ROS Day 1: A New Experience Begins... Not?

Okay. I shall only say the truth. I’m not so good at doing that, but for the sake of the people reading this (which I doubt there are any), I will try my best to express what I really feel, and not what I think I feel.

Well, today was my first day at school. My first day of ROS (Rancangan Orientasi Sekolah) or also known as School-Based Experience (SBE). To be honest, at first when I came back home, all I thought of how BORING it was. I hate having to say this, but it really was. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know what to do with my hands, I couldn’t sit properly, nor could I look at the teachers or pupils very comfortably. All I did was smile brightly whenever I caught someone looking at me, or was caught looking at someone, and that was that.

When I first arrived I met the Guru Besar or Head Teacher, who, apparently did not know I was coming since the one who handled the communications between the school and IIUM was the Senior Assistant Teacher. He was absent today. Great. Fortunately the clerk knew I was coming, so the Head told me to sign in by writing in the logbook, and then went out to talk with the Senior Assistant in charge of co-curricular activities. I didn’t know what to do, so I went around looking at the notice boards and taking some photos.

Then I was invited to the teachers’ room (Bilik Wawasan), but it was small and crowded as the school was having new building being built and everything including the classes was jam-packed into an uncomfortably small area. And the teachers sat where they could, some in the computer lab, some in the Bilik Wawasan. I hope the renovation gets done soon, it must be terribly inconvenient for them.

Well, I did not have much to do, so I just sat in the computer lab, and as rained, it got colder and colder, and I got more and more sleepy. I kept yawning and yawning while trying my best to hide it. The teachers showed some interest when they saw me, especially when they knew when I was doing ROS. Then, after I helped one of the teachers read some marks while she keyed them into a computer, there was quite some clamour over needing an assistant for the other teachers as well, hehe.

But it was so boring. I felt helpless and I hadn’t brought anything with me except the attendance form and the letter from IIUM, so I had nothing to read. I couldn’t wait until it was over, and when it was, I felt so relieved. When I got back, I slept for hours as if I had actually entered a class and taught. Sometimes, doing nothing can be pretty tiring too.

However, after a few hours of sleep (which I discovered quite a number of my friends did after coming back from school… signalling exhaustion? Haha), I woke up feeling that it wasn’t that bad after all. After all, it’s only the first day. For today only I sent and received over 50 SMSes, exchanging stories with my friends who were also having their first day of ROS (for those who were in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah) and the ones who were nervous anticipating their first day on the morrow (for the ones in the other states).

I hope tomorrow will be better. For now, I just wish that this will all be over and done with quickly, but I know that’s not a good wish to wish. After all, when I work, I’ll have to go to school anyway, so I better get used to it. For now I pray to Allah that I will become more positive, and that I will be able to appreciate my experience in school and appreciate being able to become a teacher, because for now, I think being a doctor is much easier than being a teacher…