2nd Professional Development

Time flew so fast that the second gathering of all teachers has come. The success of the 1st professional development has led the administration to conduct a series of updates with colleagues in terms of school policies and educational trends that sometimes overlooked by many. Teachers were gathered on the 29th of November in the seminar hall (Villa 2) to experience collaborative discussions with the assigned presenters. The event started at 12:50 and ended at around 4:30 in the afternoon.

The first presenter, Mr. Gurhan, changed the ambiance of the seminar hall from a so-so to a participative atmosphere when he asked everybody to stand and throw all the money they have from their wallets/pockets. Many have become hesitant because it is their hard-earned money that they will throw but eventually the presenter connects the activity to his topic which is “Time Management”. It is true indeed as the presenter said that we can’t go back to the time that has been wasted and so it is important to manage our time well to maximize our full potential. The topic is not new to the participants because this is something they have learned from their universities but the big question is “Why do they have to discuss this kind of topic again to teachers?”. It is so simple, common topic like time-management is often neglected or overlooked by many professionals that is why they tend to say that they have no time for this when in fact they have. For the presenter, it is just a matter of how they are going to organize their schedule and stick with it to maximize their efficiency and so not to say that they have no time in doing other things. The presenter shared some information about time-management like creating a checklist on what to do, the benefits of time-management, creating a productivity journal, urgent and important matrix, and obstacles of time-management.

The second presenter, Mr. Daniiar, created a serious atmosphere in the seminar hall as he discussed the new policies to be implemented in school. The topic is about “Establishing Discipline at School”, where he reiterated the importance of having school policies in achieving a well-decorum environment within the school. A lot of information was shared by the presenter about the new implementing rules and regulations concerning the behavior of HIBS students.

The third presenter made a light and inspiring talk as the presenter, Ms. Trang, discussed the topic “A Way to School”. The presenter talked about her experiences in education as a teacher. During the university days, Ms. Trang has been so energetic because there are so many ideas from her mind as to what true education means for her. She was also challenged by day-to-day experience in school as she met her students. Despite the huge difference between theoretical concepts and practical applications in education, Ms. Trang was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This gave her positivity to endure more challenges in education and show a smile in front of her students. The positive atmosphere created by the presenter lessened the burden carried by the audience from their shoulders for a long time. This is evident with the smiles and wondering looks of the participants to the presenter.

Lastly, the fourth presenter, Ms. Jewel, made the discussion entertaining through games and acts. The session started with a game where teachers need to guess the appropriate term that describes the pictures shown in the slides. Those who got the answers correctly were given the chance to pick their prize from the mystery bag. The entertainment hasn’t ended as the presenter, together with Mr. Tom and Mr. Dom, played childishly where Mr. Tom took some kind of sweets from Ms. Jewel and Mr. Dom acted as the mediator. In the end, the presenter connected the game and act in her topic “Developmental Disorders and Special Needs”. This topic is crucial for many because if we don’t know the needs of our students then we can’t deliver efficient learning for them. As an educator, it is a “MUST” for us to distinguish our students' capabilities and deficiencies. The session made it more serious as Ms. Jewel started presenting the different developmental disorders our students might possess. The session has become participative when teachers need to write any kind of weird thing they do. It was emphasized that we do weird things in our lives but that is not a disability. The wonderful session has ended with a big question “Are learning disabilities real or just a myth?”