It only takes ten minutes for me to walk through this long road that connected Center Street and Weld Street. But sometimes three minutes is enough for me– if I did too many things at home before I left home– I must run as fast as I can to catch the 7.03 am-bus: the 36-Bus.
This 10-minutes road — I like to affix this quote to the willow street– always provide enough time for me to think about many things. Sometimes, there are too many things clutter in my head that I feel confused hehe..^__^ which theme should I write first on my blog.
Certainly, today I walked out of my 36-Bus at 11.40 am through the same road–The willow street–and I thought about one thing that I felt when I was teaching at the Holy Quran class this morning. It’s about the value behind the teaching process.
Well, I graduated from civil engineering. I didn’t have any experience in official or joined the special training in order to be a real teacher or a real instructor– I didn’t count my previous job as an assistant on some lectures while I was studying in ITB as the official one– But my grandfather was a teacher in official when he was alive. The only aim that I hope to reach when I applied to become a volunteer in MAS Quran Institute was I could always keep in touch with dakwah activity. I was feeling so empty when the first month I arrived in Boston without dakwah activity. I saw this opportunity when I visited MAS Boston website. Alhamdulillah.
That’s opportunity that Allah showed me bring me to the 500 Revere every week. Nice place near the coastline of North Boston. There’s always something that I get every time I go back from Revere–I called it Weekly Hikmah– Nice!!
I got one sense today about the value behind the teaching process. Teaching is such a difficult job, indeed.
Frankly speaking, Teaching, as I know, is different from knowledge transferring. I think everybody can do knowledge transferring –the firsthand of the information can easily transfer her/his knowledge– Just talk!! Sometimes the “Komunikator” (Person who gives the information) doesn’t care whether the “Komunikan” (person who is given information) fully understand about what she/he is talking about. They don’t care. The most important thing is the information spreads over another person.
Being a teacher is completely different–I think– It’s not all about knowledge transferring. It is true partially, but the main function of a teacher is educating student. It’s the most difficult part: educate students to have a good manner, show and teach them how to behave nicely to other peers, etc. It’s completely difficult.
Now I realized, I should say many thanks to my teacher in my kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, college, and many unofficial teachers along my live in this world. Many Thanks to you my teachers ^__^ !!
Today, it’s my turn!! My teachers have completed their job in part of my live very well. It’s my time to do the similar things as they did to me. Coz live is a matter of contribution to our community, right!! ^__^ we’re nothing when we don’t give what we have to others. I give [anything] thus I exist!!
Let’s go back to the main issue. The value of teaching process.
Its turn to my second month as volunteer in MAS, and I have experienced a bunch of children’s attitude. Mostly of them is the “creepy” one. Haha…It is !!
What should you do when the class began only five seconds and some of the children said “May I go to the toilet”. The others said “I didn’t eat my breakfast, I wanna eat something”, or “I don’t wanna recite the Quran, I’d like to coloring the paper”. How could you have a heart to reject their request as they are really cute children? That’s me, when I didn’t have enough information how to face what they want in the classroom. I allowed them to go to the toilet in the middle of the class, but finally every body wants to go out of the class too. Phuh…It needed a plenty of time to start the class again. ALhamdulillah games are really work for them =).
After that “disorder” class, I realized it was wrong, the thing that I allowed them to do what they want in the class. Thus I asked Raven, she has a lot experience in teaching students to perform yoga, about the question on how to face children who don’t want to start the class in manner. She said, “We know they are very cute but sometimes in order to educate them we should be firm in front of them. Don’t forget to make rules agreed by everybody. Each of them should respect to the rules that abide to every students.”
I know, I was too flabby. It won’t help the students to be good students. Thanks to Allah, He did tarbiyah to me in a very perfect way!! I learn from my fault.
Now I really understand, why Prophet Muhammad asked the believer to bases their good deeds on proper knowledge. And Hassan Al Banna put “Al-Fahmu” in the first list of Ushul Isyrin because with the proper “Al-Fahmu” we will be able to do “Al ‘amal” in the correct way.
I’d love make interpolation or forecast on everything I experienced. I’m quite imaginative type of person. Certainly with this “case”, in the way home when I was walking in the Willow street, I though about ” Maybe this is the way Allah prepare me to be a mother, later.. “. I like that. Preparation is always important, isn’t it!!
Finally, equally as I mentioned above that it is difficult to be a teacher, so do being a mother, or a father. Even harder, I think. A child is only a white clean paper. Her/his parents are the one that makes picture in it. What do you want to draw? It’s up to you. But I’m pretty sure that you will only “draw” the shape that you’ve known or what you have experienced on it. A pot only gives its content inside, doesn’t it?! If it is tea inside the pot, so does it will come out from the pot. Makes sense!!
So, as well as being a parents. No difference. If you want to have a blissful child, widen your knowledge from this moment of time. May Allah show all of you to become the best parents for your children later. Amiin (So do I, I hope to be the best mother for my children, too)
And for all of the parents in this world, I’d like to say thank you for your amazing effort to educate your children. It such a difficult but worthy time that you have invested for the sake of you children and dienul Islam. I’m sure Allah will prepare beautiful paradise for the mother and the father who did their job very well on teaching and educating them. Coz one of the best treasure after we died and buried 6 feet from the ground is a pious child. Only the Du’a of pious child that will bring peace and advantage for her/his parents in “Alam Kubur” and “Alam Mahsyar” later.
“Oh my Lord! Make me one who performs As-Salat (the prayer), and (also) from my offspring, our Lord! And accept my invocation.” [Q.S Ibrahim :40]
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Inspired from three families that I know in Boston:
© Brother Aris & Sister Dewi with their four children (Aisyah, Ihsan, Sarah, and Maryam),
© Brother Daniar & Sister Minda with their two children (Dissa and Zahra),
© Brother Junaidi & Sister Anna with their three children (Syifa, Azra, and….I forgot -Afwaaan-) ^__^
It was such an amazing time to know these families. I’ve learned a lot so far.
Thank you Oh Allah!! You gave such a blissful opportunity to me.
Alhamdulillah.
Boston, March 23rd, 2008
