Fifteen years ago, I cried one night. I did this after my mother reported that my school had been burned by the unknown person, based on the information from the government, the action was done by separatist members. The burning incidents of my school and dozens of other schools in a number of districts in Aceh have been the result of wars between separatist groups and the Indonesian Army forces that have lasted for decades. Maybe, for some kids whose ages the same as my age at that time, the school burning tragedy was a good news because the next morning they did not have to get up in the morning to go to school, or they could spend all day playing the marbles. However, this did not happen to me because in the morning after the tragedy I went to school to watch the rubble of the burning school. it was so saddening!
At a glance, the tragedy was a phenomenon that I felt when I was in elementary school bench in remote areas of North Aceh, precisely in District of Paya Bakong. However, I could not deny that the tragedy had been a "butterfly effect" in my perspective on education in Indonesia. The tragedy had also been my stepping stone for moving to a school in the North Aceh capital, Lhoksukon.
After my move to one of the schools in Lhoksukon, there were some matters that were quite confusing to me in my new school environment. One of those things was my ignorance that in sports lessons the students are required to wear sportswear. I never known that way when I was in my old school. Not to mentioned to have our own sportswear, wearing the formal school uniform when going to school students feel scared when meeting with separatist troops. Still, I was also confused when the teacher changes in each subject because in my old school there is only one teacher to teach each class, and the teacher must teach a variety of subjects. These confusions and a number of questions in my childhood have become a matter of consideration for me to dedicate myself to being an educator. A number of childhood memories in my new school environment opened my eyes to see that there are so many differences and injustices to gain equal rights in education.
Ten years after the school burning tragedy, I finally graduated middle school in one of the biggest cities in Aceh, Lhokseumawe. The next step, I chose to continue my education to the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training UIN Ar-raniry. I did this because I chose to be a teacher or an educator for Indonesia.
Although I have now completed my education and have been a teacher at one of the private schools in Aceh Besar, my childhood dream to become a teacher in a remote area is not yet achieved. For me, being a teacher for students in the remote are is my devotion to the country, and also an effort to keep my childhood memory. At once, this became the idealism of a young man; I am.
