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in Pasuruan - July 2010
Kang GURUTravels to Pasuruan
- July 2010
Kang Guru Indonesia
visited a very progressive and enthusiastic group
of teachers in Pasuruan, East Java in late July
2010 for lively teacher workshop. And what a visit
it was!
After a month long break from KGI
workshops it was ‘all stations go!’
for the recent trip to Pasaruan. The flight was
just a short hop to Surabaya where an SMS told
me to look for ‘a thin man in an orange
shirt’ - although I was actually greeted
by Ibu Mila as the thin man in the orange shirt
had gone to the bathroom!! The thin man in the
orange shirt appeared and introduced himself as
Pak Khoiron, the head of the committee for the
Pasuruan workshop. His favourite hobby is telling
jokes and what a funny man he is too! So we set
off for Tretes where KGI had a hotel room booked.
On the way we stopped at the Lapindo mud disaster
site. I had been there before but a couple of
years ago and it was interesting to see the changes.
Today it is a bustling ‘objek wisata’
(tourist attraction) with parking attendants,
souvenir videos and lots of visitors – even
busses pulling up and all the passengers climbing
to the top of the wall for photographs!! Amazing.
Next stop was Candi Jwi not far from Tretes. I
remember passing this on other journeys in East
Java but I’ve never stopped there before.
The local government has done a very nice job
of making the site attractive, clean and interesting.
Pak Khoiron told me it looks very nice when lit
up at night but unfortunately we were there too
early for that. However the view from the top
was fabulous - the hills of Tretes to your right
and across the rice fields for miles to your left.
The carved panels all around the candi were very
interesting too. Some had been worn away by the
weather over the years but some of them were really
very clear. We got back I the car and drove up
the stoop hill to Tretes. I booked into the hotel
and then we went over the details for the workshop
the following day.
My room was fine and although it didn’t
have a fantastic view it was comfortable. The
temperature when the sun goes down Tretes is
quite cool. You don’t need aircon that’s
for sure! After eating nasi goreng for dinner
– it seems as if the other food on the menu
wasn’t available I went back to my room
to prepare for the workshop.
The next morning Ibu Mila was there before 7:00
to pick me up and after loading up the car with
the boxes of materials we set off for the school,
about 15 minutes away. Wow! All the students of
SMP1 Sukorejo were lined up in the playground
to meet me and the school marching band was playing
a welcome song! Amazing! I was welcomed to the
school by Pak Eko the school principal and one
of the students who after welcoming me in great
English presented me with a beautiful bunch of
fresh flowers – all pinks and purples. The
room had been set up in quite an unusual design
for a workshop – large round tables each
with about 6 participants. Although it looked
like we were about to enjoy a delicious meal at
a wedding the layout worked very well. This was
the school hall and there was plenty of room to
move around so I could speak to each table and
it didn’t feel cramped at all.
The opening ceremony was short and to the point
and interestingly we all stood, not just for Indonesia
Raya but for Advance Australia Fair (the Australian
National Anthem) too. Before the workshop started
a book and a CD were offered as a prize for the
person who could identify the title of the song
Pak Khoiron sang beautifully. It was the Australian
National Anthem and one of the teachers was very
quick to shout the answer and win the prize –
a great way to start a workshop!
The workshop was attended by about 120 participants
from around Tretes and Pasuruan. Pak Khoiron told
me that they already had the maximum number of
participants just 4 days after sending out the
invitation. It seems the members of the MGMP in
that area are very active. They were active during
the workshop too and at morning break time there
was a rush to order KGI materials – Almost
half the participants at the workshop ordered
KGI materials – amazing!
After an excellent home cooked lunch and some
delicious local jamu the KGI workshop continued.
We were due to close about 3:00 as a group of
students were coming in to learn about KGI and
play games. However just before the last event
– the KGI quiz, Pak Khoiron told me two
guests had arrived and wanted to speak to the
teachers. They appeared after the KGI quiz and
with the students waiting patiently outside they
spoke to the participants for about 30 minutes!
Still at 3:30 the speeches finished, KGI souvenirs
were given out and after a photo session the teachers
left to be replaced by students.
The students sat in 9 groups at the tables and
they were active from the beginning. I was very
impressed with their English. They joined in all
the games and a couple of them we played more
than once because the students were so enthusiastic.
They thought of questions to ask me about Kang
Guru and about Australia. A great group of students!
Well done teachers, well done students.
At 5:45 we finished, packed up my things and headed
back out on the road to Surabaya. Pak Khoiron
was again the driver but this time we had two
teachers with us. Actually Ibu Diah only wanted
a lift part of the way but Pak Khoiron forgot
to stop at the intersection and so she was kidnapped
and came to Surabaya with us! We arrived at the
hotel about 8:30. But Pak Khairon almost deposited
me at the wrong place – at a bank! We weren’t
sure where the entrance to the hotel was and turned
off an entrance too soon.
The security guard asked where we wanted and
we said the hotel so he waved us in. We waited
in a short queue of cars and as we inched forward
I mentioned I thought this was a bank, not a hotel.
Ibu Diah got out and checked with the same security
guard who then told us we needed the next entrance
for the hotel! Finally, after a long day I checked
into the hotel and after a shower I fell asleep!
I flew back to Bali the next day! Phew!
The
Pasuruan Video from KGI
Here's some words from Pak Khoiron about the now, very active MGMP BIG SMP Kabupaten Pasuruan. Read what he has to say.
It was really hard to do in the beginning since the MGMP branding is not good, (before 2007) losing the teacher's trust and the members will come only on the command of their principle.
The three main things we have done are -
• First, keep on providing something new for them or at least conveying common things with a new touch. This includes introducing new material, methodology, songs, icebreakers, media, etc.
• The second is always to keep trying to give more space and opportunity for the members to share everything about the best teaching and learning methods they possess. So it is hoped the members feel a sense of belonging to this forum.
• The third, trying to create a cooperation with and have valuable aid from other institutions to facilitate us in designing a sustainable program for MGMP in the forthcoming years, such as LPMP, Malang University, Surabaya State University, some English Courses, ELT Indonesia and of course KGI.
We've been very active in upgrading the members' professionalism to be the best English teachers. Besides our regular meetings (at least 7 times a year), we've enthusiastically promoted, facilitated and held various programs for fulfilling the members' needs such as, seminars, workshops, comparative studies, and even outbound trips. These trips are a combination of outbound and workshop approaches to design interesting outdoor activities. We hope that it could be another alternative to facilitate more active students, a solution for the boring classroom making it a more conducive one.
