… My English is not so Good. but I manage to try my best to speak in English….. it is just a little step for my University, ITS, to be world class University.

New semester (Gasal 2009)  just starting, and it is my second semester, being a lecturer at Information System Department, Faculty of Information Technology ITS. I am teaching two subjects : Discrete Math ( for 1st year 1st semester student) and Business Intelligence (for final year students). The things that make difference for this semester is I deliver my lecture fully in English. Although,  no one doing so before in my department.

I realize  that my English is not so good, but I manage to try my best to speak in English. I also very sure some of my students sneering on What I have done. But, I believe everything will be just fine. Let the time go and show the truth. Regarding my English that is not so good, I think it is so natural, that everything supposed to be hard at beginning, but by the time swift, it will be just fine. I believe that  my audacity to speak in English, will encourage me to improve my English to be getting and better, and I think the best way to be getting better and better is by practicing it.

Regarding my students, I think it is just about habits. They are not accustomed to use English yet. But, I believe by the time swift, everything will be just fine and they will enjoy it. I manage to communicate with them either in class or out class in English.    Sending short message and email as well.

Why English? I do not mean I am less in feeling nationality. But in today’s world, everyone should deal with everyone globally. and English is the key to be able to deal with globally all around the world.  Although English has been tought  to the students since their elementary school, but I am very sure most of them did not mastering English as medium of communication. So, it is the time they practice it. Hopefully, it is beautiful beginning for ITS to be world class University.

Monday 090209. It is hard day for me. It is my first time to be a lecturer at Information System Department, ITS.  Although I have been teaching assistant for 2 years during my master studies, I am so nervous imagining what will happen in the class. Will the student eat and hurt me? Oh My God, the worse matter is that I have to teach something that I do not really understand. You know, I have to teach Intelligent System course, the subject that i do not like much during my undergraduate studies and never take it during my master studies.

In this course I have to teach a concept of Machine Learning. How to make the program or system can learn from experience by introducing many adaptive algorithm such as candidate elimination, decision tree, artificial neural network, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithm, pattern recognition, etc. To tell you the truth, it is not easy to make my self understand. If so, then how to make my student understand? [ho.. ho... ] In other hand, I am supposed to be [looks] smart lecturer in front of students in the class. I can not imagine either ‘How the stupid teacher teach stupid student ‘ or ‘How the stupid teacher teach smart student’ . Hopefully, it will never happen to me.

The only thing I can do is learning by doing, never hesitate to ask something i do not understand to the others, learn from experience, and be gentle to confess the stupidity of me. I realize that one thousand kilometers journey must be started from one step. It is so natural, everything must be hard at beginning and hopefully eventually will be ended beautifully.

Well, my first class is not so bad. I can enjoy the class and the student looks not so bored with my class. Hope everything getting better and better, Insya Allah

Cak Shon [@ ITS Surabaya, 280209: 11.07.PM]