Sekolah Menengah Pertama Negeri 1 Kendari

SMP Negeri 1 Kendari is guided by Pelajar Pancasila, which includes Beriman, Bertakwa kepada Tuhan YME, dan Berakhlak Mulia; Mandiri; Bernalar Kritis; Berkebinekaan Global; Bergotong Royong; Kreatif— when translated in English— obedience to God, independence, critical thinking, global diversity, collaboration, and creativity, respectively. These values are essential to classroom settings and significant whenever students go outside the classroom or even once they become professionals. The overall goal of the teaching system is to manifest the holistic development of each student, not only focusing on their academic achievements but also on other aspects of their non-academic lives. One thing I have observed is that the construction of the lesson plans asks teachers to integrate the Pelajar Pancasila into each learning process— in another straightforward narrative, they ensure that there is a goal that learners will be able to achieve towards quality education and that teachers meticulously plan the goal for each lesson. Thus, SMP Negeri 1 Kendari is an academic institution that guarantees that teachers, students, and the administration should be actively involved in the teaching-learning process and implementing the recommended curriculum.

A two-hour allotment in class in each subject was one of the systems that made me consider its pros and cons. Before discussing the pros of it, it is reasonable to discuss the cons of the time allotment and then compare its implementation to Indonesia and the Philippines. Indonesia, particularly the school where three SEA Teachers are deployed, has remarkably implemented the two-hour allotment in each class subject in the sense that the teachers are able to accomplish their lessons without thinking of the inconsistencies that could occur when teaching other classes in the same grade level. The teachers have the opportunity to give lectures, explain concepts, expound examples, clarify queries, give activities, and give time for students to present their outputs— more than enough time for teachers to accomplish their goals in just one meeting. The teachers and the students do not feel they are forced to accomplish the competencies and standards asked of them because of time constraints. However, I would like to emphasize that not all students can withstand a two-hour class, mainly because their attention span is relatively short, making it challenging for them to concentrate on the lesson and ensure that they can grasp everything the teacher has to discuss. Thus, it became perceptible for the observers to deduce that one of the reasons why students make use of their gadgets while in class is that they are easily distracted and tempted to play mobile games.

On the other hand, in the Philippines’ implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum, a 45 or 55-minute time allotment in each learning area was considered because the Department of Education wanted learners to acquire better focus and engagement towards their academic involvement in the classroom settings. However, according to teachers, 45 minutes is not enough for them to accomplish their lesson because it would only accommodate their teaching and not the assessments they want to assign. Due to numerous class suspensions, there were inconsistencies in the learning processes in different classes in the same grade level. Therefore, I would like to highlight the pros and cons of having too much and less than an hour time allotment for executing the lesson plan and delivering the lesson— the school administration should deliberately plan on what measures are necessary to avoid inconsistencies in the delivery and also recognizing how students would be active inside the classroom.