PENASIHAT

KETUA PENERBIT EDITOR

REKA BENTUK GRAFIK

EDARAN

Rosni Zainal Abidin

Anita Kudin Rosmaliza Hj. HassimAidarinah Nur Ibrahim

Haliza Abd Hamid

Hapipah Abd WaliHairi Fitri AhmadMohd Faizal Abd Rahim

Discussion Boards as a Technology Tool in Education

How to Improve Students Motivation -for Teachers

Pelajar atau Kita yang Bermasalah

Dosa Mengumpat Hanya Boleh Diampun oleh Mangsa

Apabila Sudah Terlalu Lama

Jasamu Dikenang

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m/s 6 - 7

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m/s 9 - 10

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Untuk mendapatkan koleksi bahan bacaan terbitan Bahagian Pembangunan Sumber bagi tahun 2008, sila layari laman Sumber Media Kreatif yang boleh

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Bacaan Pendidik diterbitkan 6 kali setahun oleh Bahagian Pembangunan Sumber (BPS). Sebarang sumbangan berita, pandangan dan cadangan untuk memantapkan lagi

majalah ini amatlah kami alu-alukan dan hendaklah dialamatkan kepada :

Bahagian Pembangunan SumberTingkat 4, Ibu Pejabat MARA

21, Jalan Raja Laut50609 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel : 03-26903644 Fax : 03-26910075Emel : anita@mara.gov.my

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similar to e-mail as both are asynchronous technology tools. However, discussion boards are accessed, stored and organised centrally which means that everyone in the same group will be able to read all the messages. Since discussion boards feature asynchronous interaction, messages may be retrieved from the archive of the system.

A discussion board is primarily made up of forums, threads and messages. Forums refer to folders containing messages on a particular subject. Each thread contains a series of messages while a message is an individual contribution to a conversation quite like a single e-mail.

WHAT CAN A DISCUSSION BOARD DO?Discussion boards are traditionally associated to the social aspect of communication. Participating in a discussion board can help one conveniently communicate with, seek assistance or support from members of an online community. (King 2001; Nicholson and Bond, 2003). One can join as many discussion groups to meet friends in order to expand their network of contacts.

INTRODUCTIONInformation technology is developing at a remarkable speed and transforming instructional practices towards innovative learner-centred pedagogies. New knowledge environments are being created in online learning to encourage self-accessed, self-paced and self-directed learning. In this paper, discussion board, as an asynchronous tool would be assessed to consider its functions and potential to advance learning productivity, knowledge retention and higher order thinking. WHAT IS A DISCUSSION BOARD?A discussion board is the general name for any online ‘bulletin board’ also known as discussion group, discussion forum, message board or online forum (Whatis.com, 2002). Discussion boards originated from USENET in the mid 1970’s. USENETs are a series of virtual bulletin boards that allowed anyone with access to the Internet to post a message to any newsgroup at any time (Steward, 2004). A discussion board allows groups of people to communicate online. It is quite

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In the context of education, a discussion board can be considered an online classroom space. Here, group members pose questions and reply each otherÂ’s questions; thus building a dialogue around an issue. A discussion board can be used as a tool in at least four ways: 1) A productivity tool to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models. 2) A communication tool to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences, interact with peers or get advice from expert.

3) A research tool to collect data from group members or to administer an online survey.

4) A problem-solving and decision-making tool to help students reflect, interpret, analyse a given scenario or situation. Also to garner opinions of all in order to make a decision collaboratively.

HOW DOES DISCUSSION BOARD USE AFFECT TEACHING AND LEARNING?Discussion boards can be used in conjunction with e-learning or blended learning; the implication being the transformation of traditional learning environments to a new paradigm. Learning would no longer be bounded by particular physical or time structures. Learning can take place online anytime and anywhere. Access to the discussion board is also available twenty four hours a day and students can communicate with instructors and peers anytime.

As compared to face-to-face instruction, it is more difficult to replicate a socio-constructivist learning environment in distance education settings. However, discussion boards now lend support to meaning making through sharing and reflecting upon experiences and perspectives and providing feedback to one another online. (Wilson and Stacey, 2004) According to JonassenÂ’s (1999) definition of construction, meaningful learning can be facilitated because the discussion board

engages learners in constructing knowledge by posting their own views, in articulating and participating in conversations, by collaborating and sharing ideas which is real-world learning and finally by reflecting upon comments by others. Furthermore, instructors who model appropriate participation in a non-domineering way, what Swan(2004) calls “restrained participation” gives students control and ownership in learning.

Discussion board use may also change the perception of learning as a competitive or solitary activity. In a discussion group, learners are encouraged to contribute and pool in ideas and knowledge. Group dynamics in a discussion board could be very different than in-person. Those who are ignored or interrupted during class discussion may have stronger voice in the discussion board while those who dominate an in-person meeting may lose some of their influence online. Also, individuals who are not comfortable writing to communicate thoughts may be frustrated by the tedium of having to type everything they want to say, feeling a face-to-face discussion is easier and more thorough. Yet those with superior writing skills have a communicative advantage.

WHAT ARE THE VARYING VIEWS OF ITS IMPACT ON EDUCATION?The use of discussion boards to enhance learning is found to have impacted various educational units, in particular tertiary education (Birch and Volkov, 2005). Some have benefited immensely from its use, others a little and yet some others find discussion boards troublesome with potential drawbacks.

Northover(2002) presents a balanced evaluation of discussion boards, stating both advantages and disadvantages in four aspects: Tutor-student communication, student-student communication, ‘personal’ contributions and assessment.

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The role of the tutor is said to be instrumental in providing encouragement, support and enthusiasm; which in turn would result in a successful discussion board experience or otherwise.

Overall, discussion boards are believed to be advantageous due to its cooperative setting. In my opinion, a sense of community is more easily experienced through active communication and interaction. Through shared perspectives and resources, learners learn to articulate their ideas and thinking which according to Oliver(2000), contributes substantially to developing understanding. However, Bagozzi and Dholakia(2002) cautions educators to be aware and discourage participants from being too compliant and apprehensive about his or her social identity among others in a discussion group.

The instructor should, in this case, motivate the participants towards not only vocalizing their thoughts but to further engage in well-articulated argumentation and critical reasoning. This is because when differences in opinion and judgment are addressed and evaluated in the group, the development of higher-order thinking skills and deeper learning is facilitated.

Discussion boards are believed to be able to empower less vocal students to participate and join in the conversation, thus equalizing the discussion playing field. (Althaus, 1997) Curtin (2002) finds discussion boards to be particularly beneficial for students from non-English speaking background as they are able to interact at their own pace after carefully considering what to say on the discussion board. The discussion board is also said to be a safe and supportive learning environment to practice the new language of the knowledge community (Wilson and Stacey, 2004). However, Shin and Cho(2003) reported otherwise in their ClassWeb discussion research.

According to their findings, the use of ClassWeb Discussion Board hindered active

participation of some students, especially those who had inhibition from the language used on the discussion board. As a result, students remained consumers and not producers of the text especially when they feel rejected after being dislocated from the streams of discussion. Shin and Cho (2003) observed that “real dialogue” never took place after they lost touch with the discussion trend. What they did was to carefully edit postings to make them seem sustainable in order to fulfil the course requirement.

Discussion boards are user-friendly tools because it typically builds upon a base of common knowledge. (DeSanctis et al, 2001) Group members can routinely communicate on the board, adding perspectives and opinions. With everyone contributing a little to the discussion board, tasks may be more easily completed within a shorter period of time. On the other hand, too much information can cause overload, especially so when organization is not maintained and students are expected to read all online discussions in addition to course reading material(Clark, 2000; Harasim, 1990). Therefore, Laurillard (1993) maintains that even though students have sufficient space to reflect, compare concepts, understandings or receive feedback, communicating on the discussion board is as time consuming as face-to-face tutoring. Online discussion boards are valued for the forum it provides for personal reflections about thoughts and beliefs relevant to teaching and learning. Learners are able to reflect deeply on comments; beyond regular class time (Bailey and Wright, 2000; Palloff & Pratt, 1999) The flexible time, pacing and location for discussion and access to experts and peers world wide is thus said to be conducive to “life-long learning”(Harasim, 1990). Discussion boards are capable of initiating self-regulation in learning.

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However, some learners are not so proactive and may drop out from the stream of discussion. At times, they may post but receive no response. All these may discourage them from posting again due to feelings of anxiety and insecurity. John Suller(2004) terms this encounter the “Black Hole Experience”. In addition to that, Harasim(1990) also alleges that loss of physical cues such as facial expressions, voice, intonation, gestures often makes it harder to completely understand what is being communicated online. HOW DOES THIS FIT IN MY CURRICULUM AREA?Discussion Boards can be utiilised for structured course interaction, informal communication and for feedback or evaluation in the teaching of English language (General English, English for Science and Technology or MUET).

6.1 Structured Course Interaction A discussion board can be used to maximise participation and engagement. One or all of the ‘active’ students can moderate a continued discussion on the topic beyond the time limits of the actual class. This leads to collaborative and constructive learning negotiated by the students themselves. Example: 6.1.1 Debating skillsStudents defend a position on some issue, typically involves preliminary research online and in libraries--collecting evidence to support one or more perspectives; instructor may want to develop a Web site that showcases controversies or experts with opinions and theories to promote discussion; debate to be held in an online discussion board.

6.1.2 Writing Skills Students could be asked to write their reflections regarding a topic learnt in class. Peers are encouraged to post their response. Mabrito (2001) notes that discussion and collaboration are appropriate activities for a writing course because each activity more closely simulates the real world process of professional writing. Discussion boards are

said to be ‘low-risk’ platform for students to practice their writing skills.

6.1.3 Groups and Project WorkStudents could be asked to work on an extended project in groups. Students are asked to use the discussion board as a platform to communicate and collaborate from the process of brainstorming, drafting, writing, editing and rewriting. This way, the process and product of the project are both emphasized.

6.2 Informal Communication Discussion boards could also be utilized for informal communication. Peer support and mentoring could take place out of class time. The ‘any time and any place’ quality of a discussion board can be useful for helping to develop a bond between students in large groups who do not necessarily meet outside class. Example:

6.2.1 MentoringStudents could be divided into pairs where the more knowledgeable student would act as a mentor to the weaker student. The more knowledgeable student would be required to review and provide critique or scaffold process. Alternatively, the teacher can invite ‘experts’ to be interviewed online regarding tasks to be completed. 6.2.2 CounsellingThe discussion board could also be used as an avenue for weak students with problems in learning a particular subject to receive counseling regarding study tips such ‘how to learn English grammar’, ‘how to remember English words better’ or ‘how to think and write critically’.

6.3 Feedback or EvaluationDiscussion boards can be used, in addition to end of module evaluation surveys to provide feedback on courses or studentsÂ’ overall performance. Instructors can use the discussion board to discuss certain errors in grammar or sentence structure that students perform. Students could also inform the

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instructor about the success of certain activities during lessons. For instance, students may give positive feedback regarding the drama session. So, instructors now know that these students prefer active learning through drama or simulation.

WHAT TEACHING STRATEGIES CAN UTILISE THIS TECHNOLOGY?In order to encourage participation on the discussion board, instructors could employ the following teaching strategies.

SOCRATIC TECHNIQUE Encourage students to reflect on their ideas and questions. Provide just enough information to get them thinking about deeper or broader answers. Encourage other students to respond to a question or idea from their classmate.

STIMULUS TECHNIQUE Post a link to a website that contains information related to a student’s question or issue, then ask the student to report back to the group about what they learned from that site.

KEYBOARDING TECHNIQUE When replying to posts that contain several important ideas, cut and paste two or three key sentences from the poster’s message into the teacher’s message, with teacher’s comments interjected between the quotes. This keyboarding technique can lead to an interesting interweaving, multi-layered dialogue.

Also, inject more face-to-face expressions through typed text. Use emoticons (eg :P), acronyms (eg: LOL), parenthetical expressions (eg: sigh, where is it?), trailers to indicate pauses (eg:.....) or voice accentuation with capital letters (eg: WAKE UP)

E-MAIL TECHNIQUE One way to increase utilization is to have an automatic email sent to the participant when someone responds to his or her posting. WHAT ONLINE MATERIALS, TUTORIALS AND TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ME AND MY STUDENTS?There are a lot of options for what technological tool you can use to conduct an asynchronous discussion: Daedalus, web-based discussion forums (whether within a course platform or not), course platforms, Eportal, or a listserv. Each has benefits and limitations. Daedalus is simple to use, but it is a LAN-based program, so it restricts out-of-class access. Listservs use a single email address, and everyone registered to the “list” receives any email sent to this address. Listservs are technically easy, but if you have a large volume of posts then they become overwhelming. Discussion boards (whether in Daedalus, Eportal, a web- based bulletin board, platform) are probably the simplest and most versatile.

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Ten tips to help you increase student motivation in the classroom while building a positive classroom environment.

It can be difficult to be a teacher today. Teachers face increasing demands: standardized testing, large class sizes and a lack of student motivation. There is not much to be done about the first two aside from lobbying for a decrease in paperwork/testing and class size. However, as teachers, we do have the ability to motivate students in a positive way. Here are ten ways for you to keep your students motivated, regardless of student age or content area: 1. Ensure that your students can see how the subject matter is relevant to their lives. Think back to a time in school when you wondered why it was important to learn something. Did you wonder what it had to do with your life today, or wonder what use you could possibly make of it later on? Make certain to answer this question for your students. For example, if you are teaching the history of The Alamo, do your students understand how that event affects their lives to this very day?

2. Think about some of the courses you

have taken in your life. Which ones did you like the best? Why? In many teacher workshops that I have attended, there have been a variety of activities to keep teachers engaged. In a good teacher workshop, participants should have an opportunity to move around the room, work in groups, share ideas, and so on. Not many adults will attend classes where they are expected to sit quietly and listen to a lecture for an hour. However, we often expect this of students, and they may be sitting in classes for an entire day. It is simply not possible to maintain the motivation to stay focused for that amount of time for most people, your students included! Make sure that you offer your students a variety of engaging activities.

3. Offer incentives for completed homework, completed class goals, etc. Let the class decide, within reason, what the incentive will be. A broad behavioral goal that I set for a challenging class of ADHD students that I once had was a popcorn and movie party at the end of every six weeks if no one in the class received a referral to the office. The reasoning behind this was that if students were not acting out, then I had more time to teach, as opposed to redirecting negative behavior. This increased student motivation to behave appropriately, and had the added

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bonus of giving students the incentive to ask their peers to behave in a pro-social manner as well. 4. Make sure that the rewards you give are varied. One caveat: teacher-given rewards are an extrinsic motivator, which has been shown to reduce intrinsic motivation if used too often. However, with certain children who have a very poorly developed intrinsic sense of motivation, these can be very useful, as well as fun. When giving rewards, make sure that some are immediate and that others are delayed. An example of an immediate reward is saying, “Tim, your writing has improved so much this past six weeks!” while handing back papers. A delayed reward is one that is only received after students have accomplished a specific goal, such as my previous example of a movie party for good behavior. Rewards can and should be given both to individuals and to the class. 5. Build good relationships with your students. The lengths that people will go to in order to please someone that they like is simply extraordinary. Beloved bosses often get superior work from their loyal employees. It works the same way with your students. Ask your students how their football game went, or comment positively on a new haircut. Give them positive feedback whenever they honestly deserve it. In short, be the best “boss” you can be to your students, and you will see their motivation in your class increase.

6. Create a positive classroom climate. Research shows that what educational scholars term “a positive affective environment” promotes student learning and motivation in a statistically significant way. If a student feels comfortable and safe in the environment that you have created, then they will feel more comfortable taking chances. This translates into a student who displays greater motivation to read out loud in class, write an essay without undue fear of criticism and participate openly in active learning activities.

7. Implement a curriculum that is challenging in a manner where students have to work hard to accomplish the task, but not so challenging

that many students decide to give up. This can be a delicate balance to maintain, and may vary from class to class, depending on the individual class make-up. If the curriculum is too easy, students will dismiss it as not being worth their time. Likewise, if it is too hard, many students, particularly those who are older, will stop working in order to save face and to keep from admitting that they simply cannot accomplish the task.

8. Develop intrinsic motivation in students. This is the sort of motivation that comes from within; a genuine desire to learn and do well. This sort of motivation can be developed by providing an interesting, relevant curriculum, with projects incorporated that students genuinely want to do. Check out teacher-rated lesson plans online for some good ideas. It doesn’t hurt to ask for student feedback as well. The more that students feel they have a voice in their own education; the more intrinsic motivation will develop.

9. Create an atmosphere of high expectations, both behaviorally and academically. If you expect greatness, often you will receive it. Student motivation will decline if the teacher’s expectations are too low. 10. Keep your own energy level high. Motivation can be catching. If you are tired, and don’t really feel up to teaching one day, it is a guarantee that your students will pick up on it, and reflect your own mood. When teaching, if need be, fake it till you make it! Keep going in a positive upbeat manner, and your students will begin to follow suit.

It’s important not to give up when working with students who are motivationally challenged. You may not see results immediately. You may not even see results for a few weeks. However, if you implement these strategies and create the sort of environment that motivates students, you will ultimately be able to look back and be amazed at what your students were indeed capable of learning.

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Pelajar yang melakukan kesalahan perlulah dilayan sebagai seorang manusia bukannya sebagai pesalah jauh sekali sebagai penjenayah. Sebesar mana pun kesalahan mereka, mereka adalah pelajar yang sedang melalui proses pembelajaran. Dalam proses itu mereka belajar daripada jatuh bangun mereka sebagai pelajar.

Mereka tidak perlu dimalukan sebelum, semasa dan selepas hukuman dijatuhi ke atas mereka. Mereka patut menerima hanya hukuman ke atas kesalahan mereka, tidak lebih atau kurang daripada itu.

Sebarang bentuk sentuhan fizikal dengan tujuan untuk menyakiti atau mendera tidak boleh sama sekali dilakukan kecuali hukuman yang dibenarkan seperti merotan. Itu pun dilaksanakan oleh orang yang tertentu di sekolah.

Masalah yang timbul ialah kecenderungan sebahagian kita untuk melayan perasaan marah kita kepada pelajar tertentu. Kita mengaitkan pelajar tertentu dengan stigma negatif. Apabila disebut sahaja pelajar A, kita sudah menetapkan dalam minda kita bahawa pelajar itulah yang paling banyak masalah atau menjadi punca kepada masalah. Kita ceritakan perkara yang kita anggap masalah itu kepada orang lain. Ini sebenarnya tidak banyak

membantu diri pelajar berkenaan dan disiplin keseluruhannya.

Ada dua perkara mudah yang selalu sahaja kita terlupa melakukannya atas alasan kita terlalu prihatin terhadap masalah disiplin di sekolah. Pertama menasihati pelajar yang bermasalah dan kedua, mendekati mereka selalu.

Sebahagian guru menganggap mereka telah menasihati pelajar yang terlibat. Sebenarnya apa yang mereka selalu lakukan ialah memarahi atau meleteri pelajar, bukannya menasihati. Apa yang mereka sangka sebagai nasihat itu sebenarnya hanyalah kemarahan dan leteran yang diulang-ulang.

Dengan cara itu mereka pun menaruh harapan besar agar “leteran” atau “kemarahan” itu menyentuh hati pelajar. Tetapi yang sebenarnya berlaku bukan sahaja hati pelajar langsung tidak tersentuh, sebaliknya telinga dan emosi mereka pula yang dimain-mainkan.

Tugas membentuk sahsiah pelajar bukan tugas berkaitan emosi dan minda mereka per se, tetapi yang lebih utama ialah tugas yang berkaitan hati mereka. Justeru, dekatilah mereka dan sentuh hati mereka, kerana di situlah switch segala masalah manusia.

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Mengumpat ialah menceritakan atau menyebut keburukan atau kekurangan seseorang kepada orang lain.

Rasullah S.A. W. menjelaskan mengenai mengumpat seperti sabdanya bermaksud “Mengumpat itu ialah apabila kamu menyebut perihal saudaramu dengan sesuatu perkara yang dibencinya”(Hadis Riwayat Muslim)

Mengumpat berlaku sama ada disedari atau tidak. Perbuatan itu termasuk apabila menyebut atau menceritakan keburukan biarpun tanpa menyebut nama pelakunya tetapi diketahui oleh orang yang mendengarnya.

Memandangkan betapa buruk dan hinanya mengumpat, ianya disamakan seperti memakan daging saudara seagama. Manusia waras tidak sanggup memakan daging manusia, inikan pula daging saudara sendiri.

Dosa mengumpat bukan saja besar, malah antara dosa yang tidak akan diampunkan oleh Allah biarpun pelakunya benar-benar bertaubat.

Dosa mengumpat hanya layak diampunkan oleh orang yang diumpatkan. Selagi orang yang diumpatnya tidak mengampunkan, maka dosa itu akan kekal dan menerima pembalasannya diakhirat.

Sabda Rasulullah S.A.W. bermaksud: “Awaslah daripada mengumpat keranamengumpat itu lebih berdosa daripada zina. Sesungguhnya orang melakukanzina, apabila dia bertaubat, Allah akan menerima taubatnya. Dan sesungguhnya orang yang melakukan umpat tidak akan

diampunkan dosanya sebelum

diampun oleh orang yang diumpat” (Hadis riwayat Ibnu Abib Dunya danIbnu Hibbad)

Disebabkan mengumpat terlalu biasa dilakukan, maka ia tidak dirasakan lagi

sebagai satu perbuatan dosa. Hakikat inilah perlu direnungkan oleh semua.

Mengumpat dan mencari kesalahan orang lain akan mendedahkan diri pelakunya diperlakukan perkara yang sama oleh orang lain. Allah akan membalas perbuatan itu dengan mendedahkan keburukan pada dirinya. Sabda Rasulullah S.A.W. “Wahai orang yang beriman dengan lidahnya tetapi belum berimandengan hatinya! Janganlah kamu mengumpat kaum muslim, dan janganlah kamu mengintip-intip keaibannya. Sesungguhnya, sesiapa yang mengintip keaiban saudaranya, maka Allah akan mengintip keaibannya, dan dia akan mendedahkannya, meskipun dia berada dalam rumahnya sendiri” (Hadis riwayat Abu Daud)

Orang yang mengumpat akan mendapat kerugian besar pada hari akhirat. Pada rekod amalan mereka akan dicatatkan sebagai perbuatan menghapuskan pahala.

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Sabda Rasulullah S.A.W. bermaksud : “Perbuatan mengumpat itu samalah seperti api memakan ranting kayu kering”. Pahala yang dikumpulkan sebelum itu akan musnah atau dihapuskan seperti mudahnya api memakan kayu kering sehingga tidak tinggal apa-apa lagi.

Diriwayatkan oleh Abu Ummah al-Bahili, di akhirat seorang terkejut besar apabila melihat cacatan amalan kebaikan yang tidak pernah dilakukannya didunia. Maka, dia berkata kepada Allah “Wahai Tuhan ku, dari manakahdatangnya kebaikan yang banyak ini, sedangkan aku tidak pernah melakukannya”. Maka Allah menjawab : “Semua itu kebaikan (pahala) orang yang mengumpat engkau tanpa engkau ketahui”.

Sebaliknya, jika pahala orang yang mengumpat tidak ada lagi untuk diberikan

kepada orang yang diumpat, maka dosa orang yang diumpat akan dipindahkan kepada orang yang mengumpat. Inilah dikatakan orang muflis diakhirat nanti.

Memandangkan betapa buruknya sifat mengumpat, kita wajib berusaha mengelakkan diri daripada melakukannya.

Oleh itu perbanyakkanlah zikir supaya dapat menghindarkan diri daripada mengumpat.

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Dipetik dari : Cerita-cerita Motivasi Untuk GuruOleh : Hamedah Wok Awang

Sudah hampir sepuluh tahun saya mengajar di SMX, Ada sesuatu yang tidak kena dengan saya. Bosan ada, sayang ada. Ada masa saya rasa bosan berada di meja yang sama, di bilik guru yang sama, melihat bangunan dan persekitaran yang sama.

Mengajar mata pelajaran yang samadan menjalankan tugas yang sama, sebagai penyelaras Skim pinjaman Buku Teks (SPBT) dan guru disiplin, atas alasan saya sudah mahir. Yang berubah hanya dua tiga rakan guruyang bertukar keluar dan masuk dan sudah tentu pelajar.

Ada kalanya terasa juga sayang, tetapi selama mana saya mesti menjalani rutin yang monotonous begini? Yang paling saya takuti adalah menjadi kayu mati atau dead-wood, walhal dengan senioriti yang saya miliki sekarang, saya sepatutnya menjadi contoh kepada adik-adik yang masih mentah dalam bidang perguruan.

Terasa juga ingin minta tukar, tetapi bimbang kalau suasana sekolah baru kurang sesuai. saya juga takut jika ditukarkan jauh di pedalaman. Di sini selesa. Rumah dekat, tak payah gulut-gulut. lima minit sudah sampai.

Suatu hari saya menyatakan hasrat itu kepada kawan semeja yang sudah kira-kira lapan tahun berada di sini, dua tahun kemudain dari saya.

“Saya rasa tahun ini saya hendak minta tukarlah.”

“Minta tukar? Mengapa?”

“Saya rasa ada sesuatu yang tidak kena.”

“Siapa? pengetua? Guru Penolong Kanan? Saya nampak mereka itu boleh tahan belaka.”

“Tidak ada kena mengena dengan orang. Saya sendiri. Saya rasa apabila sudah terlalu lama, saya rasa macam tepu. Tidak ada perkembangan. bangunan sama, bilik guru sama. Bosan. “Saya rasa saya perlu suasana baru, motivasi baru.”

“Kalau dapat sekolah pedalaman, berulang jauh macam ?”

“Saya perlulah sanggup menanggung risiko itu. Bahaya apabila sudah berada di zon selesa begini. Saya betul-betul kena keluar dari sekolah ini. Kau macam mana?”

“Saya biar dulu. Tunggulah setahun dua lagi. Belum jemu, belum bosan. Budak dan kelas berubah setiap tahun. lainlah kalau ditukarkan. Hendak mintak tidaklah saya. Sedap-sedap sekolah dekat dengan rumah, buat apa cari masalah.” tetapi kalau difikir-fikirkan, perasaan dan pekembangan diri bergantung pada saya sendiri.

Akhirnya saya mengambil keputusan melanjutkan pelajaran ke peringkat sarjana. lari betul dari rutin seorang guru., emjadi mahasitua’!

“Baru betul-betul suasana baru, motivasi baru dan cabaran baru”.

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Jasamu Dikenang

Segala bakti yang engkau curahkanmengajar mendidik anak bangsasegala jasa yang engkau taburkanmenjadi kenangan tak akan kami lupakan.

Engkau laksana pelita di malam gelitamemancarkan sinar sepenuh relajiwamu tabah hatimu cekalkasihmu sud semangatmu berkobaryang tak pernah mengenal erti putus asayang tak pernah meminta puji dan puja.

Jasamu tak akan luput dalam ingatan kamisepanjang hayat mekar di sudut hadtiap sepatah katamu mengisi ertitiap madahmu mengandungi hikmatpembentuk peribadi penegak kebenaranpengatur hidup petunjuk kebahagiaan.

Hanya kata-kata ini yang dapat kami lafazkanterkumpul dari seribu hati menjadi satumenadah tangan dengan doa restukepada Tuhan yang menjanjikan pembalasankepadamu guru-guru yang berjiwa muliapembimbing petunjuk ke arah maju jaya.

Jujur dan ikhlas engkau berbaktidi kota dan desa atau di huj’ung negericekal dan tabah menempuh dugaanhidupmu bagalkan pelita di tengah malammembakar diri menerangi yang kelamjasamu akan karra kenang sepanjang zaman.

Ahmad SarjuKlang1988

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