of my preparation for my final evaluation. But then again, my mentor never left me. She helped me on preparing some of my materials. Then I did it very well.

Since my final demo was Friday, my mentor told me that they will tell me the result of my evaluation on Monday. So on my last week my mentor together with my supervisor showed me the result of my demo teaching. I’ve been so happy because I got it almost perfect. Thanks to both of them, they’ve been really good to me. I also want to thank my students for being very cooperative during my class.

5.3 Outcomes of Practicum

This practicum didn’t just help improve myself, discover new things, and have new experiences. It brought a family whom I really love and will always love forever. It opened my mind and heart about what love and humanity really means. It helped me how to be a real person. It really improved my personality. This practicum made me a better person.

5.4 The Challenges of Practicum

On the first place, riding on a plane has been a big challenge for me. In fact I was really nervous back then because it was my first time and I was alone. but with the help of God I’ve been able to overcome the fear and surpassed the first challenge. Another challenge for me was on how will I adopt with the new culture. The good thing was I had some friends, Filipinos and Indonesians and they all helped me in overcoming that challenge. The hardest challenge that I had encountered was leaving my new family. All of them, have been very closed to my heart and to be honest I did fall in love with one of my Indonesian friends. It’s been very hard for me to leave her. I just promise and I will surely make my promise that I will go back.

5.5 Overall Impression

Overall, my experience in Banda Aceh, Indonesia has been really great and unforgettable. I will always treasured all the memories that I had in that beautiful place. I promise and I am determined to go back.

5.6 Suggestions For Future Improvement

Suggestions for SEAMEO

First of all I want to thank you for this wonderful program. I hope more students like me will be given the chance to experience everything that we SEA Teachers had experience, because your program is really really great. It has to be prioritized. My only suggestion is it will be better if the program will be more than one month. It will help the students develop themselves more. Learn the language and the culture better. Be with their new family longer, and have more experiences to treasure.

Suggestions for my receiving university

You all have been good to me, to all of us SEA Teachers. I want to thank you so much for all of that. You’ve been our guardian during our stay in your university. The only thing that I didn’t like was you didn’t help us explore your place. You didn’t provide any tour around Aceh. we still had to make our own way just to explore your place and learn more about your culture. Next time it will be better and your will be new SEA Teachers will really enjoy their stay in your university if you will provide some tours.

Suggestions for my home university

Again, I would like to give you my deepest thanks for giving me the opportunity to be your representative in this program. I really really thank you for that. I want to give my special thanks to our college dean, Dr. Angelica Cortez and Sir Marlon Rufino for always helping, monitoring, and guiding us despite of the distance. I want to say I really love you both and thank you for everything. For my university, I would like to suggest that it will be better if you will give your SEA Teachers something like certificate or a plaque to give to their receiving university. They will really appreciate that.