Happy Learner

Lima tahun vakum dari kegiatan mengajar di sekolah, begitu balik lagi.. wah, ternyata ibarat mesin, ada banyak karat nih.

After absent from teaching in kindergarten for five years.. yow, if I were a machine, there were many rust on me.

Tapi sebelum karat-karat itu saya tulis, flashback dulu ah.. bentar aja kok, dikit, cuma info buat yang baru baca postingan ini dan tidak ngikutin ceritanya dari awal.

But before I write about those rusts, let's have a flashback, shall we?.. just a quick brief one to inform the readers who read this post and didn't follow the story from the beginning.

14 September saya cuti. Iseng mampir ke TK tempat saya dulu mengajar dari tahun 2005-2011. Mumpung cuti, mumpung lagi tidak jalan-jalan, mumpung kebetulan lagi ada di dekat situ.. yah, apa salahnya mampir, hitung-hitung ketemu sama teman-teman di sana.

I was on my leave on 14 September. I stopped by at the kindergarten where I taught from 2005-2011. I was on leave, I didn't go traveling, I just happened around the neighborhood.. so why not dropping by to see some old friends there.

"Ke, ngajar lagi dong di sini" kata teman saya yang mengajar kelas Playgroup "Lagi butuh guru bahasa Inggris".

"Why don't you teach again here, Keke" said my friend who teaches Playgroup "There is a vacant position as English teacher".

.. cerita rincinya baca deh di postingan berjudul We Need You, Teacher (26 September 2016)

.. details can be read in my post under the title We Need You, Teacher (26 September 2016).

Jadi saya mulai mengajar lagi di sana mulai hari Selasa, 20 September. Cuma seminggu sekali. Mengajar di dua kelas, TK A dan TK B.

So I teach again in there starting Tuesday, 20 September. Just once a week. Teaching two classes, in the class for children age 4-5 years and the other is the class for the 5-6 years olds.

Kayak apa rasanya mengajar lagi di sekolah setelah vakum lima tahun? Wih, seru deh pokoknya. Rasa-rasa kayak pertama kali masuk sekolah. Ya semangat, deg-degan, lucu, bingung, demam panggung.. haha.. cerita panjang kali lebarnya ada di postingan saya yang judulnya Back to School (28 September 2016) dan A Teacher's Happiness (10 October 2016).

What is it like to teach again in school after five years of absence? Oh, it's one hell of an experience. It was like going to school for the first time. I was excited, nervous, hillarious, confuse, stage fever.. haha.. all the stories can be read in Back to School (28 September 2016) and A Teacher's Happiness (10 October 2016).

Jadi di postingan ini saya mau cerita pengalaman ketiga saya mengajar. Ada beberapa hal yang terjadi pada hari Selasa, 4 Oktober ini yang bikin saya sadar, ibarat mesin, ada beberapa hal dalam diri saya yang jadi berkarat karena lima tahun vakum mengajar di sekolah.

So in this post I want to share you my third times teaching. There were things happened on this Tuesday, 4 October that made me realized, if I were a machine, there are few things in me that got rusty following my five years of absence as school teacher.

* * * * *

Mm.. nak, nama kamu siapa deh?

Um.. kid, what's your name again?

Lupa! Gila bener dah ah.. gue kok bisa lupa lagi nama anak-anak ini?

I forgot! Darn.. how could I keep forgetting these kids' names?

Di TK A ada 17 anak. TK B ada 24.

There are 17 kids in the class for the 4-5 years olds and 24 kids in the class for the 5-6 year olds.

17 + 24 = 41

Ok, sometimes numbers do confuse us

41 nama. 41 muka. Duileeee...

41 names. 41 faces. OMG!!..

Kalau pertama atau kedua kali.. ok lah, bisa dimaklumi kalau saya belum hapal nama-nama mereka. Tapi ini kali yang ketiga.. dan saya masih belum bisa ingat juga.. halah mak! Tapi omong-omong, mereka kok tampangnya pada mirip ye? Hahaha..

Ok, I remember her name.. this is Nikita 

The first or the second time.. well, it's understandable if I couldn't remember their names. But it's my third times there.. and I still can't remember it.. man! By the way, why is it they seem to look a like? Hahaha..

Pagi ini misalnya, saya melihat ke arah Nadine dan memanggilnya "Nadine.."

This morning for example, I looked at Nadine and called her "Nadine.."

"Ini Abi, bu" kata Talita sambil nyengir.

"This is Abi, miss" said Talita, grinned broadly.

Yahhh ampun, gue lupa lagi yang mana Nadine, yang mana Abi. Saya nyengir malu.

Oh nooo, I forgot again which one is Nadine and which one is Abi. I grinned in my embarrassement.

Beberapa menit kemudian.. "Rio, maju dong".. pikir saya, saya tahu siapa yang namanya Rio. Eh.. eh, tapi kok yang maju anak lain? Perasaan saya, yang namanya Rio kan yang itu..

Few minutes later.. "Rio, could you please come here".. I thought I knew which one was Rio. Er.. um, but howcome it was another kid who came forward? I thought, Rio was that kid there..

"Itu Sahat, bu" seru beberapa anak sekaligus.

"That's Sahat, miss" few kids chorused in unison.

Halah!! Saya spontan ngakak. Seisi kelas pun ikut tertawa, entah menertawakan saya atau karena tawa saya menular pada mereka.

Geez!! I bursted out my laugh. The whole class laughed, either they laughed at me or my laugh was contagious.

Anak TK B? Oh, jangan tanya deh nama-nama mereka. Saya total lupa nama mereka.. hehe.. iya, serius. Saya masuk kelas mereka setelah selesai mengajar di TK A dan saya tidak ingat satu pun nama mereka padahal seminggu sebelumnya saya sudah berhasil mengingat setidaknya sepuluh nama. Hari ini total blank.

The kids in the class for the 5-6 year olds? Oh, don't ask me their names. I have completely forgot their names.. lol.. yes, seriously. I got into their class once I was done in the class for the 4-5 year olds and I couldn't remember any of their names where a week ago I could remember at least ten names. I was completely blank today.

Waduh, gimana dong nih? pikir saya rada senewen. Soalnya saya membiasakan untuk menyalami mereka satu persatu dengan menyebut nama masing-masing. Ini cara untuk melatih mereka mendengar dan merespon salam atau pertanyaan dalam bahasa Inggris. Misalnya, saya akan menghampiri anak lelaki bernama Ferry dan menyalaminya "Good morning, Ferry" dan dia akan menjawab "Good morning, teacher" atau saya akan menghampiri anak perempuan bernama Stephany dan bertanya "How are you, Phanny?" dan anak itu akan menjawab "I'm fine, teacher, thank you"

Oh man, what should I do? I nervously thought to myself. It's because I have started a habit to greet them personally by calling each kid's name. It's to train them to listen and respond greetings or question in English. So for example, I approach a boy named Ferry and greet him "Good morning, Ferry" and he answers me "Good morning, teacher" or I approach a girl named Stephany and ask "How are you, Phanny?" and the kid answers "I'm fine, teacher, thank you"

Anak-anak itu suka sekali disalami dan ditanyai begini. Apalagi karena saya melakukannya sambil bernyanyi. Saya suka melihat muka-muka mereka yang menatap saya penuh semangat dan juga ingin tahu kapan saya akan menghampiri mereka dan salam atau pertanyaan apa yang akan saya berikan pada mereka.

They like to be greeted and asked like that. Especially because I did that as I sang. I loved to see their faces looking at me excitedly and also curious to know when would I come to them and greet or ask them.

Pagi itu saya berdiri di depan kelas, menatap mereka dan menyadari kalau.. saya tidak ingat satu pun nama mereka!

That morning I stood infront of the class, looked at them and realized that.. I didn't remember their names!

Aha! Tuhan memberi saya ide. Saya hampiri seorang anak, menunduk ke depannya, menatap matanya dengan lembut, memegang pipinya sambil tersenyum dan menyalaminya "Good morning, pretty girl, anak manis" dan mata anak perempuan itu langsung bersinar cerah.

Ah! God gave me an idea. I walked toward a kid, bent over her, gently looked her into her eyes, held her cheek as I smiled and greeted her "Good morning, pretty girl" and her eyes shone brightly.

Sambil berkata begitu selintas saya mencuri pandang ke tempat pensilnya karena tempat pensil mereka ditulisi nama. Masalah terselesaikan dan seisi kelas gembira karena hari itu saya tidak hanya menghampiri, menyalami dan menyebut nama mereka tapi juga memanggil mereka dengan sebutan 'anak manis, cantik, ganteng'.

As I spoke those words I peeked her pencil case because each kid has his/her name written on his/her pencil case. The problem was solved and the whole class was happy because I didn't just approached, greeted and called by their names, I also addressed them 'cutie, pretty, handsome'.

Mereka tidak menyadari bahwa mereka belajar lebih banyak dan lebih mudah dalam suasana hati gembira dan tentram.

They didn't realize that they learned a lot and easier when they are happy and at ease.

Terima kasih, Tuhan..

Thank you, God..

* * * * *

Bu Keke, Reta mau pipis..

Miss Keke, Reta needs to pee..

"Bu, saya mau bayar listrik dulu ya" Teteh berseru dari depan pintu ruang kelas TK A.

"I'm going to pay power bills" Teteh said that from infront of the door of the 4-5 year olds classroom.

Saya mengangguk. Tidak menduga ketidakhadirannya dan hal yang terjadi selanjutnya akan bikin saya bingung.

I nodded. Not knowing her absence and what happened next would give me the headache.

Saya sedang asyik-asyik mengajar ketika tiba-tiba seorang anak kecil terisak-isak.

I was enjoying teaching the class when suddenly a kid sobbed.

Wow, ada apa ini?

Wow, what's this?

"Kenapa, sayang?" saya menghampirinya.

"What is it, dear?" I came to her.

Wah, ditanya begitu dia malah jadi nangis beneran.

Ow ow, she cried upon hearing my question.

"Reta mau papa" katanya "Reta mau pipis"

"Reta wants papa" she said "Reta wants to pee"

Aduh!

OMG!

Papanya kan cuma ngantar dia dan langsung pergi lagi tadi (saya tidak tahu kalau papanya belon pergi dan lagi ada di kelas Playgroup).

Her father just drove her to school and left afterward (I didn't know her father hasn't left and was in the Playgroup classroom).

"Jangan nangis dong, Reta" bujuk saya lembut sementara otak saya berputar. Saya harus mengantarkan anak ini ke kamar mandi tapi itu artinya meninggalkan kelas tanpa ada guru lain yang bisa mengawasi. Mana si teteh pergi pula. Waduh, gawat nih, coy... eikke mesti gimana dong??

"Now, don't cry, Reta" I soothed her gently while my mind moved fast. I would have to take this kid to the restroom but it means leaving the class without any supervision from other teacher. Teteh has left too. Oh man, what should I do?

"Nak, saya mau antar Reta ke kamar mandi dulu ya" kata saya pada anak-anak di kelas itu.

"Kids, I need to take Reta to the restroom, okay" I spoke to the kids in the room.

Tanpa menunggu jawaban lagi saya langsung menggandeng tangan Reta, membimbingnya keluar kelas. Saya harus cepat tapi di depan anak ini saya tidak boleh menampakkan ketergesaan saya. Dia sedang gelisah. Dia memang ingin pipis tapi ada hal lain yang bikin anak ini gelisah. Saya tidak tahu apa itu tapi yang pasti saya tidak boleh menambah-nambah kegelisahannya. Jadi saya bersikap dan berbicara dengan tenang padanya.

Without waiting for any reply I took Reta's hand, guided her out of the class. I had to be quick but I couldn't show her my urgeness. She was restless. Yes, she wanted to pee but there was something else that made her anxious. I had no idea what it was but one thing for sure I didn't want to make her more anxious. So I acted and talked calmly to her.

Saya pegang tangannya, saya menolong dia naik ke kloset, saya menunggui dia pipis, saya ceboki dia dan selama itu saya tetap bicara dengan lembut selama proses itu berlangsung walaupun dia tidak menjawab. Tapi setidaknya dia jadi tenang dan berhenti menangis.

I held her hand, I helped her got up to the watercloset, I waited next to her while she peed, I washed her and I kept talking gently to her during the whole thing though she didn't said a word. Well, at least it calmed her and she stopped crying.

Kami kembali ke kelas dan saya lega melihat enam belas anak yang saya tinggal di sana ternyata tenang-tenang saja. Terima kasih banget, Tuhan.

We returned to the classroom and I was so relieved to see the sixteen kids I left there were calm. Thank you so much, God.

Tapi peristiwa itu membawa kembali ingatan saya pada apa yang saya kerjakan selama enam tahun menjadi guru TK. Menjadi guru yang juga berperan sebagai orang tua bagi para murid itu.

But that moment brought back my memory of what I have done in my six years as kindergarten teacher. Being a teacher who played the role as parents to the students.

* * * * *

"Kamu masih ingat pelajaranmu waktu kuliah dulu?" tanya Andre setelah membaca draft postingan ini.

"Do you remember your subjects back in college?" asked Andre after he read the draft of this post.

"Ya nggaklah. Itu kan sudah lama banget" saya tertawa "Ilmunya sudah beku di otak"

"Of course not. It was a long time ago" I laughed "They're all frozed in my brain"

"Jadi kamu harus menyegarkan ingatanmu dengan baca-baca lagi text book supaya kamu ingat" dia menatap saya.

"So you have to refresh your memory by reading your old text book" he stared at me.

"Intinya adalah.." saya tersenyum mengetahui dia sedang ingin mengatakan sesuatu melalui analogi itu.

"The point is.." I smiled knowing he was trying to say something through that analogy.

"Lima tahun kamu tidak mengajar di sekolah dan Tuhan mengembalikan kamu ke sekolah. Kamu selalu menyimpan keyakinan bahwa kamu akan kembali mengajar di sekolah. Saya melihat begitu keras kepalanya kamu mempertahankan imanmu itu. Tidak sekali pun kamu pernah melepaskan keyakinanmu itu biar pun selama lima tahun ini lamaranmu ke sekolah-sekolah tidak pernah ada yang nyangkut"

"You have left your post as school teacher for five years and God put you back in school. You have always had that faith that you would be back to that post. I have seen your stubborn faith. You have never let it go though your applications to schools were with no avail"

Saya tersenyum. Dia benar.

I smiled. He is right.

"Ini lebih dari sekedar iman dan impian. Tuhan tidak hanya telah menjawab doa kamu dan memberikan apa yang kamu imankan. Dia sedang memanaskan mesinmu sebelum Dia memberikan apa yang selalu kamu inginkan"

"This is more than faith and dream. God is not just answered your prayers and gave you what you believed. He is warming up your machine before He gives you what you have always wanted"

"Sekolah" bisik saya "Saya akan punya TK, SD, SMP, SMA dan bahkan universitas"

"School" I wishpered "I will have my own kindergarten, secondary school, junior high school, highschool and even university"

"Tuhan telah mengajarkan ke kamu semua yang perlu kamu tahu selama kurun waktu sebelas tahun ini" Andre memeluk saya "Bukan waktu yang pendek dan bukan masa-masa yang indah. Tapi semua berharga. Dan sekarang waktunya sudah tiba"

"God has taught you everything you needed to know in these eleven years" Andre hugged me "It's not a short period of time and it's unpleasant. But it's all worth it. And now time has come"

Saya bergelung hangat dalam pelukannya.

I curled in the warmth of his arms.

Ya, waktunya sudah tiba. Sekaranglah saatnya.

Yes, it's here. It is now.

Terima kasih, Tuhan..

Thank you, God..