👩🏻‍🏫 Najwa's Sea-Teacher Experience in Philippines

Hello! My name is Najwa Annisa Maharani, a 3rd year student majoring in Teacher Education Early Childhood Education at Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ), Indonesia. In February 2025, I was honored to be selected as a delegate for SEA-Teacher Batch 10 program, where I conducted my international teaching practicum at Universidad de Sta. Isabel de Naga, Inc. (USI) in the Philippines. Through this blog, I would like to share my amazing and memorable experience, insight, and personal growth throughout this unforgettable journey.

📍Universidad de Sta. Isabel de Naga, Inc. (USI)

For the SEA-Teacher Batch 10 program, I had the opportunity to conduct my teaching internship at Universidad de Sta. Isabel de Naga, Inc. (USI) in the Philippines for 25 days. I was placed in the Kindergarten Faith and Pre-Kindergarten classes under the Basic Education Department (BED).

First day in USI

USI is a well-established institution with a strong Catholic foundation, known for its commitment to holistic education. The university provided complete support for the visiting delegates including accommodation on campus, nutritious meals, and internet access ensuring a smooth and enriching teaching experience. The school was very organized in preparing ID cards, coordinating teaching schedules, and conducting student observations before actual teaching began.

📗 Teaching Practicum

During my practicum, I observed and assisted in classes led by Teacher Darlene, with the support of teaching assistants Ate Rancel and Ate Apreal. I observed a highly engaging teaching style that combined storytelling, songs, hands-on learning, and a very fun physical movement.

Technology was creatively used, videos for prayer, exercise routine, learning materials, and also dance and singing practice for the Intramurals were presented through multimedia platforms. Authentic assessments included group tasks, observation checklist, and teacher feedback. The teacher environment was lively, supportive, and deeply respectful of each child's learning pace and abilities.

📚 Teaching Plan

My teaching focused on English and Mathematic for kindergarten, adapted to Philippine early childhood curriculum in USI which is MATATAG Curriculum for kindergarten. The topics that I teach for kindergarten included:

S-blend words and sentences (e.g., "snake", "smile", "shout")
Word problem subtraction using storytelling and real-life scenarios.

S-blend teaching materials

Word problem subtraction

Each lesson plan followed a consistent structure:

Warm-up activity (exercise, song and movement)
Introducing topic of learning using song and visual aids
Interactive group activity
Closing reflection and sharing

👩🏻‍🏫 Teaching Practice

I taught from the second week, delivering English on the first week and Mathematic on the second week with full support and help from the cooperating teacher Teacher Darlene and teacher's assistant Ate Apreal and Ate Rancel. The teaching strategies included:

Visual cues and gestures for language support
Positive reinforcement (verbal praise, high-five, star drawing on the worksheet)
Grouping to cater to varied ability levels.

Time management was crucial, each session lasted around 40 - 60 minutes, divided into clear phases. One highlight was a demonstration teaching session where I taught word problem subtraction. Despite the language barriers, the children's excitement and energy made every session full of joy. With positive feedback from cooperating teacher, I continuously refined my classroom techniques.

🌎 Cultural Immersion

One of the best part of this journey wasn't about teaching it also learning new culture and amazing activity. I participated in amazing cultural tour and new school event.

Weekend tours to Naga City, Basilica Penafrancia, Museo Ni Jesse Robredo, Camarines sur, Albay 🚗. These trip is planned by Ma'am Kristine our SEA-Teacher Coordinator, our buddies Ate Ericka and Johanna also joined us in these amazing trip. We went to amazing places like Albay and we visited Mayon Volcano, Cagsawa Ruins, and also Legazpi. My personal favorite place that i visited is Museo Ni Jesse Robredo it's very close to USI and we commute with public transportation like tricycle and jeepney, the museum is mesmerizing how Jesse Robredo have amazing life and gives me motivation in so many ways. The best part is how much love he had for his wife and daughters and how much love he got from other people.

Museo Ni Jesse Robredo

Camarines Sur

Albay

Mayon Volcano, Cagsawa Ruins, Legazpi

USI Grand Alumni Homecoming parade. I witness an amazing parade and street dance in the afternoon of 7th February. The parade is full with love, joy, and creative people with no age limit, this parade also show us that USI is an amazing and valuable school.

USI Intramurals Parade. On my last day in Naga City I joined the Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten in the Intramurals Parade. Before the Intramurals I also joined in teaching and preparing the children for their performance that unfortunately I can't see it in person, but the Kindergarten teacher and teacher assistant send me the video of the performance and I feel so proud with the children's performances.

Valentine's Day Celebration. Valentine is not a big celebration in Indonesia, but in the Philippines it's one of a day that you celebrate with your love one. For Valentine's Day the class have an activity to write a love letter to their parents and they also give many gifts to each other and their teachers.

Farewell Program. There are two farewell program that I attended, the first one is with the Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten and the second one is with the Cooperating Teacher and Mentor, and Final year Teacher Education students.

Farewell Program with Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten

Farewell Program with Cooperating Teacher/Mentor, and Final year Teacher Education students.

On the Farewell Program with Cooperating Teacher/Mentor, and Final year Teacher Education students, the Sea-Teacher delegation need to do a small performance of Indonesian cultural performance. My student teacher and I did the Gemu Fa Mi Re dance, this dance and song contains a message of togetherness and unity between people from different backgrounds.

📔 Summary and Suggestions

As my SEA-Teacher journey came to an end, I took time to reflect on the key accomplishments and lessons learned throughout the program. Here are some of the highlights of what I achieved during my practicum, as well as a few suggestions I believe could enhance the program for future participants:

✨Key Achievements

Taught 8 days of teaching English and Mathematic
Created multimedia learning materials
Received constructive mentorship and feedback
Built friendships and cultural understanding with Filipino peers and educators.

💡 Suggestions for the Program

Continue expanding structured evaluation tools
Enhance social media documentation to inspire future participants
Promote early outreach to increase awareness among students in home universities

🙌 Final Reflections

This program truly changes my perspective on education. Throughout the experience, I learned to embrace cultural differences with openness and respect, teach effectively in a multilingual environment, and collaborate with peers and educators from diverse national and educational backgrounds. These experiences not only enriched my teaching practice but also broadened my worldview as a future educator.

I am deeply thankful to my fellow UNJ friend Adyska for always supporting each other for 25 days. I am also deeply thankful to USI, especially Ma'am Kristine, Teacher Darlene, my buddies Ate Ericka and Johanna, teacher assistant in kindergarten Ate Apreal and Ate Rancel, and the amazing, wonderful, and smart 32 children I taught. I'm also grateful to Universitas Negeri Jakarta and Faculty of Education, and all coordinators who made this amazing journey possible. I will always carry this experience in my heart and hope to inspire more student teachers to take the same leap into global and international learning.

📷 Documentation

"It's a Beautiful Day" Morning Routine Video

Closing Ceremony with Cooperating Teacher and Mentor, and Final year Teacher Education students.

Gemu Fa Mi Re dance

Some extra documentation: