From Independence to Internationalism

By. Richard Henry

As a National school that implements the IB curriculum, Sekolah Global Jaya is obliged to fulfil the requirements of both curricula. One of the ways that we do this in our school is through celebrating Indonesia’s Independence Day. The moment of this celebration is appreciated through a holistic approach both in and outside the curriculum activities. In Humanities, for example, our final year MYP students learned about the history of Indonesia during the colonial period. During Bahasa Indonesia, students wrote a poem to express their ideas on how to celebrate the day. A gallery was prepared by the senior school students to educate the school community about their national heroes. With the theme of “Building Indonesia with Creativity”, this event gave broad opportunities for student to explore this theme in a variety of ways. The culmination of these activities is the national ceremony called Upacara. This ceremony involves students, teachers and parents. The day ends with the traditional games competition. This event not only becomes a showcase about how we can approach the curriculum in a holistic way but gives the students a chance to reflect on their involvement in an international educational system while encouraging them to understand and appreciate their nationality. Here is a reflection written by one of our Year 10 students.  
 
 

Sometimes, as a student using an international curriculum, it is not difficult to forget your nationality. Being an Indonesian, I find it interesting that many Indonesians keep complaining about problems that our country is facing. As John F. Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” So instead of complaining, I ask myself “What can I contribute to my country as an Indonesian student using an international curriculum?” Firstly, I have to study hard so that one day I might be able to help my country. Secondly, I can appreciate Indonesia’s independence because if it was not for Indonesia’s independence, I probably wouldn’t be here studying under the IB program. Then I ask again to myself “How can I do that?” For starters, I followed every Upacara (flag-raising ceremony) at school, became a Paskibra (flag bearer) for the Independence Day celebration, studied some traditional dances, did some Community & Service with local kids who have learning disorders and wrote a poem about appreciating national independence by being creative. Given that I have had the opportunity to see how national independence appears through the eyes of the world, I should not forget how to see it through the eyes of an Indonesian. (Alyssa Maharani, Year 10B)