In Indonesia, English has a position as a foreign language, in addition to the
first and second languages that most of the Indonesians have. Meanwhile, we live
in an era of globalization where English is important to master to adapt to the times.
Now, however, the government has enacted a regulation to eliminate compulsory
English courses at the elementary school level. This contradicts the statement that
English should be taught from the early phase of education. The researcher in this
study focused on how the teachers were prepared and the challenges faced by
schools implementing English at the primary school level. This study used narrative
inquiry research method and interactive model as data analysis method. Based on
the research findings, the first preparation made by teachers is to equip themselves
with an educational background that is in accordance with the teaching field,
determine materials and methods that suit the needs of students, ensure students are
ready before learning, and apply several ways to arouse students' learning
motivation. The challenges generally faced by teachers are the short attention span
of students, the presence of students with language anxiety and different
backgrounds, and the lack of facilities that support an effective teaching and
learning process in the classroom