When I pushed the button of my remote control, The tube displayed some high school students striking another students in a highway. Some of them holding sickles, a strap with motorcycle gear at the end of it, and other dangerous stuffs brandished above their head. I questioned myself as a teacher "Is that the product of our education?". I pushed another button of my TV set, and again, it's reported some university students burning down their own campus after having physical crash with other students of another faculty. What's wrong with our education? Who cares! Do you?
Let's make it clearer here. If there is a question; who is responsible for our education product? then what is your answer? (Teachers, Parents, Society, or Government). If you pose the question to me as a teacher, I would say that we're all involved in this BIG DEAL. We're responsible of our own role in education system. Don't black shipping! Let's be wiser in responding this case. Have you asked your self of what your contribution is?
We're quite busy in debating our theory. We're frequently debating a trivial thing not the essence one. We often blame others without having the concrete solution of what we're talking about. Then, the flame of conflict changes into big fire as we realized that we have made mistake, and finally it's too complicated and complex to over come. Never late for having a CHANGE!
Lee Kwan Yew, Singaporean Prime Minister, firstly built his people characters in the first year of his administration. Then, in second year of his administration, he built a thousand public toilets. He asked to put a thousand wallets in which some hundred dollars were put into the wallet. The wallets were put in each toilet provided. One day later, the wallets were checked. Surprisingly, not even one of the wallet gone. The wallets were in the initial place. The second day, having been checked, It's found that a wallet was gone,but It was finally found in the Police station. What an achievement! Can you imagine if that occur here in Indonesia? Let me tell you my experience here, someone yelled to me when I stopped in an intersection that there's a traffic light. I stopped since the light said red but unfortunately a boy in white and blue uniform behind me wanted to break through the red traffic light, which actually means STOP. What's wrong with us?
Let's talk more about the regulation. I think that you're quite familiar with the issue of Character Building in our education. UU No. 20/2003 about National Education System (Sisdiknas) stated the goal of our education clearly. It's not simply about knowledge but also moral attitude. Unfortunately, we just build the brain not the heart, as a matter of fact, we can see how a child, who is in school age, having a homework and then his/her parents do it. At school, how could the teacher comes late (without reasonable excuses)and asks the students to be discipline and on time instead. So what?
Character building is integrated in each subject of lesson. It's taught through good habit. Making the learner to be accustom with discipline (being on time, doing homework or assignment etc.), with team work, with being respectful, with being care, with being sympathetic and so many positive characters of human being are deadly more important than just numbers, chemical reaction, or momentum.
Let me elaborate my writing here in my part of teacher. I want to give ample opportunity for us to think for better ideas. Build the students' character is a process even long process and integrated in some aspect of life. Building "animate thing" is not as easy as building a big house. It should be a good figure to execute this process. The teacher or parents should be an inspirational figure for the learners/children to learn how should behave and what to do. Teaching by doing. They need visual description of how they should be. If the words don't get along with the behavior then it must be a breaking point of the learning process itself. So, Grow up! Be Wise!
As a teacher, don't try to underestimate the students' learning attitude in the teaching learning process. We have to give quite enough time to give them more exposure of their character building for instances; start the lesson with a morning prayer and end the study with prayer as well (be faithful), facilitate them to present their works in front of the class (be courageous), get them to accustom with being on time coming to your class (be discipline), control their obedience of the school rule (be emphatic), make them work in a team (cooperation), don't make them try to cheat (be honest), make them pay attention to anybody who is speaking/explaining (be respectful) and so forth. I think you're better in this turn.
Building the students' character is a long process of good habit. We have to build their good character starting from their home, then their school, their society, and of course must be supported by the political will of the government in regulations. The three parties of the stakeholders of education (teachers, parents, and government) should work together hand in hand to make them aware of the real goal of education. Sometimes, I experienced myself that parents don't get involved in learning process. They signed the paper works of their children but never asking what is going there during the lesson or asking what the problem comes into their study. Learning seems to be teachers' responsibility but not parents. Parents come to school just if their children are in case of breaking the rule of the school. And mostly branded that if there is an invitation from the school, it must be asked for donation.
In addition, the education matter has been thrown into a political business. The regent or governor broadly used the term "Pendidikan Gratis". The big question then is; what is meant by FREE OF CHARGE here? The word free actually refers to free of monthly tuition since the local government subsides the budget to school. Unfortunately, public translate it into different lexical term. It means that free is free of EVERYTHING. Then, The school has to think hard to manage the limited budget for carrying out of the teaching learning process and so forth. Some people say that with or without money, education should be done as good as possible. Are you with those people? How poor!
It's too complex if we talk about our education system. The problem is not merely talking about how to teach and how children of school age get better education for better future but it's all about many things. This big deal should be solved together hand in hand among the school, parents, and the society in which the students live in. Stick together! Learning is changing to be better. Learning is a process in a span of time which out put is sometimes out of our expectation. Be patient and do your best action!
