The Best Experience ever in White Elephant's land

The thrid weeks of this program, I had teaching in three classes. First day I teached in Prathom 1/2 about number operation. Actually Ajahn Win also helped me to lead the students. This day ajahn thitaree saw my teaching since she wanna observate and gived her comment about my class, so I can improve my teaching. In the next classes, I had uses ajahn thitaree’s suggestion, and it works. The students can understanding well my explain. Beside that I combined two languages in once. First, I was speaking english then follow by thailand language when the student get confused about my explain. As the solution, I used several methods which little bit explain by word but the students can exploration their idea. But I have to learned thailand based language during my class since I just teach in low level classes. Some students has know basic vocabulary, but they can’t use it well, and the other students didn’t know at all. I think They just need to get more guidance without any pressure and force while get learning with slow and by seeing their cognitive development level.

Today I thought in Fang’s class, before that I got some extra energy when I knew I would teaching in Prathom 1/3. Because I always excited when teaching in fang’s class. During the study process, I tried to not make fang as my first priority in classroom, even his behaviour still not good enough but his habit like suddenly lay down on the floors has decreasing and its like he's never done that anymore. Now, fang can make count over 20. He also has learn to not obey the basic rule. During the lesson process he seems quite attentive and do the task that he got. Fang's talent on art has attracting the teachers attention now. He got appreciate and equally treatment with other students. I hope, this situation would continue since fang still in first grade

Next class is prathom 2/2. I thought geometri subject. It's Little bit harder cause I had to explain many things on this subject. The difficulty is on the different language between us. That differences make me confuse in the end. Finally I made a mini game about basic geometry, through that methods I success make all students active in the class. 10 minutes last in prathom 2/2.Mey is VRU college student who also doing a practice teaching come and give information that ajahn araya wants to met me in his office. I and my friend who helped me teaching promise that will confirm come at 16.00 p.m after the class over. But first I have to get permission from ajahn titharee as my guidance teacher.

 

cooperative

Finally after I get the permission, I running to the office ajahn aranya and met her. Ajahn aranya told me that he want to seeing my teaching schedule. When he saw it, he asked how many class that I already teach, and I said 'I got 7 classes'. She shocked and said I supposed to focused only 2 classes with 8 hours in teaching in one week. It's so different with before which 22 hours in one week.

In that office not only ajahn aranya but there are 2 other lectures which is ajahn kate and ajahn bandit. First time i heard name ajahn bandit, I shocked  but after got explanation about bandit in thailand means wisdom man, I also know that the pronoun is bandid not bandit. Ajahn bandid and ajahn kate are supervisor of me, fatimah, and nelly, which is also we in the same institution, satit valaya alongkorn.

They discuss about my schedule that have too many time and could drain my energy, and I still have other activity outside of the school. Finally they askes me to choice 2 classes that I want to teach. So I point prathom 1/2 and 1/3 because there is a challenger from Fang. They also confirm that in the thursday the class would be visited by the supervisor. I'm so shock to hear it. They also asked us to send all of our lesson plan before we teach in the next day. So in the night on the same day, me and fatimah were go to the cafe room in the campus VRU to send the whole lesson plan and prepared out material for a week because there was a change on my subject and class that would I thought.

Tuesday, I thought just like usually but I started the class with warming up, it's chicken dance with all student in the class, so the students can enjoy to accept the lesson. It's clearly have a good effect cause when I asking a question, they quickly answer it. A theory “open the gate, the reptil's brain gate so you can easy to control their limbik brain”. I continue the lesson with guess the values games. I separated them into 3 group with each group had 1 marker. Than, with alternately from number to number. Changing the question for each group, and they still enthusiast to follow the game. They jumping and running to get to the board and write the answer even they just wanted to help their friends. A good class is a class that so loud cause a lesson activities. In the end of the lesson process, I gave them a task to evaluated the student’s knowledge and finally they can make the task by their own without any much question to the teacher.

I Got news from my friend in ayuthayta that the students there wants to learn a traditional dance from Makassar (Indonesia). I was suprised and excited. My friends is Sulaiman told me that I would taken in VRU around 14.00 p.m. So after the class is over, I went to the dormitory for make a preparation. I got picked up by the teacher in ayuthayya. She wear a scout uniform. I could easily recognize her because as it were in every monday the school had scout club schedule.

So I got to ayuthayya by a school car. Finally I arrived in school named Wangnoi phanomyong Witthaya  School. I got warm greetings and kindly. I got lead to a room with a huge glass in front. Through that glass, I can saw the shadow of the student sitting while waiting me came. I get inside and soon introducing my self. I give short explanation about the names and the meaning of the dance that I will represented, that is about the attitude of womans in south sulawesi are soft, nice, beautiful and courteus, beside this dance is one of famous dances in Indonesia. Next I explain to the students step by step of the dance

The dance that I will represented is tulolonna sulawesi. I had bring this dance when my brother wedding. But this time time I should cut the half of this dance till 3 minutes 20 sec Short. The reason behind that is, because the practice time only few days and my time being in here just 2 hours. They asked me to dance alone first so they could see and take tape on my dance. Than I draw a pattern of their movements on the huge glass in front of them. With a code number each students. I got a chance to saw the traditional outfit from thailand. Those outfit consist of long cloth wound to cover all body until the lower leg. Its unique and interested.

At 16.45 I asked time to pray. When I finished pray, one of the teacher asked about the motion I made just now. Than I explain that was the motion us “muslim” pray to our Lord/God/ “Allah”. That teacher asked again did every people in Indonesia do it or not ?. I said no, but every muslim in the world do that. She surprised and keep asking until she asked about “what kind of prayer that I send?”. And I just said “verse in al-qur'an and according to our religion”. I end up this day with felling so happy cause I could conduct my hobby and talent in dance other country. I so proud as Indonesian

Wednesday. I though in prathom 1/2. I remade a games but with other method, which I was giving them some papers in each group than I asked them to work together and wrote the answer of the question. In the first time they got score 100, but if they late to collect their answer. They will lose 5 points. Finally this method was success.

Thursday. In this day I would got supervised. I was so nervous. I prayed. I asked blessing from my parents and other friends. Finally, I went to school and followed the school ceremony at 8.20 a.m. sharp, I came into prathom 1/3 followed by the supervisor team. In first 5 minutes I got nervous but as soon as that time I felt better than I took a deep breath and pretend that now I was teaching like usual without a supervisor. At least I could deal with unnervous. I used make a match method. I asked the students to sticking the answer in the right side of the question in a group. Then we count the result together. The students looked so enthusiastic to count their result. I gave them a task in individual to check their own knowledge. 15 minutes before the lesson over, the supervisor team excuses to leave and visit my other friends in mathayom. I got told to leave and got some reflextion in their room at 11.00 a.m. finally I pass the lunch time and hurry up to the education faculty for reflextion.

After a few minutes, I entered their room. They told me that they like my style in teaching, its looks like everything has prepared well. The students like the lesson process. But sometimes I didn't use a body language so that make the students less in understanding their lesson. My board management has gotten better but my time management was less 5 minutes. Over all they enjoy the process that represents.

Friday, I thought in 2 class which is prathon 1/2 and 1/3 with number operation subject. By putting a games in the lesson process, I revived the classroom situation durin the mathematic subject. Students played games 'make a match by line'. And they seems enthusiast to do it. I recheck their knowledge with giving a task in board. I felt sick after teaching. I got throatache. Finally ajahn titharee suggest to take rest on school clinic. After got medicine and rest, my condition got little good, then I got back to the dormitory. In the night I got fever, than I had went to the tesure cafe to get meal. After that, I know exactly that I got flu for the second times in thailand. I hope I could get well soon before back to Indonesia consider I had to follow my lecture schedule.