Working with CHILDREN = Working with LOVE

I am a teacher. My jobs demand me to keep in touch with children. Actually not all of my students are children. Some of them are teens and even adults. Each aging has its own characteristics. Children with all of their naïf, teens with their puberty, and adult with all of their rigidness.

From three age level, I found that working with children is the most spending energy. I have to control them well in order that I can transfer my knowledge effectively. At the first time I taught children, I often use a loud voice to make them silence. But I found it didn’t work. After I shout at them, a minute later they will make another noise. Wow!!! That makes me exhausted. I was frustrated.

After some classes with the same madness in the class and succeeded making me go mad,

I tried to find out what’s wrong with my students. But I was wrong. The real question is not what’s wrong with them, but what’s wrong with me. The next day, I tried other approaches for them. I read some books about children. I read Torey Hayden’s books. She is great teacher. I read children psychology and many more. I did it until now. So many things I found and it is not enough for me and them.

Guess what??? From many books, reports, article, and discussions I feel I catch one important part that’s always are in every effort I had. LOVE is dominated. I must love my children if I want they love me. I must give them love if I want they give me love too. I must teach them with love if I want they accept my lessons with love. Let them know that we love them and they will let me know that they love me too.

Talking about love, means you have to know your students. Try to memorize their name at least, it will make them feel they are respected. Don’t ever have a gold boy. They are all the same. They need my attention proportionally not too much, not too less. Trust them but keep on observing them. Follow their way and their changes.

Working with children makes me better now. I can smile even when I’m angry. I feel no tired in my day even when I spend my day in the classes. Working with children gives me a lot of experiences, a lot of lessons of life, a lot of fun, and of course a lot of love.

A cHoiCHe

Teman saya baru saja mengundurkan diri dari perusahaan t4 saya dan dia bekerja.
Sedih juga rasanya kehilangan teman seperti dia. Tapi saya benar menghormati pilihan dia. Selama ini dia banyak mengeluh tentang kerjanya, hidupnya, bahkan tak jarang dia menghabiskan seharian kerja sambil 'maaf' mengomel. Dia bilang dia merasa jenuh, dan tak berkembang.

Hidup ini PILIHAN sodara2ku sekalian.

Dalam situasi apa pun kita mesti dihadapkan pada beberapa pilihan. Tapi tidak jarang Pilihan lah yang memilih kita. Dalam keadaan terjepit, bukan kita lagi yang memilih, tapi Allah yang memilihkan untuk kita. Dan saya yakin itu adalah yang terbaik.

Untuk teman saya dimana pun kamu berada, saya percaya kamu telah memilih yang terbaik, atu pilihan terbaik lah yang telah memilihmu. Dan dibalik semua itu pasti ada hikmah yang bisa kita petik.