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Behind the Lessons
I was in my last semester of college in the Japanese Department at the Faculty of Letters when a friend founded a learning center to help high school students with their studies. There were classes in math, physics, biology, chemistry, Mandarin, and English. She offered me the position of English teacher. I happily accepted because I needed to support myself while my dad was ill. My tuition was actually very low, as it was at most public universities in the country. What cost much more was the rent for my room. I was thrilled to receive my first paycheck as an English teacher. The numbers exceeded my semester’s tuition! Who says being a teacher is a sad job? I laughed.
However, the start wasn’t that easy at all. The fact that English was the very first language I learned as a human being didn’t make me dash through the starting line. I stared at my students’ homework. I knew the answers to all the questions there, but I couldn’t explain why they were correct. One thing was certain: I wasn’t being paid to do their homework.
The lucky part was that both my parents were English teachers. Mom was more like me. She can tell the difference between left and right, but cannot explain why the index finger didn’t become the middle finger. Dad was more of a logical thinker. Feelings should be explained through logic–except when it’s called faith. He had a collection of English grammar books, and I brought some of them with me to Bandung. “I’m glad and proud these books can help you as an English teacher,” he said. “But never, ever lend them to anyone. They’re my treasures.”
For a while, my students and I learned English together—but in opposite directions. My students learned how to make the right answers for their homework. I learned how to explain the right answers and why they were right. Eventually, I found English a challenging and interesting subject to teach. English became the first language I learned, and the first language I taught.
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An Hour in English
Think in English. Speak at your own pace.
Practice your English-speaking skills while receiving feedback.
30 min – Regular English Conversation Practice
A lesson pack of 5 lessons.
Build confidence through discussion and real-life role-play!
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