I always appreciate a teacher. In my eyes, a teacher is a person who becomes main motivation and factor of the successfulnes. Since a child, I feel like I am so closed with my teacher. However, my mother is also a teacher. I see how she struggles with students, how she deals with curriculum, how she loves her students, how she is blamed because of students’ failure, and how she keeps on giving her best for students’ success. My mother, my teacher, my aspiration to be a teacher.
It is my dream to study in English Department since I was at the sixth grade of elementary school. I saw how great my English teacher was, he could speak using English, he could make me love English. So, when I am studying in ED of SWCU, I am proud of my self. It is my fourth year in ED. The time goes by, but I do not change, I still want to be a teacher. So, when Teaching Practicum is coming, I become impatient. Teaching Practicum is a program in which students of ED apply what they learn for years. Yes, I have to take some courses to support my teaching knowledge; including strategies, theories, and belief. When my lecturer said that I was placed in an informal pre-school, the first thing which come to my mind is, what do I have to do? I learn about TFEC (Teaching Fun English for Children), but I think it is not enough to supply good teaching for children under 4 years. Then it forces me to be a creative person.
Teaching pre-school students is not as bad as I thought. I like when I am near them. I like when I am searching funny materials, teaching a new song for them, and I like when they call me as Bu Guru. At the first time, I feel nervous, I am afraid my students do not like me. My students are children under 4 years whose mother tongue is Javanese and not accustomed to communicate in English. First experience always becomes a fear moment, but it is only in our mind. The fact is much much much better. I teach vocabulary items to them, through songs, games, story, pictures, and TPR. I also do observation, from observing, I know that my students are interested in topics or materials which are familiar with them. They like doing what they know well; even though the activity is hard, if they are familiar with it, they will do it enthusiasticly. That is why my topics always related with their daily life and real experiences, I do not want my teaching process becomes useless if students get nothing. My students also love my colorful AVA. They are interested in pictures and colors. They also like doing a role play; helping a fisherman to clean a river from trash, and sending a happy birthday letter to a postman are presented to their mind for days.
Teaching is like when we have a picnic time. We have prepared all the details, but sometimes our willing is too high, the situation is not the same as what we are thinking about. So, plan B is the hero. I teach about numbers and give review in communication tools, but my students are tired of pre-teaching activity, so they do not want to continue the lesson. I change the activity into a competition. Students are motivated, they get their mood back. Sometimes I have to pause the lesson and ask them to sing together because I see they are bored. I should think about the worst prossibility which may be happened. Students have their own world that we cannot change. I should understand them, accompany them to build a wonderful imaginary in their mind. If I force them to be a person like what I want, they will build a beautiful imaginary in their mind but it is only a decoration, their world is not a comfortable place for them. Just let them to make their own imaginary, our task as a teacher is to watch and keep them that they are in a safe way.
I am a teacher and also a student. I learn theories in my college and I learn the real world from my students. I learn how they accept new things which come to them. I learn about true friendship, when students will not let others make their friends crying. I learn about positive thinking, how they are happy of criticism. I learn to be modest, when praises are forgotten easily. I learn about work hard, when they will not stop trying until the achieve what they want. I learn about honesty, when they say bad is bad and good is good. I learn about so many things from them. To requite what they teach to me, I always try to make them happy, comfortable, and familiar with my lesson.
As a teacher I only want to create a good communication with my students. It will give beneficial to classroom atmosphere, because when students are comfortable in the classroom, they will recieved everything happily. It is impossible to have all what we want. Sometimes, students break our heart, make us crying. They do not want to hear us. However, life is just like a photograph, whose negatives are used to develop us. Step by step, I learn how to get students’ attention, make them laugh, ask good question to them, and create good mood for them. Each student has different feelings. I try to understand them carefully, because I do not want they hurt. Before teaching, I usually prepare my self, not only physically, but I also make my self in a very good mood, because students will also fell it.
Become a teacher trains me not to be easily hopeless at learning. Teacher is a figure who becomes a foundation of education.. Because from a teacher, people learn. I can write and read because of teacher. Teacher is a main character in education. Especially in learning English as second language (L2). Teacher is seen as knowing everything. Teacher becomes a model whose mistakes are seen as goodness, But, when we as a teacher comes to a classroom, we should not come with academic arrogance. Like I said before, teacher is still learning. Teaching takes my times and my energy, many times it hurts me. Of course everybody wants happines, nobody wants pains; but we cannot have a rainbow without a little rain. Things which make me crying, in fact steeling my self. If people ask me what things are important in teaching, I will answer, good communication and relationship with students, properly constructed preparation, interesting activities, effective materials, and the right plan B. People have different experiences in teaching, but for me, when I come to a classroom, it means that I have been ready with my materials, lesson plans, and AVA.
What is my goal in teaching? Why do I love teaching when my friends tend to look for other job? It is because teaching and I work together to make students happy. Teaching and I support each other to create variety of English education. The most important is, teaching and I have the same goal, to make my students love English, just like what my teacher did to me.
