SMK 6 Students

Consider this entry a sort of "photo diary" of what the students do at SMK 6 here in Yogyakarta. As I've mentioned before, SMK 6 is a public vocational high school where the students focus on Beauty, Hotel Accomodation, Tourism and Travel, Food Preparation, and Clothing Design. For a cultural comparison, it is like majoring in something at college except these students are already mastering their skills at the high school level. They take their own specialized classes for their program of study along with the basic classes all high school students must take such as math, english, music, and others. The students take an average of 13-14 different subjects every semester, so there is a lot to master. I'm always impressed with how much work they do and how many different courses they manage to digest at once. Admittedly there are some classes where the students seem to be more attentive than in others, but they always manage to have fun and they make my day everyday. Someone will say something unexpected or do something I didn't know they were capable of. When put in challenging situations, namely in English class, they always come up with an answer or manage to speak in English (whether they thought they could or not), even if it takes some prying or help from friends. They truly inspire me to strive and grow throughout my own experiences just as I watch them strive and grow everyday in SMK 6.

Beauty students give facials in a practice lab

The Beauty students focus on hairstyling and also on skin care. They cut, style, and dye hair as well as learn how to perform facials and other skin care remedies.

Food students get hands-on practice

The food students can make anything from Indonesian food to Continental food to delicious pastries. It is a real treat when they walk around selling their finished products and I am easily persuaded into treating myself to at least a few chocolates or cakes.

Hotel accomodation students practice their skills in the school's hotel next door

The school has fully functional hotel located right next door where students practice their hotel accomodation skills. The hotel serves as a place where the students can get real life experience in their job field.

A volleyball game in the courtyard for some physical exercise

Students get their physical exercise in the equivalent of our "gym class" where they do aerobics, cardio workouts and play sports such as soccer and volleyball.

Students study music with Bu Endah

Students play recorders and other instruments in the very talented Bu Endah's music class. They play traditional Indonesian songs as well as classical favorites.



Students play "Fruit Bowl" in Miss Demi's English class

In my English class we focus mainly on activities to get the students speaking. They are quite familiar and even good at writing and reading in English but are very shy when it comes to speaking because they generally have no one to speak with in English. That's what I am for!

More Fruit Bowl fun

Here the students enjoy playing "Fruit Bowl," probably their favorite game so far (thank you Mr. Brett McNeil for the idea). The students put their desks in a circle and become one of three types of fruit. When I yell "BANANA!" all of the bananas must move to another chair. At this point I sneak in and steal a chair. The person who gets left in the middle (as we will then be short one chair) must answer a question in English, give someone a compliment in English, or whatever it is we are working on that particular day. When someone yells "FRUIT BOWL!" then everybody moves, and chaos ensues as the students laugh, scream, slip, collide, and occasionally rip off jilbabs in an effort to not be the one left standing in the middle.

Just hanging out between classes

Some students relax and chat on the stairs in between their classes. The student at the top is my American Slang Prodigy, Fasya. Most students in the halls greet me with "Hello Miss, good morning," but to Fasya I will say "What's up, girl?" and she will respond, "Just chillin' dude, how about you?"



SMK 6 students on a field trip to the museum

Students sometimes take trips to local museums or other areas of interest to learn about local history or to practice and improve their Tourism and Travel knowledge. 


Another fruit bowl victim must stand up and answer questions in English in front of the class. They always make a big deal out of this but you can tell by their smiles they not-so-secretly enjoy it!

Clothing students work on a project

The clothing students can design and make anything from toddlers' clothes to business suits to elegant dresses. They draw, design, cut and sew all of the material themselves and can also make batik.