Ana Surjanto

Boyolali, Indonesia

Hello from Indonesia, my name is Ana Surjanto. I live in Boyolali, Central Java Province. I completed my master’s degree at Monash University majoring TESOL in 2018 with a LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund) Scholarship from the Indonesian Government. Since returning from Melbourne, I have been working as a lecturer at the University of IAIN Salatiga, Central Java.

Besides teaching English, I am passionate about women’s empowerment. I have been running a football coaching clinic in Salatiga city teaching Aussie Rules Football (AFL) to teenage girls and women. This program was recognised by the Alumni Grant Scheme (AGS) 2019 Round 1 by Australia Awards Indonesia. I would love to continue the footy clinics this year, however the world has changed dramatically.

People around the world now are facing the COVID-19 pandemic and this has affected my teaching style and method. This situation forced me as an educator to embrace technology  because the schools and universities are closed and we must work from home.

At the beginning, I felt stressed because I am the type of teacher who loves being face to face with my students. Then, I had to start adapting by teaching using Zoom and Google Meet. I started to enjoy using these and combining them with other applications such as YouTube and WhatsApp. So, yeah, these all work well now. I can coordinate my class with WhatsApp's group, using Google Meet for video classes, then sometimes give my students assignments to be uploaded on their YouTube channels.

This ‘COVID time’ has given me time to reflect on things. Although my footy clinics cannot be translated into technology, I believe I still can do something. Now, I produce videos for my YouTube channel about playing footy and have developed a website, santrioz.id

Lastly, I am grateful that I am healthy and spend more time with my Mum at home. Besides, I still can be productive. I am also sharing my experiences living abroad with young Indonesians through organisations such as Mata Garuda Jawa Tengah, Kasadma and Akuntansi Anak Indonesians.

Stay safe and strong everyone! Together we can overcome!

Photo: My online teaching and sharing session.