Do you agree to be an author?

Many things can happen in a short time and it may change your life forever. A few hours ago l feel so helpless and brainless as my 'Cianjur Culture' writing failed to be candidate for students reading book.

I read a Wattpad novel 'My life with the Walter's Boys' written by a teenager named Ali. The novel is written in five years.  It is quite long eh? But the author has interesting pay for her long and hard work. Her Wattpad version is now invited into a book, a film, and a tv series. It is a dream that comes true for all author when their works can be acceptable in every platforms and meet heterogeneous audience.

Wattpad becomes my running field when l feel sad. Many young writers who try their luck there.  My eyes are still on Wattpad page when an email notification pop up. Subject "Becoming youthquake with local genius". My mind goes back to the time when l presented my research in University of Suryakencana Cianjur. I forget whether l gave my full paper or not. However, the title of my research curious me.

When l opened the email, it was from a digital publisher based in Singapore offers me to write a book based on my research range from 42 to 700 pages. I feel so overwhelmed.  How can my writing goes and be detected by OmniScriptum that dedicates to scientific works written in English. It says that their books are distributed worldwide through well known shops such as Amazon, Morebooks, Hachette. Is this real?

My mind cannot digest this fact. Slowly, l can feel  inconfident crawl in me. My ability in Enlish is just so so. My ability in writing is also average. I do not dare to say yes l agree to be OmniScriptum author for my writing ability is low.

In second and hour,  many that happen. I sometimes do not understand what time actually offers me. The rapid changing from one second to another causes me to juat stand still and do not know what to do.

How far have you explored?

He smiles when l saw him in the teacher's office. He is a new teacher who once always take a role as my substitute when l have a job outside the classroom. He got married at 6 May 2018 and l came to his wedding. People consider that we are very close (and l think it is quite right).

He talked about his luck. His said  many holiday occur when he needs time for his own personal business.  The last few weeks his lecturers took trip so he had time to prepare for his wedding.  He is a student of under graduate of UNJ. He continued his study as l told so. I encourage him to pursue S2 and become a lecturer, later. For now, teaching at SMA is needed for him to have a field of research.

The talk comes to his personal experience as less-a-week husband. He said that he has four houses to occupy. And now he chooses the house that is near to school, the house is from his wife parents, just made for her ( in my heart, l said, yes you are very lucky,  four houses are waiting to accupy days before you get married, me? l build a house, years, but it doesn't even close to finish).

"I feel still a bit confused when l woke up she is beside me, and she looks surprised too when she woke up we are in the same room,' he gave me an example. He added that he is inspired to teach his kiddos with telling stories literacy as his relative did.

The talks is postponed as a teacher throw a silly question between our conversation, "you, new married man, how far have you gone there?"
A laughter mushrooming in the room, l feel a bit confused, what the laughter is for, and why he should gave him that question.
The condition is going wild. Another male teacher said ,' see, his walking style is different now, ha ha ha'.
Another teacher added, 'you must want to go home now, many unfinish business with your new bride to settle'.
I feel embarrassed. Teacher as educated member society cannot be tolerable to state unacceptable joke. I want to lie that l hear those silly questions.

How far are you respecting your role as teacher?

Are you sick?

It has been a week my left eye is bleeding. I accept it as normal as l can because l realize that my artificial eye  ball will always brings problem for my eye lids. As the artificial eye ball has no oil as healthy-given eye ball, so l need to give articial tears. Again, artificial, as the name mentioned, is not a natural thing, articial tears always tear my nerve, artitical tears causes severe pain in my head. Meanwhile, mt eyelids will always hurt and bleed as it opens and closes slipping into the artificial dry eye ball  surface. Bleeding will happen anytime.

The pain does not stop me from working. So today l go to school to work. I met teachers, not so many, as l arrived at 8.10 (my students are given GO seminar so my class is occupied). As l predict, no body cares (or it is only my feeling, as l am so fragile lately,  'need attention given, and wanted to be recognized zzzz'). I entered the teacher's office and directly met Pak Dani when lbu Rina came and asked me 'how are you' l gave her a long explanation how my eye bleed. I am not sure if she understands or at least pretend to undesrtand and pretend to care as well.

Two ar three teachers ask the same question. I gave the same answer, it was so bored repeating explanation meanwhile the explanations itself  become an asnwer for lip service they give that l know well it is to glue social life. Then l end the chaos by focusing on document l should give to 12 MIPA 6. Nurul Siti, Naura, Alfira take their card.

In Indonesia we have what so called 'stale conversation' My conversation  l made this morning is realy stale and stinky too. Often times l feel that l am not welcomed in my job place. It is not a secret that when l am not around l become the gossip topic. It is just like when l heard they gossip another school  family member who is not around. Gossip is a filler for them, maybe.

Asking how are you is important for me. That question help me to believe that my existance is recognized. However, that question sounds bitter when the person you are asked and explained what happened but you didn't try to put her shoes in you.  It is very stale indeed.

One more thing, when you informed people that  you cannot go to work because you are sick. One of the response read 'l cannot say anything'
That response raises a question to me. Did l send a wrong message. Are you sick?

Teacher's office is unsafe

My head is filled with the plan that l must see Pak Dani, an art teacher who handles farewell card. He didn't provide farewell card as many as the sumber of the 12 MIPA student. A few days ago, M Azhar said that his card was not amongs the piling of cards and book report l laid on my desk.

As soon as l met Pak Dani, l asked him the card. He gave me the card with no addressee. I put the card on the pile, l tell myself l will write the addressee after l teach. I put the card for Azhar at the lowest pile and l leave the office room.

I see 10 MIPA 5 and 6 who are sitting down in hall to join GO seminar. I talked to Pak Hendra from GO about my son's plan to join GO. I gave him IDR 1.000.000. He said that the receipt will be given later.
We discussed about the role of teacher to help student to use etiquette when sending text or when posting things on Fb. I argue that the biography is being made anytime one posts something in mass media. 
My head said that my discussions partner did not like me talking too much as he must prepare his business in the hall. So l said goodbye to him and tell my student to collect their task later.

I return to teacher's office to check Alfira who will take SKHUN,  farewell card, and semester 6 book report. I found out that farewell card with bo addressee was not there. Who took it? What for? Why?

Card becomes one of things that lost in teachers office. A week ago, another teacher reported that her mobile phone was lost. Two weeks before, two teachers also reported that their mobile phone were lost. Teacher's room is not safe. Many belongings lost. 

Mourning Day

It was quite some time l sent my writing to a competition with a hope that l my name would be picked as one out 120 writers who writes for literacy book.

Today is the abm announcement day. I found my name wasn't stated there. It tore my heart. Is it because my writing low in quality? Is my writing not accepted by the competition committee? Many questions filled my head. This fact makes me reluctant to write another book to join a competition in ministerial of education. The theme is related to humans.

I imagine it will be more painful when again l fail and cause myself names me as one who has no ability im writing. My dream to be a writer ends.

Yet,  when l look back at the general experience.  Many people try more than once to gain what they want. I joined the competition once and l did not write seriously feels very frustrated to learn the fact that my writing is not categorized as nominee. I give up too easily.

Perhaps l must ask myself what l am looking for and search whether l do not satisfy with what l had reached so far. For some people, maybe, l must be a person who had many things to thank to. As l small teacher l could join many government activities and make me a little different from teachers in general.

Apart from all those reasons l wrote above and all logical things, this sad feeling is very real. I feel as if l have no tears that can depict my failure. I do not train myself to loose.  I always told myself to be strong and try my best.

Now, l only can swallow this bitter feeling alone.  I don't have any courage even to pronounce a sentence that tells my name is not on the list.
I must learn that perhaps l don't have a talent for writing l always think all these time.

The Invention makes life easier

Report teks adalah teks yang berisi penjelasan tentang benda, barang, hewan, fenomena sosial, atau fenomena alam. Yang akan kita pelajari hari ini, tentang benda dan barang. Kita akan mempelajari bagaimana benda atau barang itu secara detil mulai dari namanya, ciri-cirinya, bagian-bagiannya, sejarahnya, dan hal-hal lain yang membuat benda tersebut dapat kita ketahui secara jelas bagaimana benda tersebut bisa hadir dalam kehidupan manusia.

Semua benda yang digunakan manusia umumnya hasil teknologi sederhana juga teknologi canggih. Report yang akan kita pelajari adalah benda yang membantu memudahkan kehidupan manusia, buah karya teknologi.

Perhatikan di sekeliling kehidupan kita: hape, headset, televisi, lemari pakaian, kursi, gedung sekolah, semua benda tersebut adalah contoh barang hasil produk teknologi. Setiap benda tersebut memiliki fungsi tertentu.

Untuk menjelaskan bahwa benda memiliki kegunaan,  kita dapat menggunakan pola kalima:1)  infinitive: is/are used to ... atau 2) gerund: is/are used for ....
Contoh
Scissors are used to cut paper or cloth.
Scissor are used for cutting paper or cloth.
A juicer is used to make fruit or vegetable juice.
A juicer is used for making fruit or vegetable juice.
Perhatikan: setelah to diikuti kata kerja dasar (cut, make), setelah for diikuti kata kerja berakhiran ing (cutting, making).

Sekarang,  carilah 5 benda hasil teknologi dan buatlah penjelasan kegunaannya dengan menggunakan kedu pola kalimat di atas.

Setelah itu selesai,  buatlah tabel sebanyak 5 kolom dan masukkan Gadgets, cleaning supplies, Home appliances, tools, office suplies.
Di bawah setiap kolom, tulislah 10 benda yang sesuai.  Contoh: kolom: home appliences, isinya: magic jar,  blender, juicer, etc.

Perhatikan bahwa setiap benda yang ada di sekeliling kita bisa dijelaskan cara kerjanya. Misalnya rice cooker.
This appliance consists of a removable bowl. Beneath is a heater and a thermostat. A pring pushes the thermostat against the bottom of the bowl for good thermal contact.  During cooking, it is heated at full power. By the end of cooking, there will be no free water left. This appliance is used for cooking rice.

Now, kamu pilih dua dari benda yang tadi dibuat pada kolom, buatlah penjelasan seperti di atas, seperti yang untuk rice cooker. Caranya, kamu tulis penjelasannya, tapi jangan sebutkan bendanya, seperti untuk tebak-tebakan. Maka untuk menggantikan bendanya kamu tulis "this appliance, this  tool, this gadget, dll sesuai jenis yang ditulis pada kolom atas.

Coba lakukan permainan tebak-tebakan. Kamu bergantian ke depan, bacakan penjelasannya, minta temanmu menebak benda apa yang sedang kamu jelaskan. Teman-temanmu harus menulis jawaban tebakan pada buku, jika benar nilainya 1, jika salah nilainya min 1.
Lakukan permainan ini dengan serius.  Untuk bukti, tolong ada siswa yang merekam momen tebak-tebakan. Jangan semuanya, cukup 2 atau 3 saja. Simpan videonya. Nanti kirim ke tugassiswa818@gmail.com, tulis subject: Report MP4.

Itu tugas untuk hari ini.
Have fun, see you next week.
I am in Pekanbaru sharing how to implement Curriculum 2013 for teachers here.
Let's study together and be independent learners.

Jum'at Wada

Guyuran hujan seolah menjadi pertanda rizki tertumpah bagi para siswa kelas 12 SMAN 2 Cianjur yang sedang menghabiskan hari terakhir dalam proses pembelajaran. Jum'at, 6 April 2018 menjadi hari terakhir bertemu dengan para guru di kelas karena mulai Senin, 9 April 2018 mereka akan mengikuti Ujian Nasional. Setelah ujian nasional, para siswa tidak lagi bertemu di dalam kelas secara akademik, namun bisa saja bertemu di sekolah dengan jadwal yang disepakati untuk persiapan meraih impian masuk ke Perguruan Tinggi.

Perjalanan siswa SMA sampai di kelas 12 di bulan April ini merupakan perjalanan panjang.
Rangkaian yang dilaluinya bukan sebentar. Tiga tahun ditambah dengan berbagai macam pembelajaran dan penilaian termasuk yang mereka laksanaan di bulan Maret kemarin adalah ujian praktek dan ujian sekolah.

Sebagai evaluasi terhadap kegiatan yang menentukan kelulusan siswa yaitu Ujian Sekolah, tersiar kabar bahwa soal yang dijadikan alat ukur penguasaan materi ajar, bocor. Kepala SMAN 2 Cianjur, dalam sambutan acara pembekalan sebelum UN, menyayangkan para siswa yang tergoda menggunakan kunci jawaban, dan akhirnya memperoleh nilai dengan cara yang curang. Untuk SMAN 2 Cianjur, antisipasi terhadap kebocoran soal, pihak sekolah melakukan pengacakan soal sehingga tidak sama dengan paket-paket yang disediakan dari provinsi.

Kepala sekolah memberikan jaminan bahwa untuk mengikuti UN para siswa akan mendapatkan haknya walaupun bisa saja ada siswa yang masih terkendala secara administrasi. Selanjutnya beliau mengharapkan agar 360 orang siswa kelas 12 tahun ini diharapkan lulus semuanya.

Hasil UN tidak menjadi penentu kelulusan siswa, namun diharapkan agar siswa mengerjakan soal secara sungguh-sungguh agar nanti tidak harus mengulang UN. Tahun lalu ada beberapa siswa yang melalukan UN ulangan karena nilainya belum memenuhi kriteria yang ditentukan oleh universitas yang menerimanya.

Jumat, 6 April 2018 menjadi Jumat perpisahan bagi para siswa kelas 12 SMAN 2 Cianjur. Mengisi acara perpisahan ini pihak sekolah menyediakan kegiatan berupa salam sapa dengan guru. Para siswa dan guru saling curhat, saling menyemangati untuk keberhasilan di masa datang. Para siswa semoga mencapai impiannya yaitu mendapatkan kursi di universitas, sedangkan para guru semoga tetap sehat, terus berkarya, terus jadi dirinya sehingga tetap jadi idola siswanya.