Aceh teacher struggles to put on brave face<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
\"Come on children, let's learn to recite a prayer...,\" says Siti
\nAsma, 37, a kindergarten teacher for tsunami survivors, as she
\nstarts reciting a prayer.<\/p>\n
The flock of Pertiwi Kindergarten pupils in Geuce village,
\nBanda Aceh, immediately follows the teacher's instructions.<\/p>\n
There are 15 first-year children in the classroom, ranging
\nfrom four to five years of age. Siti tends patiently to each and
\neveryone of them, arranging their school bags and dividing
\ncolored papers, always with a smile on her face.<\/p>\n
At a glance, nobody would believe that Siti was also a victim
\nof the tsunami. She lost her husband and one of her children. Her
\nhouse was leveled to the ground. She nearly lost her life too.<\/p>\n
She survived after being found floating in the middle of the
\nocean with wounds all over her body.<\/p>\n
\"I've been truly scarred by the ordeal, but I must not exhibit
\nit in front of the kids. They are still small and they have to
\ngrow up in a happy way,\" Siti told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Her motivation to teach is still strong, even though the
\ndisaster has devastated her life. Siti started teaching on the
\nfirst day schools opened after the tsunami. The kindergarten was
\nspared from the tsunami.<\/p>\n
\"I have a responsibility to teach. Perhaps, I can find some
\nsolace when seeing the antics of the children,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She now lives with her two surviving children in a storeroom
\non the school grounds, which she has turned into an apartment.<\/p>\n
Nothing was left of her belongings. The clothes she now wears
\nhave been provided by donors. \"However, it is much better than
\nliving in those government barracks,\" said Siti.<\/p>\n
She has devoted 15 years of her life to teaching. Her whole
\ncareer has been spent teaching, playing and singing with children
\nof preschool age. The disaster has greatly impacted her life, and
\nit is quite hard for her to be the same as she was before.<\/p>\n
\"I cry when I hear sad songs, even in front of the class,\"
\nsaid Siti. \"The children always ask, 'Are you crying because your
\nchild was swept away by the tsunami?'\"<\/p>\n
The tsunami claimed the lives of many teachers and many others
\nwere disabled. Siti was fortunate that she is still alive even
\nthough she lost her husband and child.<\/p>\n
Government data shows that there were more than 1,500 teachers
\nwho died or are considered missing, and over 1,000 were disabled
\nand living in shelters for displaced people.<\/p>\n
There are seven teachers from the Pertiwi kindergarten that
\nwere directly affected by the tsunami. Most lost their homes.
\nSiti suffered the most.<\/p>\n
Appearing before children with a smile and being jovial is
\nrequired of a kindergarten teacher, and Siti Asma must struggle
\nto do that. \"Everyone knows how hard it is to keep smiling when
\nsomeone is sad,\" she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-teacher-struggles-to-put-on-brave-face-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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