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Teori: Bukan Asal Cakap

Ribet, Langsung Praktik Saja, lah!

Sekilas lintas, ada saja murid yang berceletuk, “Ribet amat sih pake teori. Udah, ajarin ngitungnya aja gimana.” Atau sesuai dengan menggejalanya bimbingan belajar, “Ngapain susah-susah. Pake cara cepet aja!”. Negeri kita menjadi negeri instan, ketika komentar yang sering tersembur adalah “Gitu aja kok repot”.

Untuk apa repot antri, untuk apa paham teori, untuk apa susah-susah memakai jembatan penyeberangan. Pada kenyataannya, toh menyela antrian tak berbahaya, cepat dan tak selalu diprotes. Menyeberang di bawah jembatan penyeberangan juga tak apa, toh kendaraan bermotor punya rem, mau tak mau mereka pasti mengerem. Dan untuk apa tahu teorinya kalau kita sudah tahu bagaimana cara menghitungnya, apalagi ada cara cepatnya?

Teori dan Pengasahan Logika

Kurikulum nasional kita padat dan standar penilaiannya tinggi. Murid dituntut untuk menguasai banyak sekali pokok bahasan dari banyak mata pelajaran. Tak ada pilihan, tak ada keleluasaan di sekolah negeri.

Karena materi dan mata pelajaran yang harus diajarkan banyak sedangkan waktu belajar hanya 5 hari, murid harus banyak belajar sendiri. Terutama untuk yang ‘bisa dibaca sendiri’, biasanya bagian teori. Padahal hitungan bisa dilatih, sedangkan penguasaan teori butuh bimbingan dari gurunya.
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Tutorial Online

Gauli saja!

Menyikut kecemburuan saya pada perangkat komunikasi (emang enak dicuekin, woy!), mengapa tidak saya rangkul sekalian saja supaya tujuan saya tercapai, toh? Cukuplah sirik-sirikannya di kelas saat saya sedang menerangkan pelajaran. Di luar itu, gadget dapat dijadikan teman karib dalam berkarya.

Sempat ditanyakan saat sesi tanya-jawab di penganugerahan dana hibah CSF 2009, “Apakah guru harus selalu mengikuti tren gaul media sosial murid? Melelahkan, bukan?”. Bukan! Eh… tentunya. Tapi tak ada yang tak memerlukan jerih payah, bukan? *bukan lagi*

Friendster sudah berlalu. Facebook masih berjaya dengan fitur album foto dan games. Twitter menjadi media jelajah yang belum banyak didatangi guru (atau saya saja yang belum cukup gaul, mungkin). Masih ada Tumblr, Posterous, Google Wave, dan lainnya yang akan segera bermunculan.

Jaim, dong!

Sebisanya, ikuti saja. Tak harus menjadi selebritas di setiap kanal. Setidaknya tahu benda apakah itu yang sedang digandrungi murid. Kalau bisa ikut ‘gaul’ di sana, lebih baik lagi. Memberi kesan bahwa guru terbuka sehingga mengurangi kesungkanan murid.

Dengan tahu banyak, murid juga merasa yakin bahwa gurunya tak ketinggalan jaman dan menjaga kekinian informasi yang diterimanya. Pastinya, tak sekadar kesan, harus dipastikan bahwa guru juga senantiasa menjaga kebaruan ilmu yang dimiliki.
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One problem with more homework

More homework, please!

There was a notification for teacher staffs recently, asking for the teachers to give 5-questions homework per meeting. Apparently, there was some talk from parents that their children look too-relaxed, said they don't have homework and no tests.

While I agree on the spirit of endorsing children to learn, I myself don't find giving homework is pleasing. Here's my case. On weekly basis, I give my students some homework, which don't have to be submitted (unless occasionally, in random, I would ask to). And still on weekly basis, I give quiz, which is based on the questions in the homework I have given.

There will be an advantage for those who work on their homework well. They would recognize which part they haven't acquire a complete knowledge on and ask me their questions. While the others who just like to copy the previous ones, will be in benefit of not having to really think about how to do it yet it's done. And naturally, these latter students can't give good answer later even if the questions in the quiz are exactly the same (which they are) as in the homework.

Aside from weekly quiz, I give them test each for every chapter. Simply put, my students don't really have that kind of leisure of saying "I don't have homework nor test". Because they do.  Trust me, if they said that to you, it should be either it's a holiday week or I was absent. Therefore I am rest assured that the soft-pat about homework endorsement is not pointing at me.

And you know what? Also on weekly basis, I have lots of paperwork! Giving out lots of homework and ask the students to submit them will backfire on me to an obligation of having to examine and return them right away. Enough with weekly quiz and end-of-chapter test, thank you. So when I'm lacking of giving homework, I actually am drilling them due to more quizzes. I hope my taking another route is forgiven

On the student's side of the story of homework

I learn that, being a student long time ago (sheessh… I feel old!), I used to buy myself some leisure time by delaying to do homework (if not drop it all the way, sorry, it's just natural). Thus if my parent asked, I chose to give a true answer yet not revealing the whole truth, "I won't have test tomorrow".

But oh my lovely mom… I can't remember if she even asked the question! Being a bookworm, I always dwell in books. And drawing comics. Or other books. I always looked busy that mom often said, "Don't you have holiday? You always go to school or somewhere."

So… without any harsh intention on pointing at some people and said they are liars, but students may and can lie, too. Yes, to the parents also. Come on, don't you wish to have some easy night in bed and just letting those chemistry and math books lie abandoned on the table?

I'm not saying that I'm endorsing students to lie. I'm just saying to an extend, we -the elders- are the one to give some slack. At home. Mostly if at school they already have to deal with my weekly homework and quiz -then EoC test- and we're just talking about one teacher only! [And if any student by chance reading this writing, that doesn't mean I will lessen the tone at school, yo! I stick with my pace.]

I enjoyed my days of no homework, giving me some time of having me-time and making the most of my life (yea… lurking in bookstores, going out with friends, not too much hype actually, but still was fun). I found that enough time to breath will let myself to be more forgiving and creative.

Parents, please. When in some -maybe rare- days you see your child(ren) are enjoying their afternoon with friends, going out for a movie, or just sacking themselves in bed, let them be. 6.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. school hour is a long time, mate!

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