SEA Teacher Program

How and Why I joined this Project!

According to the SEAMEO Secretariat, the SEA Teacher Project, also known as the "Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia," is dedicated to fostering invaluable teaching experiences for pre-service student teachers from various universities in Southeast Asia.

On top of that, SEAMEO encourages fourth-year students majoring in mathematics, science, English, and pre-school education to join in this project. And, throughout the one-month program, the students will be able to experience various roles and responsibilities on a weekly basis. They will have the chance to observe, assist in teaching, independently lead lessons, and reflect on their personal development. Throughout the entire practicum, the host universities will assign dedicated mentors to provide guidance and support, ensuring that each student enjoys a valuable and effective learning experience.

In our case, FEU Roosevelt Cainta chose three participants, namely Jezysaint Ruth T. Del Socorro (English Major), Hannah Ysabel Natividad (English Major), and Adrielle Valencia (Social Science Major), to join this program. We were chosen through evaluation. Our program chair, Ms. Dena Culaba, asked our professors to evaluate our performance in school, and luckily we received great feedback; hence, they recommended us to join this program. Our school was partnered with Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), and before we left the school for our flight to Jakarta, the three of us were able to meet three students from UPI who are also part of this program.

FEU Roosevelt is a private school in Cainta, Rizal, Philippines, that offers basic and tertiary education. It is part of the FEU Group of Schools, which is a network of schools in the Philippines. FEU Roosevelt provides high-quality education that is affordable and meets the needs of the community. Its goal is to produce graduates who are competitive in the global market and embody the core values of strength, excellence, and integrity.

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) is a university in Bandung, Indonesia, that was founded in 1954. It has many campuses, including the main campus in Bandung and others in Cibiru, Tasikmalaya, Sumedang, Purwakarta, and Serang. UPI is always trying to improve, not only in academics but also in other areas, such as developing new ideas and plans. With the help of the Islamic Development Bank, UPI built a new, beautiful campus to support teaching and learning.

To be honest, I only heard the words "exchange program" and "exchange student" from watching telenovelas, movies, or even a few vlogs on Youtube, and I was so curious about how it felt to be part of an exchange program. That's why, when the opportunity flashed right through me, I instantly wanted to grab it and experience the life of an exchange student from the Philippines. I know that this opportunity is a great advantage for me because of the knowledge I will gain and keep for the rest of my life.