Coming back

In Indonesia language, the teacher is “Guru” which has to mean in Javanese tradition as an acronym of “diguGu lan ditiRU” (people who trusted and followed). These two words have deep meaning. Become a teacher should be able to be “digugu” which means as a teacher, their words should be used as a role model. In other words, teachers must have the dignity and knowledge were quite high. The second word is “ditiru” which means what teacher said (knowledge), his spirit and attitude will be followed or emulated by the students. So not only responsible for teaching subjects that were his job, but more than that also educates morals, ethics, integrity, and character. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Intelligence plus character; that is the true goal of education.”

Some people said students like a white paper, so the teacher should give an ink and try to draw and tell the students what should they did. Now I can say based on my short experience if it was not right. Students have their own knowledge based on their experience also. They do not totally do not understand about the certain subject, the students only not able to construct their mind yet to share their idea. If the teacher as a role model is concern, then the teacher should be able to read and understand what the students’ thought and prepare the strategy to give the feedback.

Finally, I can go back to my hometown where I had left for 8 years.

During school 9 years at this place, I'm just an ordinary student who thinks only of himself how to graduate school with good grades.

Now I can feel how difficult to be a teacher at that time. Various challenges that I never even imagined, I felt it during my field research. Starting from making the lesson plan, conduct the lesson and reviewing what I did in the classroom after finish the class. It was very difficult for me to create a learning environment according to my expectation. I need to use a different approach for each student. Their character is very unique and their response during the class are varied so I need to think what in their mind and give different feedback to stimulate their idea. All of the experience is new for me. Although I used to teach in senior high school three months for field work when I was an undergraduate student, but I can feel the difference in the difficulties faced by the elementary school teacher to make a deal with children. As a researcher, I have to pay attention to the situation and conditions in the classroom. Whatever is changed, the atmosphere or even the mood of every student in the class. I am very grateful to get this precious experience.

In my field research, in order to improve the students’ interest (gain the elementary students’ mood is very difficult if teacher can not make a creative approach) and clarify their understanding relate word problem, I introduced one of the traditional game in Indonesia called Jake (in Alor regency, although they call it with different name based on their environment where they lived). In elementary level, the students need more concrete things to explain the mathematics than abstract things. In the level of this stage, the students’ have some image or knowledge whether it comes from their family environment, friend (by playing together),etc. Learn based experience is my concern to do my field research. I hope the result of my research can be useful in terms of Alor regency’s context is concern.