Don't Judge The Students from Their Pimples

Talking about challenge, obstacle, or problem in term of Teaching Learning Process (TLP) will never end. It emerges from the whole sides of direction. It is affected by the stake holders of education namely; students, teachers/school, parents/society, government. The most first answer raising when I ask my fellow English teachers about their problems of teaching English as Second Language, or actually in Indonesia is the Third/Foreign Language, is that: "MY STUDENTS ARE POOR IN ENGLISH BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE GOOD MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH". What's about you?

The answer above was definitely MINE as well. I used to believe that it was my students that have no ample motivation in learning English. They found that English is such an Alien language. The words and how to pronounce them is totally different with how Bahasa Indonesia spelling and pronunciation are. I thought that the students should find their own objectives of mastering English in order to have the benefit of learning English itself that I formerly believed will drive them to get their own courage and curiousness of English. They are supposed to realize that English is deadly important for their future, English is the key of the world, If you want to hold the world on your hand, then you must master English, and so forth. The saying was and is still totally good and I find that there's nothing wrong with the all saying above BUT the context itself that is inappropriate. It sounds like blaming all the "sin" to students. What a poor student!

Once, as I stated the answer to a friend of mine, then, he posed a question back. "Have you made a research of your finding(which is actually just an assumption)?" he asked. I blushed "How dare I am of saying so!" I yelled out silently. I fell in the depth of my reflection. Questioning all the excuses that I used to make them for excusing my failure. Eventually, I realized that I had judged something from its surface look as if it's such the whole understandable finding that I grabbed from a trustworthy research. I called it personally "judging the students from their pimples". It means that it is like small thing but not so simple as the look, it is so important and sometimes unimportant as well, it is nothing to do between pimples and students' ability in English as it has no significant correlation between low motivation, that you never know the cause, and students' ability. What a confusing! yes, we sometimes don't have ideas about things that we are being talked about and of what we are doing, then finally found that the students are the black sheep.

Let's use the point of view of "positive thinking". An old saying states that if you point to other people accusing that they are bad (using index finger), it will mean that other four fingers are pointing into you yourselves. So, let's take a better look if there's something wrong around us, it must be something wrong with us. If the students don't have good motivation in learning English, it could be possibly WE that are fail to motivated them by our techniques, methods, personality (as moderate facilitator, wise motivator, and or real inspiration), or many other factors influenced the TLP. Before blaming students or others, let's answer the self-reflection questions honestly; Have we taught them in a well-planned scenario that involves appropriate technique and suitable approach? Be well-prepared!; Have we given all our best to them? Be Professional! Have we been a warm personality for the students? Be good listener! Have we?

Furthermore, "Intake" is the next victim of teachers' assumption. The Low Intake Students are the obstacles of TLP. How can we say that they are Students of Very Low Intake while we haven't take any research to measure it? We even don't know how to make reliable and valid instruments to prove those prejudices or assumptions. How can we say that we have taught our best while we haven't applied any appropriate approach and technique for their ability level? It's easy to say but it's hard to do, isn't it? But the point is that it is more urgent to answer "How to increase the intake?" rather than just to blame others. Any better ideas?

Besides, the Prior Knowledge or Background Knowledge is like the domino effect of blaming others. The Lecturer blames the Senior High School teacher for the poor product (out put), then the Senior High School teacher blames the Junior High School teacher for the bad performances of their out-put, next the Junior High School teacher blames the Elementary School teacher for neglecting the important of basic knowledge to the next level of study, later on the Primary School teacher blames the students of the lack of learning the subject, finally the students blame the teacher of being grumpy, lazy, bossy and vice versa. Who wants to be blamed?
We are then quite busy in blaming others that even don't have correlation on this big matter as judge the students from their pimples. It is clearly strange and irrational, isn't it? So, STOP FINDING THE BLACK SHEEP then START DOING BEST WHAT WE SHOULD DO!

Character Building

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!