Reflection of School Experience Programme (4th semester)

Tara Salvia, the name of the school which the vision is to facilitate all of students for being the critical and creative learners, having the value and loving their nation. The day that I went to that school, the new place that gave me the new paradigm, was an ingratiating day for me. Even though I only got a day to come and encounter the students’ activities, I really satisfied and being addicted to come there. When I arrived at the school yard, I saw their motto “Centre of Excellence” then I suddenly being curious to what they usually learn there.

For that a day chance, I experienced to be in a fourth grade class. I observed what and how they learn. I saw how the teacher becomes the facilitator of the students’ needs. I found that the teacher was not only focus on students’ intellectual development but the teacher also cares with the students’ emotional and social skills development. For example, she guided her students to have a good attitude to their parent also their surroundings; she discussed in the class how the interaction to the older people should be, what behaviors that are inappropriate to be done, then she remembered her students to keep the attitude good in order to be loved by everyone.

 Actually, the school declared that their activities focus on the fourth students’ development areas which are physic, emotional, social and intellectual. I think for a longer time observing the school activities, I will be able to prove that their mission was implemented in their learning activities. It’s because for only a day I observed a class in the school, I have found many activities that shows their consistent efforts to create not only critical and creative learners, but also the learners who have the value of life. For example, I found that they were really persistent to implement the value of respect in their activities. They accepted all of students with their diverse needs and guided them to be able to accept others condition with their own uniqueness. Moreover, I saw the teacher were personally approach some of students for explaining that everybody has their own uniqueness. The last, the teacher asked their help to would be able to interact with some of their friends that have some unique behaviors.

Besides, the most interesting experience is when I watched how the teacher handles and gives a different instruction to a student. The teacher revealed that he is claimed have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). I observed what he done, how he interacts to their friends and how the response of his friends. I learn many things from him and also from the teachers. I saw the teacher was really patient in responding the different behavior of that student. She really cared to what he did, she often grabbed the attention as if the students was started to loss his attention to the lessons. I was really interested to his behavior, to the way he talks and to what he may think when he was focusing to stare on an object. Furthermore, I unconsciously follow his way in talking when I go back to my campus. I don’t understand why it could be happened but I guess it because of I was really like that students.

I am really pleasure for having the chance to attend the Tara Salvia School. What a humbling experience that I got. I became the one of witnesses who sees that the inclusive education has been started to be really implemented in Indonesia. It really gives me the hope that the differentiated instruction could be implemented in Indonesian context.  Previously, I have a doubt whether I would be able to provide the inclusive education in a classroom or not. However, Tara Salvia has proven that the diversity of students’ needs could be facilitated as long as the teachers have a high passion to do that. Hence, I think the role of teacher in inclusive classroom is really crucial. They have a main role to facilitating students’ development, they should be able to observe what the students’ needs, till then they should design how the learning process will be, in order that the needs are accomplished.

Somehow, I also see some challenges that are encountered when the teacher apply the differentiated instruction to the students. I found that when the teacher was explaining and then there is a student who needs a deeper reinforcement, it make others students wait. Then, there were some behaviors which show the unwillingness from other students to wait. I feel it was a dilemma, when the teacher accomplish the needs of a student, there is probability to inhibit others students’ right to growth faster. As if I were the teacher, I would recoup the time that they spent to wait by giving more intensive guidance and more challenging instructions. I also would be fairer in dividing the attention for all of students. For example, there will be time that I make most of students wait for some students, but there will be also the time in which I make some students wait for getting the instruction or reinforcement according to their needs until I finish accomplishing most of students’ needs. However, it becomes the important experience for me. I think the observation result from Tara Salvia School becomes the good reference for me about how to handle and provide inclusive education in a classroom. I am really satisfied attending the Tara Salvia School although I got lost when tried to go there.