Stories of a Filipino Pre-service Teacher in Kendari, Indonesia
Welcome to my Transformative Teaching Journey, an e-portfolio dedicated to sharing my experiences, learnings, and reflections from my teaching internship in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It includes documentation, host school information, and my undertakings as a SEA Teacher fellow. This website not only encapsulates my observations and the lessons I delivered but also the insights, challenges, and the personal and professional growth I gained during the program.
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Program: SEA Teacher Batch 11
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Host University: Universitas Halu Oleo
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Cooperating School: Madrasah Aliyah Negeri 1
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Duration: April 5 – May 2, 2026
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Country: Indonesia
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Field: English Education
Brief Overview
About me
Hi! My name is Manuel Escalante Banawa Jr, a fourth-year pre-service teacher from Camarines Norte State College. I chose Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English because of my love for teaching and my fascination with the English language.
When I was in elementary, I used to be a low-performing student, I was often at the bottom of the class ranking because I never really prioritized my studies. There was even a time that I got transferred to a lower section because I missed an assignment in English.
But everything changed when I became the top of the class in high school. Nobody could believe that I made it, even myself. The experience became a turning point in my life. I took it as an opportunity to grow, improve, and redefine what I am and what I wanted to become. Since then, I have been a consistent honor student up to the present.
Who would have thought that a once low-performing student would one day become a SEA teacher fellow in Indonesia? It's quite comical how life beautifully changes a person with just one significant moment.
Mastery comes in the passage of time. Some students take time before they bloom.
My Personal Teaching Philosophy After Joining The SEA Teacher Program
Eclectic Educator
Beliefs in teaching and learning
My personal teaching philosophy is called Eclecticism. It is the belief that no single philosophy can address the diverse needs of all learners, so I draw from various approaches depending on what is most appropriate for the situation. Eclecticism values flexibility and balance, using essentialist discipline when mastery is needed, progressivist and constructivist strategies for active, experiential learning, and even behaviorist methods to reinforce positive habits. In this philosophy, no single belief and method of teaching dominates, instead, the learner’s context and development phase determines the best path. In essence, Eclecticism means that being a good teacher is not about adhering to one ideology but being responsive to learners’ individual needs and contexts.
As a SEA teacher, I firmly believe that teaching is most effective when it is planned, and students are given many opportunities to experience and apply their learnings. This implies that teachers should carefully consider the appropriate learning objectives, teaching approaches and methods, and assessment tools to ensure that learners are guided toward the right path, with their skills nurtured and their needs addressed. Additionally, teaching is effective when it is supportive to student learning; allowing learners to commit mistake, encouraging them to try, and making the learning environment a safe and conducive place to learn. At the same time, I believe that learning is transformative when learners are motivated and able to see the practical value of what is being taught. Students tend to learn more when the lesson and how it is delivered are contextually relevant, engaging, and multidisciplinary. This is because they are able to form connections between ideas, relate real-world situations, and reflect on their personal experiences. Most importantly, language and cultural barriers are nothing if the teacher really has the passion to teach and make an impact.
