My Greatest Pleasure is … 13 March 2007
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What is the greatest pleasure of being a teacher?
Lecturing students about everything we know?
Sharing all experiences of life with the students?
When they answer all questions in the test that we give correctly?
Advising them in writing an A rated paper, essay or thesis?
Instilling good values in the students?
Giving them opportunities to try, to err, to accomplish something?
I should say my greatest pleasure of being a teacher is when finding out that they learned something from my course and when later in the future, a student meets me and approaches me and says that what I taught him/her a long, long, long time ago is useful for his/her job.
That is the greatest pleasure: making a difference in someone’s life.
This morning, I had that moment. I have had similar moments in the past, but every time I experience it, the sensation is the same. I was in my Business English class, listening to Antok Setyawan (or we call him affectionately as Obong) my former student back in 2000-2004, giving a guest lecture on work and motivation. He shared his experiences in working for Greenpeace Indonesia and how his education and extracurricular activities in college help him in handling his day-to-day responsibilities in his workplace.
The thing is, he was not even one of the smartest and most active students in my class. I taught him Reading 4, and I gave him only a BC (B-). He was not one of those students that you easily notice in class. His plus point, if I may conclude, is that he was actively involved in organizing campus events. I remember working as his superior in organizing the department’s first reunion in 2002. I remember him and my other ‘inner circle’ students hanging out in my house, spending two or three hours, talking about stuffs, serious and not-so-serious even silly stuffs.
I think it’s not what I taught him in class that made him work in a respectable international NGO. It was our discussion outside class. It was during working together in events. And he admitted that the reason why he was hired among 200 high caliber applicants to the position of Direct Dialogue and Campaigner was because he offered his skills and experiences during organizing events to Greenpeace.
I’m glad that I’m a part of his achievements. And that, my dear readers, is my greatest pleasure of being a teacher.
Motivation: What to do about it? 9 March 2007
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I have a turn-off in teaching my students in Salatiga after a brief period of teaching in SoE. The problem is: motivation level.
When I was in SoE, my students never complained when we gave them tons of assignments. No grumble, no protest, just do it. And they had assignments every single day. Yes, every single day. They will be ready to submit the assignment the next day, before class started. And I know some of them had to work to earn a living and to support their tuition (which is not cheap at all). When I was late coming to class, they would wait and even text messaged me, asking if the class would be in session. Even when they would have a test and the electricity was down, resulting on they had to wait for almost a hour and a half to get the test materials photocopied, they waited patiently. They were very active in and outside class, discussing, asking questions, conversing with us. And the touching part is, when I had to leave them after the two weeks period ended, they cried. Yes, they did. And they asked me, when I would be back to teach them again.
On the contrary, I seem to get less motivated responses from my students in Salatiga. They complained and groaned when I gave them in-class assignments. They squirmed and did it reluctantly. They seem to view me as an inconsiderate teacher, giving them too many assignments, in addition to their other commitments to other courses, their personal life (dating, hanging out and such), blah blah blah. And guess what, when I left them assignments to do during my two-weeks period in SoE, they didn’t do the assignments. Two weeks without classes and they do nothing. And of course, when I was late for 10 minutes coming to class, they would happily leave the class, thinking that it would be a relaxing two hours without having to listen and participate in class. When it was test time and I was late, great! Another week delay to do the horrible test. And none would think of missing me when I finished teaching them. It’s another job done, no more than that.
What a pity. My students in SoE has less access to technology and facilities. They certainly don’t have an Internet access, not many has a computer available to do assignments typed, not even an computer rental. Books are very limited, no library is available. Qualified teachers are still rare. Consultation to teachers is very limited. On the contrary, my students in Salatiga enjoy many readily available facilities to support their learning: computers, Internet, library, qualified teachers, all kinds of sources.
What to do? I think I have tried to arouse my students motivation by engaging them in fun but challenging activities and materials in class, teaching them with lots of funny examples so that the class will not be boring, giving them enough time to do the assignments and to consult, and being available everywhere when they need help (I’m the only teacher who uses emails, chat, cellphone, home phone, office hours, home meeting for consultation). Still, I feel that my students are not motivated enough.
Any suggestions or experiences that you can share? Please contact me because I’m desperate….
Oh, by the way, Nana, if you ever read my blog again, happy birthday to you, Girl…
Technodisastrous class session 2 March 2007
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As a teacher of CALL, I’m fully aware that technology sometimes sucks. Yes, it sucks. Period.
That’s why there is something called backup plan. You have to have a contingency plan if the electricity is off, the Internet connection is disruptive (there was an earthquake somewhere on the face of the earth and the global under ocean cable was damaged), the software doesn’t want to run because it has a mind of its own, etc. etc.
The case this morning, during my so-called-sophisticated-online-guest lecture in English for Specific Purposes, is the Internet Connection and the firewall. I can’t do video conference because it’s behind firewall and when we managed to get audio connection through gtalk, the voice of the guest lecturer gave an echo. Of course, no one could understand what he’s saying because his voice was so choppy. And that my friends, is after I struggled for one hour and a half to get good Internet connection.
Moral of the story is: if only I had contacted Daniel, the technician, earlier to minimize any connection and firewall problem, if only I had suggested to the guest lecturer to pre-record his presentation, if only I had had a backup plan…
Tentang SoE 18 February 2007
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| Negeri ini kukira adalah padang sabana keras. meranggas. Yang kusua Ini rumah yang lain Kali lain SoE, Val Day 2007 |
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Post TEFLIN notes 8 December 2006
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I’m awfully tired being a coordinator of programs during TEFLIN 54th International Conference, but it was going smoothly and despite of some technical problems during the conference, many participants seem to be contented and happy during the conference. I think everybody in the committee has worked really hard to make it happen and I have to say that I have very excellent and fun people in my section to work with (cheers to the ushers ‘au, au, au’ and s-mile!). The organizing committee of the 55th TEFLIN conference even video recorded the features of our conference and ask my detailed schedule and job description for their reference. I guess it shows that our committee has done a great job organizing the conference.
I didn’t get to attend lots of sessions (not even the plenary ones), except my own parallel paper and workshop presentations. If you’re interested in the PowerPoint files of the presentations, go to my portfolio. Anne Timotius and I were both very busy people in the conference (she was the coordinator of secretariat section) and we had only 15 minutes to prepare our presentations! Call ourselves nuts, but I think the blame is mine because of my inclination to be a proscrastinator. Anne, if you read this, you’re doing well in your first international conference 
I don’t know if I’m going to attend the next one (which will be held in Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta). I think I might write an abstract to be submitted but let’s see.
The (un)importance of being lazy 26 November 2006
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Well, I have to admit that there are times when I just don’t want to do any thing. And when I mean anything that includes everything related to work, family or personal matters. All I usually do, when the lazy bug strikes me is just sleeping and playing computer games. Well, actually not just that, but basically when I’m in no mood of doing anything, I will just do things that I want to do and sleeping as well as playing computer games are usually the activities that I love to do the most.
As a teacher often times, I criticize my students of not being able to manage their time well when they have assignments to do. Often times, they complain about having no time to finish all of their assignments because they have lots to do. In perspective, I also often complain to my husband and my colleagues of how I have tons of little things to do and how they have to understand if I can’t be with them too often.
Now I realize that sometimes I can’t accomplish my work completely because I’m just too lazy to work. I follow my heart too much and fail to see how the amount of work that I have to do is already sky-rocketing. Also, being lazy is also my self-defense mechanism to escape from the problem of having too much work to do. Is it fair now that I expect my students of not being lazy?
I guess there is no point on this piece of note I’m writing right now *smile*
Documentus Ignoramus… 26 August 2006
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One Saturday morning, at 5th floor of my office building during the registration period for new students….
X : “Hi, I’d like to register for courses, please.”
Me: “You can do it at the computer lab at the library building.”
X : “So I have to go down again?”
Me: (duh!)”Yes, of course! It’s at another building!”
The same time, at the admin office which is closed on Saturdays…
Y : (knocks on the office window, all drapes down); peeping inside and finding that my colleagues were working inside)
My colleague: “Yes?”
Y : “Can I buy some course packs?”
My colleague: “Did you read the sign at the door?”
Y : “Yes.”
My colleague: “What does it say?”
Y : “Office hours, Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 3 PM”
My colleague: “That means we’re closed.”
Y : “But you’re inside..”
