There's one subject in my school that I think it is really good, the one that should be applied in each school - Religiosity, especially this year with its teacher, Pak Marcel. It is actually the branch of Catholic Class. Since there are lots of students in my school who are not Catholic, the school try to make it democratic and the result is this class.

It talks about the universal value of religions and morals. I am very happy to be able to take this kind of class since it is very useful that we can discuss and share our thoughts and experiences. Besides, in my mind, Catholic Class is useless and somewhat hypocrite. All it does is memorizing about Church, its sacraments, Bible, and so on. And there's only one thing is true: what the Catholic says. We don't have a chance to argue. So, in the end, it's futile and just pass by in our mind without really absorbing it with our heart.

In the other hand, it is really different with the Religiosity Class, especially this year. We discuss, we share, we learn about universal value and moral. No one is absolutely right or definitely wrong. Well, the first and second year was quite the same like Catholic Class, tho it was still better, since the teachers are Catholic-based. But with Pak Marcel, we were guided to be able to speak up. He himself never judge our opinion is wrong. Nor does he never put himself in the most righteous position. He talks like us, ordinary person doing the same sins and mistakes. Unlike those of Catholic-based teacher who act like they are holy persons and we are sinners.

I always loved the discussions and shares. We talked about how we see homosexuals, prostitution, injustice, poor people, even we talked about porn stuffs and masturbation. He is open-minded and not judgmental.

There, we learn how we should be an open-minded person in this life. Accepting new things and opinions and approve or decline it without judging whether or not it is right.

I learn that it is the best way in educating and build up people's mental and character to accept diversity, moreover for Indonesia-kind of country which is ultimately diverse.

Now, for I've been schooling for 15 years and it has ended.. a question pops up in my mind: what did I go to school for?

For 15 years of my school, I just found the answer in the last year which is this year. Well, it is my own answer based on my characteristic and way of thinking.


For almost 15 years I studied hard, struggling for good grades and trying to be an outstanding student. I memorized all the lessons, practiced, and worked hard on every test. All are for good grades. But, now, I found it useless and it is not the real goal of studying at school.

Grade, which is more than 90% of students, teachers, and parents are looking for, doesn't matter. What matters is how we, with a good morale, behavior, characteristic, and intelligently survive in this harsh world and how we make a better life for ourselves and, especially, others who are not as lucky as we are. That's why we go to school; to gather knowledge and experience as much as possible and becoming a critical-thinking and ethical person. We also built relationships and friendships for our future. To find true friends that will help and support us later when we find ourselves struggling hardly for our life.

So, in the end, what for is chasing for grades by memorizing lessons and so on if later we will forget it? It's better that we can understand the whole thing of it well (understand well doesn't always mean getting good scores at tests) and apply it in our life later. I mean, it feels really great when we can understand lots of things happening in the world. For example, Indonesia is intersected by 3 major plates that it commonly shocked by earthquakes and sometimes crashed by Tsunami. Lots of Indonesians are afraid to go to beaches because of that. But it doesn't mean that every part of Indonesia has a chance to be badly damaged by earthquakes and Tsunami. Studying geography makes me understand that parts like East Sumatra and Borneo and north of Java are safe from it. Why do we have to be fearful? So, it is the understanding of the concept of lessons that we got is what will be used in life.

That's why I don't really care with the National Exam's questions. All I want to know is the reasons why recent things could happen.


Well, it is just my point of view.

For 15 years I've been going to school, from the kindergarten to the 12th grade of high school and today is the last day of my high school. I spent the last 10 years of it in Santa Laurensia, the school which, for me, is very great and one of the best in Indonesia. Well, most of my friends said that this school sucks, hell, hot (since there's no air-conditioner), and so on. But, for me, who comes from small city like Lampung, I am very grateful to be able to study there.

It is the school that opens my mind and knowledge to the world. I wouldn't have been able to be a critical person, a sensible, and environmentally and socially aware if I were still in Lampung. Maybe, if I hadn't moved to Jakarta, I might have been a typical ignorant teenager who only wants fun instead of hardships and struggles. And it is the real school unlike any other school whom students are easy to miss classes, teachers don't care when their students break rules, relatively easy assignments and tests, and ignorant teachers who don't even care with their class. I mean, Santa Laurensia really makes up my characteristic into the way I am today.

There are lots of things that Santa Laurensia school has that others don't. Like, lack of seniority, study tours (tho other schools start doing it, but we're one of the pioneers :P), projects and experiments, outdoor activities, beautiful trees, vast open-field, and so on.


It really makes me sad to leave this school soon. I'll miss it!!