By: Josephine Chloe Confido, Secondary 3 Peace

As the new academic year begins, we are introduced to both familiar faces we haven’t seen for two years because of the pandemic, and the new faces that will sit among us like our friends and companions and some will also be our new mentors. Surely, we’d like to get to know them as much as we got to know our friends and classmates. Let us meet them one by one.

Ms. Ferly Laurente is the Form Teacher of Secondary 1 Courage. She is also teaching Mathematics for both the Secondary 1 and 2 levels. She had been teaching since 1997, almost 25 years! 

“Back in the Philippines, I used to handle students ranging from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4, but when I moved to Indonesia, I was handling Primary students. I’m taking care of Secondary students again now, after quite a long time, but I have no problem with it since I’m not making a lot of adjustments.” 

She hopes that the face-to-face learning set-up will continue for the rest of the academic year so that students can enjoy meeting their friends every day since studying at home can be difficult at times. She also added:

“For the students, I hope that they can all succeed this academic year, as our aim for their scores is 90%-95%. Hopefully, they’ll be able to meet this academic target. I know that the students here are excellent students– they are kind, they always approach their teachers when a topic is unclear, and they are very enthusiastic to learn!”

Ms. Helen Japor Pintor, the Form Teacher of Secondary 2 Passion and handles English and Humanities subjects for the Secondary 1 and 2 students. She also came from the Department of Education in the Philippines.

She expressed, “I used to teach Junior and Senior High School students– that’s the equivalent of Junior College 1 and 2 here in BBS– but teaching younger students isn’t new to me anymore either, because for the first five years of my teaching career, I handled primary school students. I’ve also taught in Manado Independent School, Sulawesi, Indonesia,  where I then handled students of the same age range as I am handling now.” 

After teaching for three years in Manado, Ms. Helen moved back to the Philippines where she pursued teaching in a government school. When asked about her expectations for the year, she explained that she was searching for something new, and a place where she could not only share her knowledge but also learn new things from her students and colleagues– somewhere she could discover and try out the new and the novel. 

Mr. Aep Saepulloh is the Form Teacher of Secondary 3 Integrity and Physics teacher of the same level. He was previously teaching at the Temasek Independent School, Bandung before moving to teach in our school. When asked about his adaptation to the new environment, this was what he had to say:

“The environment here is different compared to the school I used to teach in– it’s a bit hectic here. The students and activities here are different as well, but I have no issue with the syllabus since I’ve been teaching for eight years. I’ve also heard that the students here are high achievers, and that makes me more excited.” 

When he was inquired about the reason for moving here, he stated that he had come in search of a new challenge outside his comfort zone and had received help from his friend– our own Mathematics teacher, Mr. Hendero. We hope that our school will be able to provide all the teaching challenges and inspiration for him!

Mr. Riovaldi Susanto or Mr. Rio, works as a part-timer, is the Business teacher for Secondary 3 and the Economics teacher for Junior College 1. He shared that prior to teaching here in Bina Bangsa School Bandung, he had taught in BPK Penabuk Singasana– and still does. 

When asked about his first impression of BBS Bandung, he answered, 

“It’s a very diverse community of people. You’ll meet different people with different backgrounds, be it a student or a teacher. For this academic year, because I’m still new to the school, I’m hoping to be able to help my students pass the subject so that they can move onto the next level. I also hope that my students will enjoy my teaching style so that they will be able to learn a lot from my teachings.” 

He also added that he wished all the other new teachers the best for this new academic years would be a great opportunity for them all.

We, students, are just as excited and enthusiastic as they are, especially that we are now enjoying the face-to face set-up. All the best indeed to our new teachers!