SuperTeacher

What are some important qualities of a good school teacher? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important.

The SuperTeacher

Most of school teacher are an ordinary teacher. An ordinary teacher teaches the same way that their teacher taught. Average teacher reads textbook, show presentation slide, show problem example then they test their student with exam. After the exam, an average teacher grades their students work then the “study” finished. It will be repeated next year and the year after, it will be repeated in many countries again and again.
Since the endpoint of student’s lesson is grade, it is hardly surprising that students learn just to get a good grade for their exam. Student learns that they need to make a good grade, to pass to college, get a degree, and then it will be a ticket for a decent living. It is common that after college, people never learn again. It is no longer extraordinary that an elementary student had better and wider knowledge than their adult counterpart.
A very interesting TV show has pointed this fact. An adult person is contested with elementary school student with elementary education lesson. Both of them are asked with question like, “What is the name of a continent that also being a name for a country?” or question like “Who is the first president of USA?”The adult answer,” Well the name of continent is Asia, Africa, America, Australia but I wonder which one is the answer”. It is not difficult to guess who won the contest.
The problem is not that the adult is stupid. In contrary, he is capable to graduate from his college with a good result. The problem is that he considers his entire lesson as an obstacle to his real life. But it is not his mistakes, his teachers taught that if he made a good grade then he could enter prestigious college and getting rewarding job. This kind of thinking is not bad, but it is very misleading. Education is meant to be an intimacy with great ideas. Education meant to be a window to the world science, art, and cultural heritage, not just something you do to make a living.
I met one teacher with an excellent understanding of this principle. One of his students is gifted in music. He is a very talented musician and he plan to make music as his life pursuit. However, no student in his school can graduate without a good score in mathematics. Unfortunately, how can he score well in math? He does not even like number. Math is big but meaningless obstacle for him. Frustrated, he met his math teacher. The student inquired, “Why should I need to learn math? I do not need them in my music!” His teacher said, “Well, you don’t need them in your music. However, please tell me: how could you tell how much you need to earn for your living? How could you tell how much you spend in your credit, insurance, payroll, daily need?” The student quickly retorted, “I could employ my accountant to do that!” The teacher laughed, “Well, how could you understand your accountant if you don’t understand math at all?”
The student then understood an important point. Even thought his lesson seems meaningless, it is all interconnected. We need to share a wide and diverse understanding of how world work. Education is meant as a platform to open your understanding to world diversity. An absolute important thing for teacher is his/her capability to open the vision of his student. He/her should not only teach about arcane academic theory but also life practical application. He/her should be a facilitator for his student to open their mind and expand their horizon. A good teacher should taught by example not only by textbook.
Well, can you be a good teacher? Sure, you can do it!

Ari Bimo Prakoso
Teknik Fisika – Physics Engineering

Tugas GPS

Sore ini lagi kurang beruntung. Kemarin da tugas GPS mapping di gedung Teknik Fisika. Setelah berjam-jam utak atik receiver, ternyata salah sambungin kabel. Waktu udah berhasil dinyalakan, eh port nya laptop rusak. Padahal udah terlanjur gak ikut kelas matlab,.. Sorenya mau pinjam laptop orang eh ternyata keburu pergi.. terpaksa ditunda dulu.....

Ari Bimo Prakoso
Teknik Fisika - Physics Engineering

If you could change one important thing about your country, what would you change?

National pride is the most important thing for any country. A nation without a pride is like a body without a soul, like a morning without a sun. Indonesia is a strong maritime nation with diverse cultural heritage. Our ancestor has traveled through the sea India, Arab, China, even Madagascar thousand years ago. They were skilled seafarer and trader, which were the heart of our ancient economy.
Diverse religion, culture, language has coexisted in our nation from thousands of years ago. We were the strongest and the biggest nation in South East Asia. However, hundreds of years ago a traveler from foreign countries has colonized and occupied our nation. During era of colonization, our country is weakened and divided. Our national confident in self independent was waned and we had assumed belief that we are inferior to any foreign countries.
Today, Indonesia has achieved its political independence with its own people self determination. Nevertheless, the inferiority feeling still remained in the memory of our people. Our people have many self-deprecation humors that laugh at our nation weakness.
This how one of self-deprecation jokes told…. One day, a military officer of foreign countries is in charge of territorial security. A sophisticated Russian Unmanned Airplane crossed the border. The officer ordered his man to shoot it down…..Boom! The Russian plane is destroyed. A moment later an advanced American Stealth Airplane cross the border. The officer ordered his man to shoot it down…..Boom! The American plane is destroyed. A moment later, an Indonesian Made Airplane crossed the border. The soldier waited for an order to attack. However, the military officer ignored the present of Indonesia Airplane. The soldier is curious, “Sir, why don’t we shoot em down?” The officer laugh, “Ha, just wait for a moment, their plane would fall even if we didn’t shoot it.”
You get the point. This kind of jokes is numerous, and they were a strong indicator of how the feeling of inferiority to foreign countries technology or cultures still remained in our society. This kind of feeling, prevent our people from harnessing the full potential of our national power.
I do not intend to laugh at my nation weakness. I strongly belief that my nation capable to be competitive in global environment. Some influential person in my nation has proved this. An Indonesian professor was convinced that, an Indonesian physicist will able to win on IPhO (International Physics Olympiad). He did not just dream, he trained our national best students to compete in International Physics Olympiad. For the first few years, we failed miserably. He did not surrender; he persisted on training the students to win. He even quitted his job to focus in his believe. His struggle is not in vain. At 2006, we won 4 gold medals and one of our students has been the world IPhO champion. Now, he is preparing to train our physicist to win noble prize for physics. I am personally waiting for that.
Despite positive facts, our national pride still weak. We cannot change the inferiority feeling easily. I strongly recommend making a national day for National Pride. At that time we will celebrate our annual national achievement. By that, I hope that the people of our nation to be motivated and fight for the pride of our nation. It will be the change that we need.

Ari Bimo Prakoso
Teknik Fisika - Physics Engineering
Instrumentasi (Instrumentation)
Energi Terbarukan (Renewable Energy)