Idealist vs Pragmatist

Photo By Siora Photography on Unsplash

Mid-2017 was an extraordinary time for me. My career peak as a teacher was in a good and ideal condition.

I am proud of one of my students who advanced to the national level and even became the runner-up in the 2017 LKS SMK Web Design and Development competition in Surakarta a few months ago.

This mid-year also coincided with the birth of our first daughter, Maryam Fukayna Kaneez, in July.

Actually, starting last year, my idealism began to waver. It turns out that dedicating oneself as a teacher, especially as a contract teacher, is not easy.

At SMKN 1 Cibadak, my salary is quite high and better compared to contract teachers at other schools. Moreover, the administration has been taken over by the province, and with a 24-hour work schedule (about 3 days), I can already earn the provincial minimum wage.

However, everyone has different needs. There are many things to pursue, and we cannot ignore the fact that we must find various ways to supplement our income.

Looking at my situation at that time (as a teacher), I worked 7 days a week, sometimes for more than 12 hours a day (if there were many projects, teaching, and weekend classes).

This situation was no longer ideal, especially since I now had a wife and child who needed more of my attention. From that moment, my idealism started to waver, and eventually, with a heavy heart, I decided to leave the school for a while.

Actually, there were many factors that made me return to the industry, one of which, as mentioned above, is that I considered the location of my workplace was close to my in-laws’ house.

Everyone must feel the same, that being a new parent requires help. It was impossible for my wife to take care of the child at home alone while her condition hadn’t fully recovered.

Moreover, I realized my knowledge was still far behind and starting to fall behind, so I hoped to learn a lot in the industrial world.

Through this writing, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity given to me to be part of the school. I still remember the first years when I joined the school and became a teacher.

Some of the first batch students I taught are now actively mentoring their juniors and learning independently (renting a place to make it a workspace and basecamp to share knowledge). Keep going, kids, we need more young people like you.

In closing, I apologize if I have not been a good teacher so far, and I ask for your prayers that I may be blessed with knowledge and sustenance, so one day I can return to the world of education.

Oh, and I apologize for not updating this blog for a long time. This blog is my platform to share with all of you. Insya Allah, starting next week, I will make it a point to update at least one article on this blog.

If any of you wish for specific materials, feel free to write it in the comment section, as long as it’s within the field of web development, insya Allah, I will try to provide that material.

However, I apologize if there are some topics beyond my expertise. I will need to learn them first and may disappoint you all.

Thank you for reading my reflection.