Teachers testify to new experiences

Sun, 02/10/2008 12:58 PM  |  Discover

Septina Sinta Sari, 23, from Surakarta, Central Java, was only eager to work a long way from home as a contractual English teacher at SMA 2 Sekayu, the leading state senior high school in the capital of Musi Banyuasin regency. Her wish came true after dozens of candidates were eliminated during the selection process from the Sebelas Maret University in Surakarta.

The fact that the school is part of the government's pilot project for schools of international standing (RSBI) motivated Sinta to sit the recruitment test, which was announced on campus. "It's certainly of great value to me in my effort to enhance my English competence and proficiency. The opportunity to collaborate with other peers is also challenging," said the 2007 graduate.

She confesses that the free education system in Musi Banyuasin, along with the advanced facilities and curricular programs at SMA 2, were hardly believable and entirely new to her. She was impressed that, amid the muddled condition of national education, some regional leaders had managed to do a great deal in remote areas such as Sekayu, establishing educational models worth emulating.

Sinta had taught at various institutions in her hometown, but the instructional approach to subjects at SMA 2 was different, and she found that she needed to make adjustments. "It takes time to adjust, because the material and the teaching system applied (here) are somewhat difference. The students's backgrounds should also be taken into consideration so they will have a better grasp (of the material)," she added.

Although the free education system in Musi Banyuasin was not news to Nur Azizah, 22, she had merely read about it. Azizah was born in Cirebon, West Java, but is a graduate of Palembang's Sriwijaya University, so she was familiar with the school's renown in the region. "I knew about it, but that was all. I had no idea of the details," she acknowledged. Her curiosity in finding out how free education worked in the regency grew even more when she participated in the SMA 2 selection process for English teachers held on campus.

Azizah's slight pessimism at seeing the tough competition prompted her to do her best.

"Competition with my brilliant peers was in fact very tight. But my teaching experience and strong confidence eventually helped me make the cut," recalled Azizah. She is one of the three English teachers under contract from Sriwijaya University who are teaching at SMA 2.

She agreed with Sinta on the need for a creative approach to promote better understanding of subjects among students. The use of multimedia facilities for learning and teaching at SMA 2 has been an interesting experience, she said. "In most regular schools, multimedia is still rarely used," said Azizah. "Still, it is more important for us (teachers) to creatively seek ways of preventing boredom (in class)."

-- JP/Khairul Saleh

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