When God Winks at me

July 27th 2007 was the day of tears when I cry so many tears because I have to give up my dream to become a teacher.
It was the day when I decided to let go my chance because the salary won’t be enough to help my family. Although all my family was support me to take that chance. That’s when my love to my family wins over my dream.
I let go my dream but not stopping to try to reach them, only this time I select higher salary chance because I don’t want to through the river of tears and hope again.
July 29th 2007 was the day when God winks at me…. That’s the day when I stop angry to God; when I start to gain my happiness again, visiting my family, just have fun…..move on…..
Just arrived at my uncle house at 1am and sleep at 3am after reading my Harry Potter book, I was woke up by the bell from my phone. I remembered it was Mrs. Grace who told me to have a little chat at the school that morning and she has no objection for me to come without CV and wearing Jeans.
So….that’s how I first come to the school, to have a little chat which ends in the afternoon, me becoming a new Biology Teacher.
Believe it or not, my aunt said I have a crying happy face, and I got lost twice that day to my home. The same road I use to trough during the last year and I got lost.
Imagine! That’s how I can’t believe what God have giving me. My dream……… and I still can help my family.
He really loved me……………….:)

Read More..

To table square-square

Since when do you teach?

I was interviewed before with my student, and she asked me that question.
My answer was that I teach all my life.
Why?
Because since I answer any questions I teach them what in my mind.
Although I know that she means in institutional the answer will be none. That’s why I really fell gratitude to this school that gives me a chance to teach.
When do I realize that I want to become a teacher?
That will be during my second semester at Diponegoro University when we discuss about an assignment and I explain to my friends, they understand until finally one of them ask how do I know? Is it correct? I answer that is what I think correct; to know the truth they have to ask the lecturer. We laugh together because I was so sure although I don’t sure that is correct. I realize I can teach. And I enjoy doing that.
So in my dormitory during my college I start teaching my roommate English. With that I improve mine too, I have friend to speak so my vocabulary will be increasing.
My best memory will be to table square-square. Why?
Strange sentence in English but has meaning in Indonesian.
At that time the most important for us was to learn how to speak with little vocabulary, so if we don’t know the meaning of one word we will use another words to describe that so………
Have you find the meaning in Indonesia?
To = ke
Table = meja
Square = kotak
Square = kotak
Yeah….. kemeja kotak-kotak (shirt with squares patterns)

For additional, I love children too.. I believe they are our future, what they learn now will form their future.
And I want to make them persons that never giving up, always give their best, have love and dream with knowledge to help them through their future.

May God help me...
Amen.

Read More..

Saying good bye to my previous job

July 30th 2007 is the last day of me in my previous job as call center in the busiest provider in Indonesia (we always hope the phone stop ringing).
All my friends surprise, without any news before and that was the last day of me.
It was taking all day for me to saying good bye, because in the afternoon I start to pack all my stuff and I move to Serpong.
My twins Ria ( we work in the same company, neighbors, and we have the same image without blood relationship but already become good friends) call her aunty who has a travel business to help me find a car to move to Serpong.
My grateful to my dear Ria.
I have to say goodbye to my roommates to………… Oh, that’s hard, I really like them all. We already become good roommates.
Venty my senior not only in the job but also in that home where we rent our rooms has always become a friend to share all from jobs to relationship, a friend to shopping together every months....oh how I miss that time.
Asri is a reporter in magazine for teenage, we both like reading and I can always believe that she will recommended good book worth to read and buy. We are not exactly have the same taste, but for novels mostly we like the same kind.
Mr.Aris from whom we always buy our dinner, fried rice, noodle, with special orders. His cook very delicious……………..yummy!!
And although the job as call center was full of stress, sometimes full of happiness too… there was so many funny consumers that can always make us laughing and cheers our day. And I found really good friends there, working together with them have give me lots of joyful and meaningfully year.
I miss them all…………………

Read More..

My happiness in their smile

Do you know what I like the most of being a teacher?
Lot of holiday?
Yeah that’s right, we have long holiday three times a year, during Christmas, Moslem New Year, and semester holiday.
No one think it’s a bad job but bad salary.
Well that’s good reasons, but that’s not why I loved it the most.

So what is it?

I never went home with emotionally tired from school,
some times just physically tired.
Because, that time I teach all day long and I have to walk around the school all day.

But when I had a really bad day… or I met some one I hate, or I’m just feeling sad….
I really enjoy being in class
Because, when you look them; specially, when they smile, or look at you with hope …
kind of hope…..
Ho
Any pe to be forgive because don’t bring their home works, forget their books
Hope to get easy questions for the test,
Hope to just have fun in the lessons
Well that kind of look makes them look so cute and fulfill my hearts with happiness that completely erasing my stress.
So I always wish that the day after my sadness is the day when I have a lot of class.
If I have no class that day I will go the library where I often meet kindergarten or elementary students….
Their cute face gives me hope that I still have things to do
That the day isn’t over yet
That life is beautiful
Their smile can always make me smile back at them.

Isn’t being a teacher so fun?
Your soul vitamin is in your job…….

Read More..

My first time in class

August 1st 2007
What my first feeling?
Relieve and disappointed.
What?
Oh that’s not for the first time of me to be in front of class but because I heard that I will be observing the previous teacher and I will start teaching next month. So I’m still observing…………disappointed but relieve, because I really no ready yet. I never study biology this last year, I close my biology books since my graduation, and honestly I’m not so confidence.
So that morning I’m preparing my best suit, a suit that make me look like a smart teacher, a black blazer and trouser with white skirt underneath. And a black orchid pin that I put in the blazer.
My first day in school was started with introduction to all of the teachers, and I’m so nervous that I forget their name in a second! My suit didn’t give me lots of help.

So the first time I went to a class was for introduction! And I even can not do a good introduction because I was so exited all that words went away from my mind.
For what grade do I teach? The seventh Grade of Junior High School.
They were just Childs? Yeah…… but still their cute faces make me nervous!
All I can say just “My name is Miss Ira and I will be replacing Mr.Darma to become your Biology teacher.” That’s all!!!!!!
And I believe I make funny gestures that show my nervousness because they smile and laughing at me.

Oh what a day……….

Read More..

Moving out

That afternoon become a really busy chaotic day, moving out with one day of preparation I will never suggest any one to do that!
I never though I have so many things.
I never though before that a small room can be so full of things. My previous room was 6 m2, and my stuff can full a mini bus!
Okay I did put my TV in our living room,
Okay I did lend many books to my friends,
and the shoes were outside too,
the laundry,
and the buckets………
Okay that’s a lot of stuff……..
What ever, I was so lucky I have friends to help me packing all that stuff and move it into the car that I rent.
We cry…… I can’t believe this, I only move to Serpong from Jakarta and we all cry…
I really am going to miss them.
I fell so tired that day so I was slept during our journey, thanks to the driver who can find the way because I was totally lost.
When I first arrived to the teacher’s dormitory for the school’s employee my first impression was: big, no flower, big trees, lots of mosquitoes. But guest what?
My room was totally bigger, with table, chair, spring bed, big shelf for books, and a large cabinet for my cloth.
After I finish put all my things and do all the cleaning I finally in bed at 11pm. Can hardly close my eyes… tomorrow I will become a teacher.. Biology teacher!!
I’m so happy yet scare too
All these year in front of me was just computer and telephone, and tomorrow will be 30 students.
Wow………….!!!! I really don’t know what to do!!!
But I really exited to start teaching.
Finally I just sleep for one hour that night.

Can’t wait to start…………

Read More..

Lesson plan

This is my hardest thing being a teacher,
Why is it so complicated?
Why can’t we just make a simple lesson plan?
Why we have to think so detail while in reality different class will give different respond to the lesson and finally we have to improvise.
Okay if the lesson plan already exist and all we have to do is how to make it works, I loved it!

But as a new teacher………who never really have a plan, not even have preparing the lesson before, not even know what the tools in school that I can use, not even remember all the student’s names and they haven’t put their name tags so I give up giving the behaviors score while doing the first assessment on process.
I find out that I have not enough time to do all of that in perfection.
And I don’t even have a PC to help me doing that at home.

So………………..
That’s my reasons to buy this PC.
So in the next semester I can give my best to my students, and hope to finish my lesson plans.

I do a lot of asking to my teachers friends, I do a lot of study from the internet.
But what really hard is because my plans changing a lot when I have new ideas or find a better way to teach them or the school facilities cant be used because other teacher use it or the material I will use hard to get.

Well…. My dear friend, I’m still learning………….
Every day I learn new things
How to turn on the projector
How to make reservation for audio visual room
How to make the best preparation to save time
How to make my students behavior nicely during the process
How to use touch screen ( my first time touch it was while I teach my student, they teach me how to use it, aren’t they so nice?)
How to gain their interest………………

And lots more.

But my lesson plans keep changing.

I have to work it out.
ASAP

Read More..

I lost my voice!!!!

My first day of teaching………… most of them complain that they can not heard my voice!
Being a call center for the last year make me use to speak in a low tone without increasing or decreasing to avoid judgment from the consumers that will think being under estimated or scolded. So it was hard to speak in loud voice.
I speak to fast!
With target 215 calls for a day within 8 hours means I have to end a call within1.5 minutes from greeting, repeating the numbers, asking and listening their problem and give solutions till end greeting, while our fingers type their report and opening applications to help them. So we did train to speak fast. All year eight hours a day really make this skill in my blood.
And during the busy day when I teach from morning to afternoon my voice often get lost. So what I do solve that?
ü I give them copies of my teaching material so they wont often ask about it
ü I ask them to give full attention because during the lesson I will never repeat to answer the same questions
ü I use programs material to teach with voice so I just play it for them
ü I ask them to help me reading some material.
ü I like discussion because most of the speaking will be done by the students
ü I bring my drinks during the lesson.
ü Drinking ginger ale when I get back home to clear my throat.
ü Decreasing oil and ice in my meal and drinks and forgets all of candy.

Finally I get my voice back.


Title : Higher thinking test?
Category : teaching
Article:

Okay, that really makes me confuse, the first thing cross in my mind is that means that my student have to think hard to answer my questions,
a very difficult questions!
But afterward, I know that means that questions not only need knowledge to answer but also analyze the questions and imagination also,
a higher level of taxonomic bloom.
Okay, the first time I heard about taxonomy bloom I know nothing until finally I know the levels. That will be:
1. Knowledge
2. Comprehension
3. Application
4. Analysis
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation
If in the past when we study before, especially for those who get knowledge from government school; the questions always like this:
1. What are the characteristics of living things?
2. What are the difference between arachnids and insects?
3. Describe the functions of hollow bones in birds!

Now, in private school the questions will become:
1. When an alien come to earth he thinks that a car is a living thing, why do you think he had that though? Do you think that the alien correct or not? Describe your reason!
2. Look at the pictures below, which one is insects and describe your reason why you think that picture belongs to insect and not arachnid?
3. Why there are birds that can fly and cannot fly?

So…. Higher thinking tests will need at least the second level, the higher the better. That’s means as a teacher I have to use my mind into higher thinking level also. A teacher that can not do higher thinking cannot make that kind of test. And higher thinking questions are hard to find in the internet.
Believe me I had tried before,

if you know this kind of test for grade seven Junior High School Biology students, any information will be much appreciated.

Read More..

Remedial program

25% loved it
75% hated it!!!!!
Why?
Of course because I have to make new questions!!!
Of course because there will be more corrections!!!
Of course because I have to give my resting time to observe them while they do their remedial!!!
And because of that I often lost my meal time …..
Hungry people get angry easily you know?!

And no mater how hard I try to advise them to study harder when they trough the remedial, most of them only just try again, who knows that if they already know the questions they can get a better marks?
So finally when I make the first test they not giving their best, they just want to know what kind of questions that I will give them, so when they trough the remedial program they will get a better marks.
Give them lower score when they through the remedial program?
Yes, we give them 8 as their maximum score.
Why not seven?
Not all of them through the remedial because of bad mark, some because they are sick. And which teachers that don’t want their students have high scores?
But the more of them join the remedial the more correction jobs that we have to do!
I will enjoy this job if they give their best effort! But most of them don’t even study but only memorize the previous answers or only study material that being tested before. How do you feel about that?!
Some of them really do their best but mostly use their tactics just to pass my lesson test……… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaarghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay we do want them o pass their test, but when they graduate and being ask about Biology and they know nothing, they will ask from what school do they graduate and who the teacher?
Well honestly, I want to be a good teacher and I don’t want my school who give me a chance disappointed to hire me.
Well in this case…
I believe the school had a lot of meeting and thinking the best for all the students, don’t let some lazy students make us stop helping the students that give their best. Right?

I’m still loading that

IIIIIIIII25 % completed
IIIIIIIIIIII30 % completed
IIIIIIIIIIIIII32% completed
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII33 % completed….
PROCESSING……
PROCESSING………

The program is not responding,
to end the programs click end now

Hey…. I’m just human not a saint!!!

Read More..

Who am I ?

My name is Maria Irawati Sumampouw, I was baptized with the name Yosephine 27 years ago, 13^th March 1980 for the exact time. About my childhood I’m not so remembered. I have an accident when I just received in an elementary school that got me hospitalized and not allowed to study for about one year. The accident left small scar in my forehead, five stitch scars which now you can hardly see it. But the impact is in my memory, since then it is hard for me to memorize people face and name.I’m the third child in my family, all women. We have the same posture so until now, we still sharing our cloth. Luckily we have different face and personalities so not all the people realize we use the same cloth. The only common of us is our voice. This one people always got mistake. So be careful when you call at our home, don’t speak any secret thing until you make sure that you talk to the right person.
My first school that I can remember was in SDN 03 Pagi Kebon Jeruk Jakarta Barat, but I graduate at SDN Tegalrejo Surakarta because our parent move to Solo in our last semester. After that I continue my junior high school at SMPN 2 Surakarta and my senior high school at SMUN 4 Surakarta (Smara catur).
I learn Japanese at Nobuko Gakuen but only until basic level because I went to Jakarta and learn to sew at Juliana Jaya Kalimalang. After that I continue my study at Diponegoro University where I study Biology at 1999.

After graduation I went home and jobless for a half of year until I go to Jakarta. Every one said; even in commercial they told you; not to come to Jakarta because this town already full. But you can’t helped to come here since this is the town where you can find job if you really want to. The first two months I give private lesson, after that I become Call Center at Telkomsel for about a year.

In this company I find so many good friend, I learn so many thing. And for that I thank to Telkomsel.

Since august 1^st 2007 I become a biology teacher at a catholic school in Serpong, Tangerang.

My hobbies are reading, drawing, watching cartoon, and last but not least eating.

My favorite color is green, I like eating chocolate, I like hanging around and chat with my friend, I like traveling, I likes so many thing but that all the most.

Read More..