Despite the declining number of Indonesian language students in Australia, this Indonesian-born teacher has not lost her passion for teaching the language and culture in Perth.
Dian Wijayanti has been teaching Indonesian in Australia for 10 years. She is now an Indonesian language teacher at Tranby College in Baldivis, Western Australia. Before moving to Australia, Wijayanti also taught Indonesian and English in Indonesia.
For Wijayanti, teaching is not just a profession but a calling. There is a unique sense of fulfilment every time she sees her students use the language skills she has taught them, Wijayanti said.
In the classroom, Wijayanti goes beyond vocabulary and grammar. She gets her students to cook Indonesian food, try traditional games, and communicate directly with students in Indonesia through a sister school programme, she said.
One of her students, Zoe Farrell, is a Year 12 student at Tranby College who has been studying Indonesian for 12 years. Farrell is a recipient of the Indonesian Student Award, a prize from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth recognising students who excel in the Indonesian language. Farrell said she wanted to continue improving her Indonesian skills and hoped to pursue the language at university.
Awards like this help motivate students to keep learning, Wijayanti said.
Despite the declining number of Indonesian language students in Australia, Wijayanti believes Indonesian remains important for the relationship between the two countries, not only at the government level but also between communities, Wijayanti said.
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