Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) is a campus located in Thomas Oppus, Southern Leyte, Philippines. I never imagined that my visit to SLSU Thomas Oppus would be one of the most unforgettable and amazing experiences. This trip was not just about education, but also about getting to know a new culture and developing myself personally and professionally.
Before I left, I was a little worried about how I would adjust to the new environment. However, those worries were immediately dispelled once I arrived. My friends and I were warmly welcomed by everyone there. They treated us with utmost hospitality, especially our coordinator, Ma’am Lillian, who genuinely became a mother figure to us during our time at SLSU. She treated my friends and me like her own children, making sure that we always felt comfortable. In addition, the lecturers, teachers, and campus staff took turns looking after us and taking us to visit various beautiful places and taste the local specialties such as Chicken Adobo, Halang-Halang, Mang Inasal, Halo-Halo, Pandesal, and many more. Not only that, the buddies also always tried to make us feel welcome and comfortable. One of the most valuable experiences I got was teaching in 8th grade at SLSU Laboratory High School. Before actually teaching, I conducted class observations first to understand the teaching methods, student interactions with teachers, and activities carried out in the classroom. After that, I started doing teaching assistance, where I helped teachers with various tasks, such as compiling lesson plans, assisting learning activities, and being a judge in several student activities. I was really amazed by the learning system there which was very structured and systematic. Each teacher has a daily lesson plan that is followed with discipline. The students also seemed very enthusiastic in learning. Even though they studied from 07.00 AM to 05.00 PM, they remained enthusiastic and focused in every lesson session. The time management there was also extraordinary. Each teacher strictly adheres to the one-hour teaching time rule without reducing or exceeding it.
Before being given the opportunity to teach independently, my mentor asked me to collaborate in a teaching demo with one of my friends as a form of preparation. In the third week, I finally got the chance to teach independently in 8th grade class. I had prepared a daily lesson plan with the help of a student teacher who was assigned to accompany me. Initially, I was worried whether the students would be enthusiastic about my teaching method. However, that worry immediately disappeared when I saw their enthusiasm. They paid attention to every material I presented, actively answered questions, and happily did the assignments given. In fact, some students asked me to give more challenging assignments, something I rarely found in other schools I had visited.
I also included some literature and information about Indonesia in the lesson materials. I was very happy to see how enthusiastic they were to learn new things about my country. Some students even joked that I should teach there permanently. My closeness with the students was even more pronounced when they spontaneously sang a birthday song for me. In addition, every day they always ask to take pictures together, sometimes even disrupting the schedule of the next teacher who will teach. We can't count how many photos we take every day. Some of them also often tease me using Indonesian or Bisaya, such as "kamu sangat cantik," "haruskah saya memanggilmu ibu atau milikku?", "Ma'am, I will miss you and your beauty", "We will come to Indonesia just to see your aura" and many other jokes that make me feel appreciated and well accepted in their environment.
Not only with students, my relationship with the teachers and mentors is also very good. They always provide guidance and constructive feedback after I teach. I get a lot of motivation and direction on how I can improve my teaching skills. They really care about my development while I am there.
The opportunity to join the SEA-Teacher program at SLSU Thomas Oppus was an amazing and very valuable experience for me. There are so many things that I learned and gained, starting from new insights, new family, new friends, to unforgettable teaching experiences. This journey is not only about how I teach, but also how I learn about culture, education, and especially about the meaning of warmth and acceptance.
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