Local Content Curriculum: Immature program for Teachers

LCC is a way of educational reform. Since its coming the existence of LCC influenced to the teachers’ contribution in the education system. Teachers are not only demanded to revise their teachers’ identity but also need to transform it. I assume that it needs a very hard work and an extra energy to erase the assumption of teachers as civil servants in which they need to be loyal to the country and change the primary duty related to the instruction. I see this as this program is immature for teachers seen from facts about teachers based on my own experiences.

The stereotype of civil servants create bigger and bigger problem. Many want to be teachers especially civil servants in order to have job security. I recited what Bjork found in his research. “As long as there no serious problems, I will not be fired, most teachers are safe here” (Bjork, 2005, p.90). Once people passed the civil servant admission test, they would be safe. They only conduct their class only based on assumption of ‘as long as I can accomplish’. They do not have the feeling to be an agent of change to make their students’ life to be more colorful and dynamics. The only thing they pay more attention is do not make mistake thus they will not be punished. This view must be stopped. Giving label and punishment are maybe not good idea but they are must. They drive me to personal arguments that government needs to implement a status of temporary civil servants in which teacher will be supervised anually and assessed every five years. They will be assessed by watching their performance in mastery content and pedagogical competence (Boyle-Baise, 20008, p.312). If they perform well, they will earn more incentive but if they don’t their status as civil servants can be diminished.

Another argument is seen from classroom instruction. Ideally, teachers instruct in the classroom by different strategies, method, approach such as the use of video technology and hypermedia, case methods, autobiography, and portfolio (Charter & Andres, 1996; Darling-Hammond et al., 2005; Grossman, 2005 in Zeichner & Conklin, 2008, p.279) in order to attract the students. They need to prepare materials well before coming to the class. But, what I found in my field experience is positively correlated with Bjork’s opinion where many teachers do not take their ‘free time’ to prepare materials for their next classes. And, mostly teachers’ students as well as the supervisor’ teachers did not prepare the lesson well. We used our time to chat with other friends, watch television program, eat in the canteen, sleep, or just read newspapers and novels and do not do instruction-related activity such as preparing media, designing materials, and reading the content. Many teachers argue that it was because the salary cannot afford to buy the daily needs and media for teaching. As Lortie say, teachers often endure unpleasant work conditions, low pay, and feelings of isolation in exchange for the ‘physics rewards’ they derive from their interaction with children (Bjork, 2006, p.133). Government responds it by giving more welfare through teacher certification program. Government doubles the salary and gives more money to teachers. I feel that teacher’s certification is good idea where the incentive salary helps teacher’s family to live. Then, some try to change the habits, start to use media, techniques, in order to show their respect to the government, but the others still use the conservative technique that is lecturing. Why do they do next?

Another fact is seen from training hours. Government offer many programs, not only in the small scope such as regency, but also in the provincial office or even in national scope for teacher to increase their instruction in class. They are gathered to have new understanding about their instruction. It is good thing where many teachers can share their experience and take benefits of them. Teachers also train by professional how to conduct well-prepared instruction to pull the students’ interest. But, unfortunately only some teachers have the different training hours. Once teachers involve their selves in the teaching activity, they will continue their steps and leave behind the others. Some teacher will have good instruction while the others do not. I argue that it is because some teachers have high motivation and the others lack of it.

To sum up, government has encouraged teachers to certain ways of improving teachers’ contribution but teachers’ readiness is unsolved obstacle. This problem is not only government homework but also teachers need to concern. A big question comes across my idea, when do teachers contribute a lot, then? You name it.

References

Bjork, C. (2005). Indonesian Education: Teachers, Schools, and Central Bureaucracy. NY: Routledge.

Bjork, C. (2006). Transferring authority to local communities in Indonesia: Ambitius plans, mixed results. In C Bjork (Ed.) Educational decentralization: Asian experiences and conceptual contribution (pp. 129-148), NY: Springer.

Boyle-Baise, M. & Mclntyre, DJ. (2008).What kind of experience? Preparing teachers in PDS or community settings. In M. Cochran-Smith, S. Feiman-Nemser & JD Mclentrye (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring questions in changing context (pp.307-329). New York: Routledge.

Zeichner, K. & Coklin, HG. (2008). Teacher education programs as sites for teacher preparation. In M. Cochran-Smith, S. Feiman-Nemser & JD Mclentrye (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring questions in changing context (pp.307-329). New York: Routledge.