Ms. Acharaporn Buangam—fondly known as Yooyee—graciously embraced a local Javanese nickname during her stay in Yogyakarta: Mbak Yayuk, with mbak being a respectful term for an older sister. The gesture reflects her openness to cultural exchange, a quality that has marked her short but impactful teaching career.

Currently in her second year as an English teacher at an all-girls school, St. Joseph Upatham School in Thailand, alongside her colleague Ms. Puy, Yooyee brings both linguistic fluency and pedagogical commitment into her classroom. Although her undergraduate degree was in English (not specifically English Education), her proficiency in the language is evident. At her school, she teaches students across Grades 7 to 11. Alongside her teaching responsibilities, she has begun pursuing a Teacher Certification Program at Thonburi University, dedicating her weekends to professional development.

What stands out most about Teacher Yooyee—echoing the strengths of her colleague Teacher Puy—is her pedagogical creativity. This was particularly evident during her teaching practicum at Stella Duce I Senior High School in Yogyakarta. Ayu Rizky, a student buddy who accompanied the Thai teachers during their program, described this creativity as exceptional.

Ayu’s perspective is informed by her own experience. A year earlier, she had participated in a teaching practicum at the same school in Thailand. Reflecting on her classroom observations there, she noted a recurring pattern:

“All teachers relied heavily on textbooks. English learning was reduced to grammar and form. Students followed vocabulary and pronunciation drills. They were rarely encouraged to express their own ideas.”



In contrast, during her two teaching sessions at Stella Duce I, Teacher Yooyee demonstrated what could be described as unprecedented creativity. She implemented a gamified learning activity where students were divided into two groups and tasked with guessing the names of cities and tourist destinations in Thailand. However, the scoring mechanism introduced an element of unpredictability: instead of simply counting correct answers, students had to decide whether to “keep” or “give” their points. This decision-making element, governed by an unpredictable algorithm, added excitement and strategic thinking—correct answers did not always guarantee victory.

Beyond classroom innovation, Yooyee found the broader learning environment at Sanata Dharma University deeply engaging.

“The students here are very enthusiastic and energetic. I feel very happy being here—it almost makes me not want to return to Thailand,” she shared.

While her stay—less than three weeks—may still fall within what is often called the “honeymoon phase” of intercultural immersion, her reflections suggest something more substantive. She observed a striking difference in relational dynamics between educators and students:

“Both lecturers and teachers here are humble, friendly, and polite. More importantly, they truly act as facilitators of learning. I especially admire the way Ms. Carla teaches—she is very patient, more like a mentor, and never creates pressure.”

For Yooyee, meaningful learning extended beyond relationships into conceptual clarity.

“In my certification program, I study topics like curriculum design, learning objectives, and lesson planning. But I often struggled to fully understand them. Here, when those concepts were discussed in class and immediately applied in creating lesson plans, everything finally made sense.”

Despite the richness of the experience, she feels its duration has been too short.

“I hope I can return here one day, perhaps to pursue a Master’s in English Education at Sanata Dharma University. From this experience, I truly believe this is the best place for me to continue my studies.”

Markus Budiraharjo, Head of the Master’s Program in English Language Education (MPBI), affirmed the university’s openness to international students:

“MPBI warmly welcomes anyone eager to learn. You can explore opportunities through the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship. So far, we have had recipients from Rwanda and Pakistan. Thailand is among the 100 countries eligible for this scholarship.”



Teacher Yooyee’s journey, though brief, offers a compelling glimpse into the transformative potential of cross-cultural teacher development—where creativity, reflection, and authentic engagement converge to reshape educational practice.