Undergoing a profession as a teacher is not something easy. With the increase in communication technology sometimes the existence of a teacher begins to be underestimated. For the current learning process, children can use the internet as a learning medium. Being a kid who knows everything is very easy to achieve with the internet.
Though the teacher’s task is not just to make their students smart. In accordance with what has been mandated in legislation, the teacher has the main task of educating, teaching, guiding, directing, training, assessing, and evaluating the students. The main task of the teacher also includes forming students into human beings who have a sense of nationality and love for
the motherland, to be smart citizen, democratic, responsible citizens, and have high constitutional awareness.
The teacher’s assignment explicitly tends to highlight more about the importance of good character possessed by students, not merely cognitive intelligence. As a Civic Education teacher, I feel a greater responsibility compared to other subject teachers to shape the students as mandated by the regulations.
In addition to the fact that Civic Education contains a lot of constitutional material, the content also includes learning that is character building to become a good Indonesian citizen based on Pancasila values. One of the material discussed in Civic Education is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, the motto of the Republic Indonesia.
There must be a reason, Unity in Diversity material is included in the latest Civic Education curriculum. The condition of the country which has deviated a lot from the values of Unity in Diversity is now increasing. Violence between groups continues to increase, conflicts are increasingly widespread, intolerant attitudes are often exhibited, and respect for diversity is increasingly abandoned. That is the reality that is now happening in Indonesian society. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is only a motto, if the community has been ignorant in its implementation.
As a teacher, especially a Civic Education teacher, I certainly have a duty to shape students to have a sense of nationalism and love for the country, to be an intelligent, democratic, responsible citizen, and have a high constitutional awareness. The workload carried out by a Civic Education teacher feels heavy with the reality that how now exists in the community.
Opening children’s insights on the importance of mutual respect in diversity is not easy. How this could be, when I discussed diversity material, sometimes there were students who seemed to feel it is not important to know other people who are not identical with their identities; ethnicity, religion, race or between groups. He tends not to like differences.
By rejecting diversity, there will be problems with peace. While peace can actually be created when we have appreciated the differences. And now the values of peace are slowly fading. Cases due to the absence of mutual respect for diversity are increasing.
The existence of Peace Generation really helped the problem that I was experiencing. The existence of 12 Basic Values of Peace training opened up new insights for me to strengthen learning in the classroom, especially for diversity material.
Participating in Peace Generation training was a very valuable experience for me. In addition to being able to answer challenges when teaching diversity, I also find effective ways to get the material well delivered to students. 12 The Basic Value of Peace has made me realize a lot about the importance of peace and how to grow it. I have always believed that diversity material that was previously difficult for students to understand would be easily delivered by adopting the learning of the 12 values of peace from Peace Generation.
After attending the training and learning more about 12 Basic Values of Peace, I tried to design a Civic Education learning curriculum that was collaborated with 12 Basic Values of Peace. This step certainly does not reduce the Civic Education curriculum that has been set nationally, but instead makes these 12 Basic Values of Peace an enrichment material.
Because I am currently teaching at the Middle School level, the design of the collaborated Civic Education curriculum is intended for grades 7, 8 and 9. So that these 12 Basic Values of Peace will be conveyed at all levels of junior high school education. Hopefully this small step is m
y step to be part of the Agent of Peace. Also, hopefully my students will become the next Agent of Peace
Writer: Sarif Hidayat (Teacher at SMP Muhammadiyah 8 Bandung)
Editor: Zulkifli Fajri Ramadan
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