The risible experience part 2 My Bollywood student
He was actually a charming boy among other students. He always could attract people attention with his body movement, no wonder he is from India. Every time I looked at him I just thought I had one Bollywood actor in the class room. It was my first year to be a principal. And he was the third grader high school student.
Third grade in high school is always the critical year for student. It is about the Last National examination. Teachers need to teach harder to make sure the students can meet the expectation grade. I faced the biggest problems when all the teachers came to me and said they wanted to quit teaching for the third grade student. I couldn’t accept that before I knew the reason. The teachers started to complain about the uncooperative students. I thought the teachers needed motivation so I told them to change their paradigm of teaching. Giving the teachers example how to handle the classroom and how to deal with difficult students. I asked them to find the root of the problem and I would do my best to help as principal.
A week later, some teachers told me that the biggest problem came from the Bollywood student. He always gave comment when teacher taught and he always grabbed class attention with his joke. He couldn’t sit calmly in class. The teachers said if he wasn’t at the class, the teacher would continue teaching.
It was a difficult task for me. I told the teacher could send the Bollywood student to my office and I would teach him personally. I prepared another table in my room for him. And I started to have him in my room. He came to my office and his first expression was so angry and he said,” Ibu, why I have to study in your office. I want to be in my classroom?” I answered calmly,” you are very special student here. I love to have you in my office. Look …. You have your own table and chair here and you will feel like a VIP student” He said,” No… I don’t like to be in your office. Only the trouble maker comes to your office” Quickly I answered,” do you think the teachers who come to my office are also the trouble maker?” He smiled to me and said “maybe “I laughed and looked at him. “Okay please sit down and start reading that book” Without any objection he started to do his work. Ten minutes later, he started to look around and looked at my desk. Then he started to give comment to what ever I did. I kept silent and tried to be patient with him.
After an hour, I couldn’t cope anymore with his behavior. I started to find the way out from that situation. I put aside my job and told my assistant to bring some books.
I told him, “Now it is time for you to read this book” He was so happy to think that he would escape from me and he was shocked when he accepted the book. “Dhammapada”
I said “Please read the first and the second verses “He looked at me and said “Ibu you will not understand this you are Christian” I stared to him and said, “I don’t have to change my Christianity to understand that beautiful verses. We will discuss later about that verses and see “
He reluctantly read that verse
Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
Ruled by the heart,
Made of the heart.
If you speak or act
With a corrupted heart,
Then suffering follows you —
As the wheel of the cart,
The track of the ox
That pulls it.
Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
Ruled by the heart,
Made of the heart.
If you speak or act
With a calm, bright heart,
Then happiness follows you,
Like a shadow
That never leaves.
(Dhammapada verses 1-2)
Then I started giving him a question what the meaning of those verses in his opinion and his perception. He said,” I got the meaning Bu, I understand” I looked at him,” If you understand then please explain to me” He begged me,” Please Ibu, don’t push me “
I said to him,” Let see those verses say about your heart. If you speak or act it shows about your truly heart and mind which lead the action. The result of that can be a suffering or happiness. That is all your choice in life. You are you, what ever you do will only show about you. Your friends who enjoy your funny comment in the class, they actually laugh at you. You just tell every one that you can not control your heart and mind. You just show the worse part of your heart”
He silently put his head down on the table. I said to him,” This is not punishment for you. Sitting in my office is a good time for you to learn something and I also learn something from you. As principal I can give you common punishment because of your behavior in class but I choose to handle you personally here in my office. This is my challenge to keep my mind and my heart leads me to the right decision. I believe that you can be a great person if you can apply those verses in your life”
After four times having discussion with him, he was step by step changing his behavior.
It has been 9 years ago. I didn’t know what happen with him now. He might become a sage right now. Who knows?
I just want to share:
The verses of Dhammapada are beautiful and the meaning are so deep, the hardest thing how we learn to apply in our daily life.
Jakarta, May 14, 2009, at 10.32 PM
**Lina Kartasasmita**
Third grade in high school is always the critical year for student. It is about the Last National examination. Teachers need to teach harder to make sure the students can meet the expectation grade. I faced the biggest problems when all the teachers came to me and said they wanted to quit teaching for the third grade student. I couldn’t accept that before I knew the reason. The teachers started to complain about the uncooperative students. I thought the teachers needed motivation so I told them to change their paradigm of teaching. Giving the teachers example how to handle the classroom and how to deal with difficult students. I asked them to find the root of the problem and I would do my best to help as principal.
A week later, some teachers told me that the biggest problem came from the Bollywood student. He always gave comment when teacher taught and he always grabbed class attention with his joke. He couldn’t sit calmly in class. The teachers said if he wasn’t at the class, the teacher would continue teaching.
It was a difficult task for me. I told the teacher could send the Bollywood student to my office and I would teach him personally. I prepared another table in my room for him. And I started to have him in my room. He came to my office and his first expression was so angry and he said,” Ibu, why I have to study in your office. I want to be in my classroom?” I answered calmly,” you are very special student here. I love to have you in my office. Look …. You have your own table and chair here and you will feel like a VIP student” He said,” No… I don’t like to be in your office. Only the trouble maker comes to your office” Quickly I answered,” do you think the teachers who come to my office are also the trouble maker?” He smiled to me and said “maybe “I laughed and looked at him. “Okay please sit down and start reading that book” Without any objection he started to do his work. Ten minutes later, he started to look around and looked at my desk. Then he started to give comment to what ever I did. I kept silent and tried to be patient with him.
After an hour, I couldn’t cope anymore with his behavior. I started to find the way out from that situation. I put aside my job and told my assistant to bring some books.
I told him, “Now it is time for you to read this book” He was so happy to think that he would escape from me and he was shocked when he accepted the book. “Dhammapada”
I said “Please read the first and the second verses “He looked at me and said “Ibu you will not understand this you are Christian” I stared to him and said, “I don’t have to change my Christianity to understand that beautiful verses. We will discuss later about that verses and see “
He reluctantly read that verse
Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
Ruled by the heart,
Made of the heart.
If you speak or act
With a corrupted heart,
Then suffering follows you —
As the wheel of the cart,
The track of the ox
That pulls it.
Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
Ruled by the heart,
Made of the heart.
If you speak or act
With a calm, bright heart,
Then happiness follows you,
Like a shadow
That never leaves.
(Dhammapada verses 1-2)
Then I started giving him a question what the meaning of those verses in his opinion and his perception. He said,” I got the meaning Bu, I understand” I looked at him,” If you understand then please explain to me” He begged me,” Please Ibu, don’t push me “
I said to him,” Let see those verses say about your heart. If you speak or act it shows about your truly heart and mind which lead the action. The result of that can be a suffering or happiness. That is all your choice in life. You are you, what ever you do will only show about you. Your friends who enjoy your funny comment in the class, they actually laugh at you. You just tell every one that you can not control your heart and mind. You just show the worse part of your heart”
He silently put his head down on the table. I said to him,” This is not punishment for you. Sitting in my office is a good time for you to learn something and I also learn something from you. As principal I can give you common punishment because of your behavior in class but I choose to handle you personally here in my office. This is my challenge to keep my mind and my heart leads me to the right decision. I believe that you can be a great person if you can apply those verses in your life”
After four times having discussion with him, he was step by step changing his behavior.
It has been 9 years ago. I didn’t know what happen with him now. He might become a sage right now. Who knows?
I just want to share:
The verses of Dhammapada are beautiful and the meaning are so deep, the hardest thing how we learn to apply in our daily life.
Jakarta, May 14, 2009, at 10.32 PM
**Lina Kartasasmita**
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