Purposes of Practicum 


One word to describe this teaching practicum program is wonderful. I’m super thankful. In the past years during my freshman, sophomore, and junior years, I only could listen to the story, but now, I got the chance to really experience this opportunity. I actually have been dreaming of becoming a teacher since I was really young. I adore all of my teachers back then in my high school time. Even more, I also adore all of my lecturers at the university. They are all genuine and sincere. In that September, I felt that I became one of them. 

Being an educator is a noble job. It’s actually more than a job. For me, it is a calling. Teaching is also not easy. There are many things to do beyond the classroom. To become a teacher is also not easy. There is a long process to get there. However, the society still tends to look down on teachers. The society often takes this profession for granted. 

In my country, most of the teachers are still underpaid. Often times, I heard the story of teachers who only get around IDR 500.000-2.000.000 per month (US$35-141). It is so sad to listen to this story. They even cannot afford a proper life. As I experienced myself of being an English tutor (my part time job), I usually only could gather a small amount. And I’m still a student and I have to study, to buy books, to pay bills, to support my family and to eat nutritious food. I believe, even the condition is like this, things will get better. I will try to keep writing, advocating and campaigning so I really hope for a better society that respects its teachers. 

Back to the topic, this practicum meets my needs of becoming a teacher. It is written on the web that this program has four objectives. The objectives are: 
1. To enable pre-service student teachers to develop their teaching skills and pedagogy 
2. To encourage the pre-service student teachers to practice their English skills 
3. To allow the pre-service student teachers to gain a broader regional and world view 
4. To expose future teachers to diverse teaching and learning situations and opportunities, and the value of flexibility 

I personally reflect and think that I was able to meet and achieve these four objectives. During the program, I researched and practiced a lot. I believe reading is not enough. I truly need the training grounds. The key is on practicing. By reading, we understand the concepts. However, with practicing, we put the concepts into the application. 

Teaching skills are many and quite hard to be mastered. To be a good teacher, one must possess good teaching skills. One must have good confidence and able to communicate and collaborate well with the students. One must be able to be creative and also be assertive. 

I am really bad at public speaking, to be honest. I have also lacked confidence or inferiority. It’s very hard for me to express myself. It’s very difficult to express what’s in my mind through utterances. And there are no other ways for me except that I have to face this fear. I ever read somewhere, the more we practice, then we will eventually be able to do it. 

Experiencing SEA-Teacher program for me is one of the blessings in life. I have challenged all of my fears, and I made it. I did all the teaching practice, the lesson plan-making and also its revisions. Aside from that, I also experienced many unforgettable moments with fellow student teachers, mentor, coordinator, and Filipino friends. Most importantly, I also gained more knowledge and insights about the Philippines culture and tradition. I often find myself truly mesmerized when visiting new places, meeting new people, tasting the local food, saw their beautiful song or dance and eventually to learn about it. 

Once again, this program is truly wonderful. It is super helpful to develop the quality of the student teachers across ASEAN. These student teachers soon will be the teachers of ASEAN. I believe good teachers will lead to good nations with good prosperity where no one left behind. Countries where everyone is treated well and can live properly and happily. 


1.1 Purposes of Practicum