#vacationproject

That was not an ordinary project.  Neither ordinary vacation.  Everyday was a learning processs.  I found something new.  I found that even in the same island, in the same country what people believe and thought could really opposite with what we believe and thought.  I’m struggling to keep what I believe.  I always asking myself am I wrong?  I’m struggling to find what am I and who am I. 

Every people have different personality, different attitude, different frame of refrence and different frame of experience.  Live has been thought us how to deal with those kind of differences.  We just need our heart and brain to figure out. 

For 24 years, I’ve been lived in different city.  Because of my father’s work, my family have to moved from city to city.  I’ve lived in Lampung, Jakarta, and Semarang.  After that I spent 5 years in Yogyakarta to studied.  From what I felt, what I saw, what I heard and my interaction with people, I found that there is very big differences between javanese people and sundanese people.  To avoid misunderstanding, I’ll say that there is very big difference between people in Central Java (place I grew up) and Banten (place I born).  Two region I know so far.    

I grew up in very competitive environment.  From elementary until my college day.  I found people around me always trying to compete to achieve the best, ofcourse in positive vibe.  For example, everyone tried to compete to get accepted in prestigious school so they could got better education.  Because prestigious mean quality.  So…what we do to get accepted in that prestigious school.  We study hard.  We made group study.  We paid for tutorial study.  We bought many kind of books.  This competitive athmosphere made us think that withouth hardworking we can’t achieve the best.  Being the best mean better oppurtunity.  Being the best mean better future.  I think most of javanese people think that education  is one of the way to get better future. 

While I was on my holiday plus doing my project, I found that people there never think that education is important.  They didn’t think that education is important but they do think that academic title is important.  You must be confuse now.  How come you think that education is not important but academic title is important?  Everybody just think how to get academic title but they ignore the value of education.  Some of them get their academic title with money.  Having college degree is for prestigious reason. 

I found that almost all parents there never have vision for their children education.  For example, one day I asked to all of my students,” did your parents accompany you study? Or did your parents ever ask you about your school?” Almost all of them say ,”No.”  I talked to every teacher there, and all of them give me the same answer, “Parents here think that education is school job.  Parents never ask their children about their school, what their difficulties in school, or how is their grade?”. 

While parents refuse to invoved in their children academic process, the teachers are part of the problems.  From three school that I attended.  All of the teachers have loyality problems.  Loyality to the job as teacher.  Teacher have responsibility to shape someone perspective of life and responsible for their student future.  Teacher show students the world, path they have choose or avoid.  Well, I think a part of someone future is in the hand of teacher.  Unfortunately, most of the teacher here don’t know the concept of responsibility for someone future.  Most of them neglected the fact that they are a teacher and being a model for their students. 

 They casually came late.  Smoking in front of the students.  Skipping class with no reason.  Everyday, I found some empty class because the teachers are absent.  Some of them skip class just to chat with another teacher in teacher’s office.  My cousin and uncle whom happen to be teacher in elementary school told me, the teachers there really like chatting and gossiping.  Sometimes they skipped class just to chat and walking about someone else.  And I found that myself when I visited the schools.  They have really severe problems with discipline and loyality.  They don’t have vision in their teaching process.  Lack creativity, they ignore students difficulties, and lazy. 

The teachers attitude affected students attitude.  Students there accustomed to empty class, so their brain never get enough nutrition.  It affected their competitive spirit.  They prefered not to do their homework and got a punishment.  They prefered physical punishment than memorize six lines of English vocabulary.  They don’t know how to tell their dificulties because the teachers never taught them how to do so.  The teachers never ask students difficulties because they too lazy to solve the problems. 

Knowing this problem, I always asked the students “Have you understand?” “Which part you don’t understand?”,   “Should I repeat it from the start and explain it more slowly?”.  Because of their passive attitud, I tried my best to help them to gain more confodent to ask and told their difficulties.  I courage them to told me and told their teacher about their difficulties.  Slowly they open their heart and wanting to tell me about their difficulties.  It was though process.  Sometimes I lost my patient and angry to them.  (I’m sorry kids T.T). 

Honestly, I were really lost the moment I faced so many problems there.  I often angry to myself and didn’t know what to do.  I know that me never can change anything in just one month.  So I decide, I can take a little step better than nothing.  My priority was the students.  I ignored the teachers.  I mean, I weren’t ignored them literally.  I ignored their behaviour.  It was really exhausting for me.  To know what is wrong but can do nothing.   What I did were just try my best to give the students the good example of a teacher or an adult.  I came to school on time.  I came to class right after the bell ring.  I came out the class right after the bell rang.  I discussed about discipline, work hard, future, being a good adult, time management, how beautiful the rowld outside, and how challenging is growing up.   At least I talked to them.  I tried to open their heart by talking.  I believe that talking each other’s heart will open our heart and mind.