THE PRIVILEGE AND THE LEGACY

The After Performance of Othello at Dewan Kesenian Lampung (DKL), Batch 2021.

Before I began teaching at university, I worked as an English teacher and a homeroom teacher at a National Plus School for four years. In my first year, I was solely an English teacher. However, in my second year, I was entrusted with the role of a Homeroom teacher for 4th grade. In my third year, I guided 8th graders, and by my fourth year, I took on the responsibility of being a homeroom teacher for 10th grade. Those are the days when I learned a lot about teaching methods, inclusive school, special needs students, and many more. However, after years of teaching and gaining experience, I began to understand what I truly wanted in education. To me, being a part of someone’s memory is a privilege, whether it’s a joyful memory or a bittersweet one. Not everyone will remember who I was, but they will remember me for how I made them feel.

Through teaching drama, I realised that I have given my students a memory, perhaps even one that is precious and unforgettable. At first, I didn’t realise that teaching drama would grant me a special place in my students’ hearts and minds, regardless of the nature of those memories. Their recollections of me, the drama course, and the emotions they experienced throughout the learning process and the final performance itself are both a privilege and a legacy.

I realise that I may not be as intelligent or as fortunate as some of my colleagues. I am also not the most diligent or hardworking person, hahaha, but I genuinely wish for the best and most beautiful things in my students’ lives. At the very least, I hope that one day, in a quiet moment, perhaps when they are older, sitting with their family in the late afternoon, sipping warm tea or coffee, their memories will take them back to the days when they rehearsed and performed in drama class. And when they do, I hope they share those memories with their loved ones, smiling or even laughing, not just because they recall scenes from the past, but because they can still feel the joy of those moments.

The greatest legacy I can leave for my students is memory, living on in their hearts, being remembered, even if only once in a while. My satisfaction and happiness as a teacher do not come from titles, the knowledge I have gained, or the money I earn. Instead, they come from the deep feelings I instil in my students about how to truly enjoy life. Of course, I am not always perfect in my actions toward them, but I strive never to make them feel disappointed or hurt by my words or behaviour.