Samford University Major of Education?s Student Visit

Hannah Illges, Lindsey Hancock, Gio A. Prayitno (Section Head of Global Partnerships & Expatriate Relations), Harper Parkey and Lynn Putnam

Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) received a visit from students of Education Major in Samford University on January 15 to 23, 2015. This visit was a Clinical Placement program or Cross Cultural Practicum, where students majoring in education at Samford University were given the opportunity to fill their time off with study abroad activities.

Four students majoring in education from Samford University consisting of Hannah Illges, Harper Parkey, Lindsey Hancock, and Lynn Putnam, got the opportunity to perform a Clinical Placement in Indonesia. They were accompanied by Mrs. Jeanna Westmoreland, Samford University’s first lady.

Delegates from Samford University had the opportunity to visit and teach in Indonesian schools, particularly schools under Yayasan Pendidikan Pelita Harapan (YPPH). On the other hand, the students were also able to learn the culture of schools in Indonesia and see the difference compared with the schools in America.

Interview session with the delegation of Samford University at UPH ITC Lounge

These delegations had the opportunity to teach in Sekolah Lentera Harapan (SLH), Sekolah Dian Harapan (SDH) and Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH). Direct teaching experience in the classroom and interacting with the students were very memorable and those experiences were actually a first, particularly for Lynn and Lindsey.   “For me, the experience of teaching at Sekolah Lentera Harapan was the most memorable experience I have here. I have never had the opportunity to teach directly in schools in America. But here I can teach directly, see the reactions of the students and interact with them. So my first experience of teaching is in Indonesia,” said Lynn.

Lindsey also expressed the same excitement. She was very pleased to see the enthusiasm of the students, especially when teaching at Sekolah Lentera Harapan.

In addition to the opportunity to teach in schools, they were also invited to spend their holidays in the city of Bandung and visit some interesting tourist attractions. The four students felt very happy throughout their days in Indonesia. Most of them have just visited countries in Asia for the very first time and were very impressed with the friendliness of the people. (ca)

Testimony:

“I really like going to Bandung. There, we were taken to a hot water bath, we picked and ate strawberries, and we also played angklung. For the teaching experience, I love teaching at Sekolah Lentera Harapan the most. They were very joyful and happy to see us. They look happy even though they come from families in need. I can see the love of God from them. It was a really valuable experience for me “   Harper Parkey

“Chapel was the most memorable thing for me. The songs sung were familiar. And the most interesting thing is that I saw a lot of kids our age were present and they praised God in this Chapel. The sermon was delivered in two languages, where a translator was present to translate all messages from the sermon. That was a valuable experience that made me realize that no matter how great I am struggling with the language barrier, we must remember that God is far greater than the language barrier. In this Chapel, we can listen to the God’s Word together, and we listen to the same thing even though in a different language. “   Hannah Illges