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Hello everyone! My name is Kevin. I have been a teacher at English First Tanjung Duren since December 2018. Next month marks the end of my second year and I’ll be starting my third year! It has been a wonderful journey so far. I have enjoyed every single moment I have with both my colleagues and students. As my manager has kept on saying to my team, I do have the best team in the world!
My hometown is Jakarta, Indonesia. When I was 18, I moved to the States to pursue my college degree. I started off pursuing my Associate’s Degree in a small city in Washington State called Port Angeles. I loved it there. I stayed there for about one and a half years. Then, I went to the University of Southern California to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. I graduated in 2014 and I have been on so many different career paths ever since!
What is your biggest achievement?
I’m a person who appreciates a lot of things in my life! What may seem like not a big deal for someone else might be my biggest achievement. In my honest opinion, I am really proud of how far I have come so far. I wouldn’t have thought of being a teacher in my life. Little did I know that I could find so much joy and blessing in everything I do as a teacher. Yes, we do get tired quite often, but the feeling we get from students showing that what we have taught them is the best kind of feeling in the world. If we’re talking about an overall achievement, one thing that I would like to brag a lot is that I used to be a professional choir singer when I was in Los Angeles. I got a lot of gigs and was a part of many different professional groups. One of the biggest achievements I got was being able to sing in Dolby Theater for an opening of a famous video game that I adore so much. During the moment I had there, I spent much time being in awe of being able to share the stage with so many talented people from all over the world and also to be able to just be on that stage where The Academy Awards, Oscars, and a lot of important events had taken place! I thank God every time I remember that experience! It might be a once in a lifetime experience for me, but that’s fine! It made me feel competent as a person and that I could motivate each one of my students that nothing is impossible. We just have to work hard and take every opportunity we get in life.
My Experience with English
I can’t recall my first time learning English. English has always been a part of me since I was little. However, the turning point for me was when I decided to go to the States to pursue my higher education. I told my parents and everyone around me that I would like to go to some place where I would speak English all the time. Then, I made it happen! I barely used Indonesian during my time there. Only when I was talking to my parents, family members and probably a few Indonesian friends I had there did I use my native language. I have always been passionate about languages. Therefore, my ultimate purpose of being in the States was to be fully immersed into English language and American culture. When I returned to Indonesia, I was thinking to myself, what better way it is for me to utilize what I have gained so far in life than teaching English! My passion goes over everything else in life. I believe that if I work based on where my passion is, I would be both happy and feeling productive! Guess what, I am both happy and feeling productive. I am making use of one of the talents given to me as a human being. I can’t be more satisfied than that.
What is your teaching style?
I love EF’s way of making learning fun! That is essentially it! I have always enjoyed learning. I can say something different about tests or graded projects… but I have always loved learning everything in life. I dream of spending my retirement years learning astronomy when I get old (we’ll see if that’s going to happen). Basically, I would like to be an advocate of everyone loving to learn. It doesn’t matter what you’re learning. I believe that everyone can enjoy learning. If they haven’t, that means they haven’t found what it is they enjoy learning yet. We can learn from anything. Learning is not bound to schools, courses, or exams. It can be from life, experience and fun things. Those are what I would like to bring to my classes. I have seen a lot of conventional ways of teaching in Indonesia. I think being at EF allows me to explore more creative ways of teaching. How can I make my classes more fun? I would like my students to enjoy being in class and learn by doing all sorts of activities I bring in the classroom. I also enjoy sharing my life experience in learning English to all my students. Grammar, reading and all the other skills are equally as important but will only be effectively taught if the students have found the fun in learning them. I can spend 4 hours talking about grammar because I love it. But, if my students are not interested, they wouldn’t even get a thing from it. What’s the point? Therefore, my priority is always to get everyone engaged first!
How has the pandemic changed your teaching style?
It really hasn’t changed that much to be honest. Our ways of communicating have changed for sure. But, my mindset is the same. I have spent the same amount of time lesson planning for every class I have. I tailor my lessons towards the class’ and individual’s needs. If anything, I have used the opportunity of having the Online Premium Class as a chance for me to get more individual interactions with every student in the class. That has proven to be true. Getting students to be engaged is quite difficult due to them being in their own house instead of a physical classroom. But, that hasn’t been too much of a challenge for me since most of my students are always looking forward to our EF classes. I get even more motivated when the students are excited to see me first! What makes me happier is that I get to see parents being involved in their kids’ education. I think that is an effective way for kids to learn, by being supported by their parents as well.
What tips can you give to those who want to improve their English?
It would be a cliché if I said “practice, practice, practice.” I’d like to give my own version for this. Immerse. Language is fluid and it keeps changing all the time, even as we are speaking. One of the best ways for us to be better at any language we want to be better at is by immersing ourselves into the environment itself. Whether it be through watching movies, listening to music, finding a community that speaks the language. It doesn’t matter. I have many international friends. One thing that we have in common when we know that we finally are comfortable with using the language in conversation is when we dream in that language. I remember I started dreaming in English when I was in my first few months being in the States. It didn’t take long. But, it took a way of thinking, a habit of using the language to process things in order for that to happen. So, perhaps, try your best to immerse until you can start thinking in that language (or dreaming in it if you can).
What can everyone learn from me?
I am a hardworker and a persistent person. Don’t ever give up! There will be many obstacles you face, if you haven’t already. You know the saying “life will find a way?” That works for everything in life. By having faith in this principle, you can go far in life. I have tried so many things in life: being a salesperson, accountant, film editor, singer, and finally an English teacher. I do not regret everything that I had become. I adore it. Whenever I’m working in any place, I always try my best to use the best trait of me so that I can perform well in my job. How can I use my previous skills in my current job? What do I have to adapt to? Don’t waste everything you have learned. Use your existing skills in any setting you’re given. There must be a reason why you were given those skills in the first place. Don’t be afraid to try to use them wherever and whenever you are.
Thank you EF family!!
