DAFTAR LABELKU (klik saja jangan ragu-ragu)

Kamis, 24 Mei 2012


KUNCI MENJADI GURU BAHAGIA ADALAH ‘MANAGEMEN AQLU’

            KUNCI  MENJADI GURU   BAHGIA ADALAH ‘MANAGEMEN AQLU’
          Menurut  penulis The 7 Laws of Happiness atau Tujuh Rahasia Hidup yang Bahagia, Arvan Pradiansyah mengatakan, “Sebenarnya begitu mudah untuk menjadi bahagia. Kuncinya adalah dalam mengelola pikiran. Karena penentu kebahagiaan ada dalam pikiran kita.”
          Arvan menjabarkan 7  prinsip menjadi bahagia adalah, sabar (patience), syukur (gratefulness), sederhana (simplicity), kasih (love), memberi (giving), memaafkan (forgiving), serta pasrah (surrender). Ketujuh prinsip tersebut dapat dijadikan pola pikir para guru dalam menjalankan tugasnya sebagai pendidik, agar menjadi guru yang bahagia. Guru yang bahagia adalah guru yang mendidik, melatih, menanamkan sikap dan nilai-nilai kepada siswanya dengan hati ikhlas, penuh kecintaan, penuh kepedulian, dan mendidik dengan niat ibadah. Selain itu, guru yang bahagia cenderung selalu berbuat baik demi membahagiakan orang lain, berfikir kreatif, ramah, baik hati, dan berakhlak mulia.
          Ungkapan penuh optimis tersebut membawa kita pada pemahaman, bahwa pikiran atau dalam bahasa Arab-nya disebut aql, memang sangat luar biasa. Apabila dikelola dan dimanfaatkan dengan baik maka pikiran mampu melakukan proses memilih terhadap semua fenomena-fenomena yang ada di sekeliling kita. Dengan kata lain pikiran kita mampu meneliti, menganalisis, dan membedakan mana hal-hal yang bersifat positif (baik), dan mana yang bersifat negatif (buruk). Karena pada prinsipnya pikiran kita cenderung hanya dapat memikirkan satu hal dalam satu waktu. Maka apabila pikiran kita lebih memilih untuk berfikir positif, tidak ada lagi kesempatan buat kita untuk berfikir negatif. Dari berfikir positif terbentuklah energi-energi positif dalam diri kita yang membuat kita bahagia. Kebahagiaan ini dapat menyebar pada orang-orang yang berada di sekeliling kita.
          Hasil penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Prof. Andrew Steptoe, seorang psikolog berasal dari Universitas College London mengatakan,"Inilah yang disebut sebagai intuisi, bila seseorang di sekitar anda bahagia bisa menyebar kepada orang lain, dan benar-benar ditransmisikan melalui koneksi sosial”.
          Berbicara tentang kemampuan mengelola pikiran, sekarang mari kita cermati kenyataan yang seringkali dialami terkait dengan tugas guru sebagai pendidik. Pada saat bekerja, adakalanya seorang guru menghadapi suatu kondisi yang kurang menyenangkan. Pimpinan sekolah yang otoriter, peraturan yang birokratis, teman kerja yang selalu iri dengan keberhasilan kita, ada yang bersikap sinis, perilaku siswa yang menyimpang, serta pernak-pernik masalah kerja lainnya. Ketika kejadian ini menimpa kita, biasanya kita langsung menunjukkan reaksi kecewa, tersinggung, marah, ngambek, ingin melakukan pembalasan, uring-uringan, menjadi malas bekerja, tidak disiplin, bahkan berencana untuk berhenti bekerja. Inilah yang menyebabkan kita tidak bahagia.
          Tapi pernahkah kita memilih diam, menghela nafas, lalu merenung sejenak bahwa memperturutkan nafsu untuk melampiaskan amarah tidak akan menjadi solusi, bahkan hanya akan membuahkan kebencian dan permusuhan. Setelah itu kitapun memikirkan upaya apa yang terbaik harus kita lakukan terhadap masalah ini?. Jika kita memilih cara terakhir berarti kita sudah mampu mengelola pikiran dengan baik, sehingga semua masalah dapat diselesaikan secara bijaksana. Dan apa yang selanjutnya kita rasakan?. Perasaan kita akan terasa lebih tenang, nyaman dan penuh rasa damai. Lingkungan kerjapun menjadi tempat yang sangat menyenangkan, karena semua orang disekeliling kita sangat bersimpati dan menghargai sikap dan perilaku kita.
          Mengenai prinsip pikiran, bahwa secara prinsip pikiran kita cenderung hanya dapat memikirkan satu hal dalam satu waktu. Karena itu, ketika emosi negatif mendadak muncul, pikiran yang dikelola dengan baik hanya memusatkan perhatian pada hal-hal positif saja. Misalnya: Ketika kinerja kita dikritik, kita tidak berfikir untuk balas dendam, tetapi kita lebih memikirkan bagaimana cara memperbaiki kinerja kita menjadi lebih baik. Karena tindakan balas dendam hanya akan merugikan diri kita sendiri, mempersempit daya kreatifitas, dan memperburuk keadaan. Semakin sering kita berfikir positif, semakin baik pula kondisi diri kita sehingga perasaan kita menjadi lebih tenang dan bahagia.
          Pada saat lain, kita sering merasa jenuh dengan rutinitas kerja sehari-hari yang monoton, sehingga motivasi kerja menurun, etika kerja memburuk, atau sering terlibat konflik dengan warga sekolah. Terhadap masalah ini, lebih lanjut Arvan mengemukakan, “ bahwa semua ini merupakan tantangan kita untuk menjadi bahagia.” Memang, dengan adanya tantangan ini kita dituntut untuk mampu mengelola pikiran kita secara baik, agar setiap tantangan bisa kita hadapi dan segera bisa kita atasi. Lebih dari itu, kemampuan kita dalam mengelola pikiran akan menjadi sebuah sistem pertahanan yang berfungsi untuk melindungi kita dari segala unsur-unsur negatif yang mempengaruhi pikiran kita. Dengan demikian pikiran kitapun semakin lama semakin terbiasa untuk selalu berfikir positif.
          Di lingkungan kerja, kemampuan mengelola pikiran sangat besar manfaatnya. Pada saat kita berfikir untuk tidak marah, kita bisa mengalihkan pikiran kita pada ha-hal yang bisa memfokuskan kembali tujuan yang ingin dicapai, berkarya lebih maksimal, dan optimis meraih prestasi.
          Mengelola pikiran memang tidak semudah membaca teori. Rahasianya adalah berlatih. Karena pengelolaan pikiran bisa dijadikan bagian dari kebiasaan diri untuk selalu berfikir positif, sehingga kita mendapatkan bahagia yang kita inginkan. Mengacu pada konsep The 7 Laws of Happiness atau Tujuh Rahasia Hidup yang Bahagia, kita bisa mulai dengan tiga hal paling mendasar yang berkaitan dengan hubungan kita dengan diri kita sendiri, yaitu selalu melatih diri untuk berfikir dan menunjukkan beberapa sikap sebagai berikut: (1) Sabar (patience). Sabar merupakan energi untuk mengendalikan diri dan tindakan dari luapan emosi berlebih, dengan didasari ikhlas. Ketika bersabar kita sedang berada dalam tingkat kesadaran tinggi dan sedang menjalani proses mendapatkan ketenangan dan kedamaian. (2) Syukur (gratefulness). Bersyukur berarti menikmati hasil dari usaha yang telah kita lakukan, dan berfikir secara sungguh-sungguh tentang segala sesuatu yang telah kita raih dan kita miliki sebagai wujud pemberian Allah Swt. Kita menjadi lebih disiplin, berkonsentrasi, dan bertanggung jawab, serta memanfaatkan seluruh potensi yang kita miliki untuk kemajuan pendidikan. (3) Sederhana (simplicity). Sederhana adalah kemampuan kita untuk melihat hakikat masalah, dan menyederhanakan sudut pandang kita. Persoalan-persoalan yang kita anggap rumit kita pandang sebagai batu kerikil yang hanya mengganggu perjalanan kita mencapai kesuksesan. Pekerjaan yang kita anggap berat kita pandang sebagai sebuah misi menuju terciptanya pendidikan berkualitas.
          Setelah kita berhasil menanamkan dan membiasakan untuk bersikap sabar, syukur, dan sederhana di dalam diri kita, tahap selanjutnya berkaitan dengan hubungan kita terhadap orang lain, yaitu berlatih berfikir dan selalu menunjukkan beberapa sikap sebagai berikut: (1) Kasih (love). Kasih berarti menyatukan jiwa dan raga, serta meneruskan sifat yang dimiliki Allah. Dengan kasih, kita senantiasa sadar telah diberi amanah kasih yang telah Allah berikan, dan menyampaikannya kepada siapapun yang ada di sekitar kita. (2) Memberi (giving). Memberi merupakan energi yang mampu mencerahkan diri kita sebagai pemberi, dan bermanfaat bagi orang lain. Memberi tidak hanya berbentuk materi, tetapi juga bisa dalam bentuk perhatian, kesempatan, kepercayaan, dan membuat orang lain menjadi berdaya. (3) Memaafkan (forgiving). Memaafkan merupakan wujud kebesaran jiwa dan kemampuan untuk memahami orang lain, melepaskan masa lalu, dan fokus terhadap kebaikan orang lain.
          Keberhasilan kita mendapatkan kedamaian melalui dua tahapan sebelumnya, belum mampu menciptakan kebahagiaan secara utuh. Kita bisa mendapatkan kebahagiaan seutuhnya dengan menjalin hubungan kita dengan Allah Swt., melalui sikap pasrah (surrender). Pasrah, yaitu ketergantungan kita sepenuhnya kepada Allah yang Maha Kuasa. Pasrah merupakan perjuangan puncak yang dapat dicapai setelah kita melakukan perjuangan keras, mulai dari menanamkan kesabaran, rasa syukur, kesederhanaan, kasih, memberi, serta memaafkan. Kita sepenuhnya percaya semua yang kita dapatkan adalah pemberian terbaik menurut kehendak-Nya. Hidup kitapun terasa lebih indah, tenang, tentram, dan nyaman.
A GOOD TEACHER HELPS THOSE  WHO ARE DOING POORLY TO DO WELL AND HELPS THOSE WELL TO BE EVEN  BETTER

The Top 10 Qualities Of A Good Teacher

   Taken from: http://www.ripplesofimprovement.com
One of my biggest goals is to become a teacher. In fact, it’s part of my personal mission statement: “My mission is to experience life through…teaching others.” I don’t want to be a run-of-the-mill boring teacher, though. Not like the “substitute teachers” of my school days. But what makes a good teacher?
We all know good teachers when we see them, and bad teachers too. I thought back over the teachers I’d loved and why I loved them. There were only a few, but they all had the following qualities in common.
1. Confidence. Belief in ourselves despite setbacks. Teachers encounter situations all the time that could be considered setbacks. Kids can be cruel, to each other and to teachers. They can have attitudes, especially teenagers. I’ve had teachers to were obviously nervous when they taught. Others were shy and only half committed to their subject. But the best teachers laughed off their mistakes: chalk breaking, books dropped, TVs not working. Where some teachers were flustered, the good teachers shrugged and went on about the lesson, sometimes even joking about the mess up. These teachers knew they were human and knew mistakes happen. They didn’t take things personally and let problems get them upset.
2. Patience. Some of my best teachers could have helped students through a mental breakdown. Not that they had to, but that they were so patient, they could have gone the distance. Many a time I, or classmate, would just not be “getting” a particular concept. My best teachers were those who were willing to keep explaining, knowing that eventually it would make sense. They were willing to wait until a distraction calmed students down, or abandon a lesson entirely if it was clear material needed to be revisited. The best teachers just stuck with it, willing to do what it took, no matter how long it took.
3. True compassion for their students. I’m sure we’ve all encountered a bad teacher who didn’t care what our excuse was. Certainly, some excuses weren’t valid, but many were. The best teachers cared about their students as individuals and wanted to help them. They had a sixth sense when a student needed extra attention and gave it gladly. They didn’t expect students to leave thoughts of the outside world at the door to the classroom. They took the time to discuss subjects outside their teaching, knowing that sometimes lessons can still be taught without following the textbook. Good teachers were willing to speak up for us to other teachers, if need be. They cared about us beyond the walls of their classroom.
4. Understanding. Good teachers had understanding – not only the sixth sense mentioned above, but true understanding of how to teach. They didn’t have a rigid technique that they insisted on using even if it didn’t help us learn. They were flexible in their teaching style, adapting daily if need be. They understood the little things that affected our ability to learn; the weather, the temperature in the classroom, the time of day. They had an understanding of human nature and the maturity (or lack thereof) of teenagers. Good teachers knew that we hated to be called “young” and therefore pre-judged. They treated us as real people, not just “students.”
5. The ability to look at life in a different way and to explain a topic in a different way. There are many different learning styles. Not everyone gets a subject as taught by every teacher. I’ve taken subjects (chemistry for instance) many times, at many different levels, by many different teachers. I took College Organic Chemistry three times from three different teachers. I can tell you from experience that it was more the skill of the third teacher than the third time taking the class that allowed me to pass. Bad teachers only look a subject matter one way. They teach based on how they learn. This works for some people, but fails for others. The good teachers are ones that are able to teach to different learning styles. If students don’t understand a subject, they teach it a different way. Instead of looking at abstract formulas, they explain with images what the formulas represent. This requires a through understand of their subject, as well as the ability to consider that subject in different ways, which not all teachers are able to do. This principle applies whether a teacher or professor teaches Organic Chemistry or business classes online; it comes down to their ability to be flexible.
6. Dedication to excellence. Good teachers want the best from their students and themselves. They don’t settle for poor grades, knowing it reflects upon their ability to teach just as much upon a student’s ability to excel. The best teachers encourage the sharing of ideas and offer incentives (like not having to do homework for a day) to get students to think outside the box. They don’t tolerate students’ badmouthing other teachers, doing their best to point out that other teachers are human too. They encourage students to be good people, not just good memorizers of text. They want students to learn and be able to apply what they learned, not just be able to pass tests.
7. Unwavering support. The best teachers know that everyone is able to do well if they have the right teacher. They don’t accept that a student is a lost cause. They encourage if you are frustrated and provide true belief that you can get the material. They stand up for individuals against other students, not allowing for in class taunting. Sometimes, they even extend this outside the classroom, although taunts in the hallways are very hard for teachers to combat. The best teachers are there if you need extra help and even encourage it.
8. Willingness to help student achieve. The best teachers are those that don’t stop teaching when the bell rings. They hold extra sessions for SAT prep, they reach out to students after class. They know that some need extra attention or assistance, and they don’t act like it’s not their job. They take that job seriously and know they aren’t just employed to get students to be able to do higher math, but do well in life. They realize that achievement isn’t just a good grade on a test, but a feeling of accomplishment with mastering a subject; they are willing to work with a student for that feeling.
9. Pride in student’s accomplishments. The best teachers let you know they are glad you got a good grade or made the honor’s society. They smile and tell you that you did a good job. They tell other teachers about how you did as well. Outside you may feel embarrassed, but inside you are glowing. The best teachers don’t single out the best students either. They celebrate the accomplishments of everyone, knowing that everyone is capable to doing well. They are upbeat and positive, focusing on how a student did well, not how well they taught. They may know that it was the strength of their teaching that helped a student to achieve, but they act as if the student is completely responsible.
10. Passion for life. The best teachers aren’t just interested in their subject, they are passionate about it. They are also passionate about many other things. They praise good weather and smile when they take a few minutes to discuss last night’s episode of a popular TV show. They have an energy that almost makes them glow and that you want to emulate as much as possible. They approach tasks with a sense of challenge rather than routine. They take the universe’s curve balls and turn them into fun (if possible). They are human, certainly, but they make you feel that there is always a reason to keep going. Things will get better no matter how much they appear to suck at that moment.
As may be clear from the above, the best teacher I ever had was a math teacher. She was all the more exceptional because math is the one subject I hate the most. She told us to call her “Aunt Jackie,” but I had way too much respect to call her anything but “Mrs. Lamp.” She is now a principal of a different High School than she taught at when I was her student, and I suspect she is as good a principal as she was a math teacher.

A GREAT TEACHER

By GreatSchools Staff
What makes a great teacher?
Study after study shows the single most important factor determining the quality of the education a child receives is the quality of his teacher.
What makes a great teacher? Teaching is one of the most complicated jobs today. It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum and standards; enthusiasm, a caring attitude and a love of learning; knowledge of discipline and classroom management techniques; and a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. With all these qualities required, it's no wonder that it's hard to find great teachers.
Here are some characteristics of great teachers:
1.      Great teachers set high expectations for all students. They expect that all students can and will achieve in their classroom, and they don't give up on underachievers.
2.      Great teachers have clear, written-out objectives. Effective teachers have lesson plans that give students a clear idea of what they will be learning, what the assignments are and what the grading policy is. Assignments have learning goals and give students ample opportunity to practice new skills. The teacher is consistent in grading and returns work in a timely manner.
3.      Great teachers are prepared and organized. They are in their classrooms early and ready to teach. They present lessons in a clear and structured way. Their classrooms are organized in such a way as to minimize distractions.
4.      Great teachers engage students and get them to look at issues in a variety of ways. Effective teachers use facts as a starting point, not an end point; they ask "why" questions, look at all sides and encourage students to predict what will happen next. They ask questions frequently to make sure students are following along. They try to engage the whole class, and they don't allow a few students to dominate the class. They keep students motivated with varied, lively approaches.
5.      Great teachers form strong relationships with their students and show that they care about them as people. Great teachers are warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. Teachers with these qualities are known to stay after school and make themselves available to students and parents who need them. They are involved in school-wide committees and activities, and they demonstrate a commitment to the school.
6.      Great teachers are masters of their subject matter. They exhibit expertise in the subjects they are teaching and spend time continuing to gain new knowledge in their field. They present material in an enthusiastic manner and instill a hunger in their students to learn more on their own.
7.      Great teachers communicate frequently with parents. They reach parents through conferences and frequent written reports home. They don't hesitate to pick up the telephone to call a parent if they are concerned about a student.
What No Child Left Behind means for teacher quality
The role of the teacher became an even more significant factor in education with the passage of The No Child Left Behind law in 2002.
Under the law, elementary school teachers must have a bachelor's degree and pass a rigorous test in core curriculum areas. Middle and high school teachers must demonstrate competency in the subject area they teach by passing a test or by completing an academic major, graduate degree or comparable course work. These requirements already apply to all new hires.
Schools are required to tell parents about the qualifications of all teachers, and they must notify parents if their child is taught for more than four weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified. Schools that do not comply risk losing federal funding.
Although the law required states to have highly qualified teachers in every core academic classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, not a single state met that deadline.
The U.S. Department of Education then required states to show how they intended to fulfill the requirement. Most states satisfied the government that they were making serious efforts, but a few were told to come up with new plans.