Cerpen

TETESAN TERAKHIR AIR MATA BUNDA

“Go…Ray…Go…….” teriakan para penonton membuat Ray memacu kencang motor KING kesayangannya. Ray benar- benar ingin memenangkan pertandingan untuk kali ini. Ray memang jagonya untuk urusan kebut- kebutan, buat Ray kegiatan ini bisa memacu adrenalinnya.Teriakan para penonton semakin antusias, apalagi ketika motor Ray hampir menyentuh finish.
“ Yess…” teriak Ray saat roda motor Ray menyentuh garis finish.
Waktu sudah menunjukkan pukul 12 malam, motor Ray melaju kencang menembus malam, Ray ingin cepat- cepat sampai di rumah.
”Assalamu’alaikum….” teriak Ray di pagar rumah mewah itu.
Rumah besar itu ber-cat putih, di halaman rumah yang luas itu banyak sekali bunga- bunga, tapi dari sekian banyak bunga di halaman rumah itu, ada satu bunga kesayangan Bunda, yaitu bunga melati, tanaman yang menjalar itu adalah bunga kesayangan Bunda. Bik Sumi langsung membukakan pintu pagar.
“Mas Ray, koq baru pulang?Ibu nunggu Mas Ray dari tadi.” ujar Bik Sumi.
Ray langsung menuju kamar Bunda.
“Bunda…” Ray mencium tangan Bunda.
”Dari mana saja kamu Nak?Jangan bilang kalau kamu balapan liar lagi?” Ray mendesah nafas panjang.
“Bunda udah makan?” Ray mencoba mengalihkan pertanyaan Bunda.
”Bunda gak mau makan, kalo kamu belum makan sama Bunda”.
Ray melihat mata Bunda, Ray paling senang melihat mata Bunda, mata Bunda adalah mata yang paling indah buat Ray, dan Bunda akan luluh hatinya, jika Ray menatap dalam mata Bunda.
”Bunda lapar, ayo kita makan!” ujar Bunda.
Ini bukan pertama kali untuk Ray menyuapi Bunda makan, Ray sudah sangat sering menyuapi Bunda makan, terutama sekitar 3 bulan ini. Bunda sedang sakit, Dokter memvonis Bunda menderita sakit kanker paru- paru, dan kemungkinan untuk Bunda sembuh sangat tipis. Tapi Ray tidak pernah putus asa, Bunda sudah sering masuk rumah sakit, tapi karena Bunda tidak pernah betah di rumah sakit, jadi selama 3 bulan ini di kamar Bunda sudah tersedia infus untuk menemani hari- hari Bunda. Satu hal yang gak ingin Ray lihat dari Bunda, Ray gak ingin melihat Bunda menangis. Saat Ray berusia 10 tahun, ayah Ray menceraikan Bunda, dengan alasan tidak sanggup mengurus istri penyakitan, di tambah godaan dari sekretaris ayah yang sering menelepon ayah untuk urusan yang gak penting di luar urusan kantor. Sekarang hanya Ray yang dimiliki Bunda. Di rumah sebesar itu, tidak jarang Ray sering merasa kesepian. Makanya Ray mencari kesibukan di luar kuliahnya. Ray memang hobi balapan dari SMA, dan hobi itu berlanjut sampai sekarang. Buat Ray, balapan bisa membuat adrenalinnya terpacu, apalagi Balapan bisa membuat Ray melupakan masalahnya. Ray sangat benci dengan ayahnya, karena ayah Bunda sakit seperti ini, tapi motor pemberian ayahnya adalah motor kesayangan Ray, “KING “ itu yang sering menemani Ray saat Ray sedang gundah, sedih, ataupun marah. Tanpa sepengetahuan Bunda, Ray sering mengintip Bunda di balik jendela kamar bunda. Ray sering melihat Bunda menangis menyesali nasib dan sakit yang diderita bunda. Ray ingin menghibur bunda, tapi Ray tidak pernah bisa menghibur Bunda karena Bunda akan mengunci pintu kamarnya kalau ingin sendiri. Hari ini adalah hari ulang tahun Bunda yang ke -47 tahun, Ray sudah menyiapkan kejutan untuk Bunda. Pagi ini, Ray bangun lebih awal dari biasanya, dan khusus hari ini Ray lah yang menyiapkan sarapan untuk Bunda, pukul 6 pagi Ray sudah ada di dapur, Bi Sumi yang biasanya menyiapkan sarapan Bubur untuk Bunda, terkejut karena majikannya sudah ada di dapur.
“Mas Ray lagi ngapain?” tanya Bi Sumi.
“Aku lagi buatin Bubur untuk Bunda, emang kenapa Bik?” tanya Ray.
“Sudah biar Bibik aja yang nyiapin seperti biasa, Mas Ray tenang aja” ujar Bi Sumi.
“Nggak bi, mulai hari ini aku yang akan nyiapin bubur buat bunda, aku juga yang nyiapin obat- obat untuk Bunda minum, Bibik tenang aja. Bibik bisa ngurus kerjaan bibik yang lain.” Ray langsung berlalu menuju kamar Bunda.
“Bunda..” Ray membangunkan Bunda, Bunda tampak terkejut melihat putra kesayangannya sudah ada di sampingnya.
”Ray…tumben kamu bangun pagi- pagi nak?biasanya Bik Sumi yang sering bangunin Bunda tiap pagi, mimpi apa ya Bunda semalam?” goda Bunda sambil mencubit hidung Ray.
”Selamat Ulang Tahun Bunda…., Maaf Ray Cuma bisa buatin bubur buat Bunda, maaf kalo keasinan ya Bun….” tanpa terasa air mata Bunda menetes.
”Bunda,jangan nangis lagi dong!Bunda kan udah dewasa, kata bunda yang menangis hanya anak kecil, sekarang koq malah Bunda yang sering nangis?” Tanya Ray.
”Kali ini Bunda nangis karena bahagia koq nak…” jawab Bunda.
”Memangnya Bunda bahagia?” tanya Ray.
“Bunda bahagia nak,Bunda bahagia punya anak seperti kamu, anak yang selalu perhatian sama Bunda…” ujar Bunda.
Mereka pun berpelukan erat, ”Ray sayang sama Bunda, hari ini, besok, dan selamanya.” air mata Ray menetes.
Ibu dan anak itu kelihatan sangat bahagia, Bik Sumi terharu melihat kejadian itu. Hari ini Ray balapan lagi. Motor King itu terus melaju kencang, teriakan para penonton malah membuat Ray semakin bersemangat. Ray terus melaju kencang, dia seperti tidak peduli dengan lawan- lawannya yang lain, tanpa Ray sadari di depannya ada polisi tidur, Ray terus melaju.
Dan “Brakkk… Motor King itu terseret di aspal. “Akhhhhhh……” teriak Ray.
Para penonton berhamburan di jalanan, Ray pun di bawa ke rumah sakit, darah mengucur deras di lutut kirinya. Bunda yang mendengar kabar Ray kecelakaan langsung menuju ke rumah sakit tempat Ray dirawat. Bunda sudah ada di samping tempat tidur Ray, dengan duduk di kursi roda. Bunda membaca Al-fatihah dan surat- surat pendek untuk kesembuhan Ray, sesekali Bunda menghapus air mata yang menetes di pipinya. Ray mulai sadar.
“Bunda……” panggil Ray dengan suara lemah.
“Ray….Alhamdulillah akhirnya kamu sadar juga nak.” air mata Bunda terus mengalir di pipi Bunda.
”Bunda, jangan nangis lagi ya!Ray mohon, Ray gak apa- apa koq, Ray pasti sembuh dan jagain Bunda lagi, Ray janji…” Ray mengusap air mata Bunda.
Akhirnya setelah seminggu dirawat di rumah sakit, Ray kembali ke rumah, tapi untuk sementara ini Ray tidak bisa mengendarai “KING” kesayangannya, kaki Ray harus di perban dan untuk sementara ini Ray harus memakai tongkat. Sekarang Ray sudah jarang ke kamar Bunda, karena Ray harus banyak istirahat untuk pemulihan kakinya.Sekarang kondisinya terbalik, malah Bunda yang sering ada di kamar Ray, dan menyuapi Ray makan, Bunda melakukan itu di atas kursi rodanya. Sesekali Bunda mengusap- usap kepala anak kesayangannya itu.
“Ray….kalau nanti Bunda gak ada, Bunda gak mau kamu kebut- kebutan di jalanan yang gak jelas. Bunda mau kamu mengurusi perusahaan kita, selama ini hanya Pak Danar asisten Ayah kamu yang menyelesaikan semua urusan kantor, semenjak Ayah kamu ninggalin kita kamu gak pernah ke kantor, harapan Bunda kamu bisa memimpin perusahaan milik kita.”
Perusahaan itu memang milik keluarga Bunda, dan selama Bunda menikah dengan ayah kamu, ayah kamu yang mengurus semua kegiatan kantor,tapi setelah ayah kamu ninggalin Bunda, hanya Pak Danar yang Bunda percaya mengurus perusahaan kita.Kamu harus janji sama Bunda, kalau Bunda udah gak ada, Bunda mau kamu yang mengurus perusahaan keluarga kita.” pinta Bunda pada Ray anak semata wayangnya itu.
Kondisi Bunda semakin menurun, kata Dokter Bunda terlalu lelah selama seminggu ini. Ray tahu itu karena Bunda yang menjaganya saat Ray sakit dulu, dan selama Ray sakit Bunda kurang istirahat, Ray benar- benar merasa bersalah pada Bunda.
”Bunda, Maafin Ray ya!gara- gara Ray sakit, Bunda harus menjaga Ray sampai Bunda kelelahan seperti ini, maafin Ray ya Bunda….” Tangis Ray pecah melihat Bunda tersenyum sambil menghela nafas panjang.
”Ray…dulu kamu yang minta Bunda untuk tidak menangis, sekarang Bunda yang gak mau lihat kamu menangis.” Kata- kata Bunda semakin membuat air mata Ray mengalir deras.
“Anak laki- laki Bunda kok nangis sich. Ray kamu anak laki- laki Bunda satu-satunya, kamu bukan perempuan yang boleh menangis, sepanjang sejarah baru kamu loh laki- laki yang menangis.” Bunda mencoba menghibur Ray.
“Ray sayang sama Bunda,, Bunda jangan tinggalin Ray sendiri ya.”
Ray menghapus air matanya.
Pagi ini Ray menuju ke kamar bunda. Ray mendengar suara batuk yang tak kunjung henti, Ray langsung menuju kamar Bunda, dengan kaki yang masih sakit dan memakai tongkat Ray sampai di kamar Bunda, Ray melihat darah di lantai kamar Bunda.
”Bunda…….’’ teriak Ray.
Ray langsung memeluk Bunda. “Bik Sumi, cepat telepon dokter!.” teriak Ray dari kamar Bunda.
Dokter yang sudah tiba langsung menuju ke kamar Bunda, dengan sigap Dokter memeriksa denyut jantung Bunda, tensi darah Bunda mencapai 180/70, sangat tinggi untuk ukuran normal, kata dokter ukuran normal itu berkisar antara 120 s/d 130. Bunda pun langsung dilarikan ke rumah sakit, sampai di rumah sakit Bunda di masukkan ke ruangan UGD. Ray langsung menelepon Ayahnya, Ray tahu untuk saat ini bukan saatnya untuk Ray berdebat dengan ayahnya, walaupun Ayah Ray sudah meninggalkan mereka, tapi Ray ingin Ayahnya bisa melihat kondisi Bunda, yang mungkin untuk terakhir kalinya. Sekarang Ayah Ray dan Ray sudah ada di samping Bunda, tiba- tiba HP ayah Ray berbunyi Istri Ayah menelepon, dan Ayah Ray pun pamit pada anak dan mantan istrinya itu. Ray hampir mencegah Ayahnya pergi, tapi tangan Bunda mencegah Ray.
”Ray…jangan tinggalin Bunda sendiri nak….” Pinta Bunda pada Ray.
”Ray janji gak akan tinggalin Bunda, Ray akan jaga Bunda sampai sembuh, Ray janji!”
”Ray…Bunda capek, Bunda istirahat dulu ya Nak.Ingat pesan Bunda kamu gak boleh balapan liar lagi, Bunda gak mau kamu kenapa-napa Nak.”
Saat Ray ingin menjawab pertanyaan Bunda, ternyata Bunda sudah tertidur. Ray terus ada di samping Bunda, Ray membaca surat- surat di Alqur’an untuk kesembuhan Bunda. Tiba- tiba Ray melihat garis lurus di Mesin Pemicu Jantung Bunda, Ray langsung memanggil Dokter. Dokter langsung mengambil tindakan, tapi ternyata Allah berkehendak lain. Saat Kain kafan menutupi wajah Bunda, Ray melihat wajah Bunda yang cantik sekali, tapi tunggu, Ray melihat air mata di pipi Bunda, Ray langsung mengusap air mata itu dengan tangan nya.
“Ini adalah tangisan Bunda yang terakhir,” batin Ray.
Tanah merah itu menjadi saksi betapa besar kasih Bunda pada anak kesayangannya itu. Ray berdiri di samping makam Ibunya.
”Selamat jalan Bunda,Ray janji akan sayang sama Bunda selamanya…..”
Kini yang tampak bukan lagi air mata Bunda, tapi air mata Ray, tapi Ray cepat- cepat mengusap air matanya dan pergi meninggalkan pemakaman itu. Suatu saat nanti, Ray akan temani Bunda lagi disana.
“Tunggu Ray Ya Bunda…” batin Ray.

Puisiku

Doa Untuk Kasih Dan Sahabatku

Kereguk segelas jeruk hangat
Berharap menghilangkan penat
Ah…rasa masam dan manis yang bersatu
Dapat sejenak membuatku melupakan waktu
Kekasihku…
Dialah nafasku
Sahabatku…
Merekalah ragaku
Tuhan…
Dia pria yang tertanam dirusukku
Dengan nafasnya aku hidup
Dengan mata hatinya aku melihat dunia
Tolong satukan kami selamanya
Seperti Bulan dan Bintang
Seperti Adam dan Hawa
Biarkan kisah cinta kami kekal abadi
Tuhan…
Dia yang mengisi hariku
Mendengarkan keluh kesahku
Kami saling berbagi cerita suka dan duka
Kami saling menopang dan memberikan
semangat dalam berbagai cobaan hidup
Biarkan persahabatan kami kekal abadi
Tuhan….
Janganlah pisahkan aku dari kasihku dan
sahabatku
Karena Kasihku….
Adalah nafasku
Karena Sahabatku….
Adalah ragaku


Puisi Untukmu Ibu

Di kala resah ini kian mendesah dan menggalaukan jiwaku
Kau ada di sana …
Di saat aku terluka
hingga akhirnya…tercabik-cabiklah keteguhan hatiku
Kau masih ada di sana…

Ketika aku lelah dan semangatku patah untuk meneruskan perjuangan,
terhenti oleh kerikil –kerikil yang kurasa terlampau tajam
hingga akhirnya aku pun memilih jeda!!!
Kau tetap ada di sana…
memberiku isyarat untuk tetap bertahan

Ibu…kau basuh kesedihanku, kehampaanku dan ketidakberdayaanku
“Tiada lain kita hanya insan Sang Kuasa,
Memiliki tugas di bumi tuk menegakkan kalimatNya
Kita adalah jasad, jiwa, dan ruh yang terpadu
Untuk memberi arti bagi diri dan yang lain
Kata-katamu laksana embun di padang gersang nuraniku
memberiku setitik cahaya dalam kekalutan berfikirku
Kau labuhkan hatimu untukku, dengan tulus tak berpamrih

Kusandarkan diriku di bahumu
Terasa…kelembutanmu menembus dinding-dinding kalbuku
Menghancurleburkan segala keangkuhan diri
Meluluhkan semua kelelahan dan beban dunia
Dan membiarkannya tenang terhanyut bersama kedalaman hatimu

Kutatap perlahan…
matamu yang membiaskan ketegaran dan perlindungan
Kristal-kristal lembut yang sedang bermain di bola matamu,
jatuh…setetes demi setetes
Kau biarkan ia menari di atas kain kerudungmu
Laksana oase di terik panasnya gurun sahara
Ibu…
Nasihatmu memberi kekuatan untukku
rangkulanmu menjadi penyangga kerapuhanku
untuk ,menapaki hari-hari penuh liku
…semoga semua itu tak akan pernah layu!
Ibu…
Dalam kelembutan cintamu, kulihat kekuatan
dalam tangis air matamu, kulihat semangat menggelora
dalam dirimu, terkumpul seluruh daya dunia!


Ada Sebentuk Kerinduan

Hari ini
Hujan turun menderas
Petir menggelegar
Dan butiran nya pun jatuh hingga tepian rumah ku
Di tengah hujan ini masih saja terbesit
Akan sebuah rasa yang selalu saja mendekamku dalam setiap puncak ketinggian
malam
Dalam setiap jejak langkah ku
Pada seraut wajah dan tingkah polahmu
Oh rasa
Kau hujamkan aku pada sebuah nilai kerinduan
Rindu yang menikam nikam
Dan meninggalkan saputan awan mendung di rautan wajah mu
Oh Tuhan
Berilah aku ketabahan
Dalam menghadapi
Kehampaan pada sebuah jalan yang penuh semak berbatu ini
Maka biarkan ku titip kan salam lewat awan
Yang akan menyampaikan kerinduanku padamu bersama tetesan hujan yang turun
mendera

Bunga Cinta

Suatu hari aku sedang berjalan di sebuah taman
tiba-tiba, kulihat sekuntum bunga yang amat indah
aku tersentak, melihat dari dekat
akupun mengagumi, terpesona dan terpana memandangnya
Saat itu aku berada didekatnya agak lama, tak ingin berlalu
inginku membawanya memetik bunga itu, aku memandangnya didalam pot
agar aku dapat memandangnya setiap saat…
namun hatiku bertanya-tanya, Siapakah pemilik taman ini, siapakah yang punya seluruh bunga ini….
Bolehkah aku memetik, dan membawanya pulang ?…
tapi, bila kubawa, akankah dia seindah ini ?…
tidak, aku tersentak sadar…, kendati aku akan memetiknya dan membawanya pulang…
dia akan kehilangan jiwa dan mungkin mati,… itu berarti aku egois buat kesenanganku sendiri
Kini kuputuskan menghadap sang pemilik taman
aku memohon, agar aku dapat menjadi situkang taman
yang selalu merawat bunga-bunga itu…
dengan begitu, aku dapat memandangnya setiap hari,
aku dapat menjaganya dan aku dapat mengaguminya, sesering aku mau
dengan begitu, seiring musim berganti
sang bunga layu dan kering, masih ada lagi kesegaran baru
dan keindahan itu takan pernah hilang, sebab itulah jalan panggilan sang bunga
Dia akan semakin cantik
karna memberikan dirinya bagi alam ini
trimakasih…
karna engkau t’lah menjadi sekuntum bunga yang indah…


Hati Kecil

Sangat mini bahkan tak terlihat
Tapi ia sangat berharga
Dialah yang membuatmu menjadi manusia seutuhnya
Tanpa dia kau tak akan merasakan apa apa
Itulah dia… hati kecilmu
Ketika kau menemukan kebingungan
Atau ketika kau berada dalam suatu antara
Gunakanlah ia sebagai juri untuk memilih
Karna dia tak akan pernah berbohong
Dan dia tak akan salah
Itulah kata hati kecilmu
Dia akan datang tanpa kau panggil
Itulah cintamu
kau akan mendapatkan orangmu
Dan kaupun akan menjadi orangnya
Gunakanlah ia untuk menunjukan jalan terbaik
Maka ia akan menunjukannya, jalan yang terbaik untukmu
Itulah hati kecilmu
Dialah hati kecilmu
Percayalah pada hati kecilmu sendiri
Lewatilah jalan dimana hati kecilmu menunjukannya
Pasti kau akan mendapatkan cinta sejati di sana
Oleh karena itu, jangan ingkari dia
Katakanlah dengan hati kecilmu
Kau mencintainya, setulus hati kecilmu berkata…
Dan dengarlah suara hati seorang kekasih…
Milikmu…

TETESAN TERAKHIR AIR MATA BUNDA

“Go…Ray…Go…….” teriakan para penonton membuat Ray memacu kencang motor KING kesayangannya. Ray benar- benar ingin memenangkan pertandingan untuk kali ini. Ray memang jagonya untuk urusan kebut- kebutan, buat Ray kegiatan ini bisa memacu adrenalinnya.Teriakan para penonton semakin antusias, apalagi ketika motor Ray hampir menyentuh finish.
“ Yess…” teriak Ray saat roda motor Ray menyentuh garis finish.
Waktu sudah menunjukkan pukul 12 malam, motor Ray melaju kencang menembus malam, Ray ingin cepat- cepat sampai di rumah.
”Assalamu’alaikum….” teriak Ray di pagar rumah mewah itu.
Rumah besar itu ber-cat putih, di halaman rumah yang luas itu banyak sekali bunga- bunga, tapi dari sekian banyak bunga di halaman rumah itu, ada satu bunga kesayangan Bunda, yaitu bunga melati, tanaman yang menjalar itu adalah bunga kesayangan Bunda. Bik Sumi langsung membukakan pintu pagar.
“Mas Ray, koq baru pulang?Ibu nunggu Mas Ray dari tadi.” ujar Bik Sumi.
Ray langsung menuju kamar Bunda.
“Bunda…” Ray mencium tangan Bunda.
”Dari mana saja kamu Nak?Jangan bilang kalau kamu balapan liar lagi?” Ray mendesah nafas panjang.
“Bunda udah makan?” Ray mencoba mengalihkan pertanyaan Bunda.
”Bunda gak mau makan, kalo kamu belum makan sama Bunda”.
Ray melihat mata Bunda, Ray paling senang melihat mata Bunda, mata Bunda adalah mata yang paling indah buat Ray, dan Bunda akan luluh hatinya, jika Ray menatap dalam mata Bunda.
”Bunda lapar, ayo kita makan!” ujar Bunda.
Ini bukan pertama kali untuk Ray menyuapi Bunda makan, Ray sudah sangat sering menyuapi Bunda makan, terutama sekitar 3 bulan ini. Bunda sedang sakit, Dokter memvonis Bunda menderita sakit kanker paru- paru, dan kemungkinan untuk Bunda sembuh sangat tipis. Tapi Ray tidak pernah putus asa, Bunda sudah sering masuk rumah sakit, tapi karena Bunda tidak pernah betah di rumah sakit, jadi selama 3 bulan ini di kamar Bunda sudah tersedia infus untuk menemani hari- hari Bunda. Satu hal yang gak ingin Ray lihat dari Bunda, Ray gak ingin melihat Bunda menangis. Saat Ray berusia 10 tahun, ayah Ray menceraikan Bunda, dengan alasan tidak sanggup mengurus istri penyakitan, di tambah godaan dari sekretaris ayah yang sering menelepon ayah untuk urusan yang gak penting di luar urusan kantor. Sekarang hanya Ray yang dimiliki Bunda. Di rumah sebesar itu, tidak jarang Ray sering merasa kesepian. Makanya Ray mencari kesibukan di luar kuliahnya. Ray memang hobi balapan dari SMA, dan hobi itu berlanjut sampai sekarang. Buat Ray, balapan bisa membuat adrenalinnya terpacu, apalagi Balapan bisa membuat Ray melupakan masalahnya. Ray sangat benci dengan ayahnya, karena ayah Bunda sakit seperti ini, tapi motor pemberian ayahnya adalah motor kesayangan Ray, “KING “ itu yang sering menemani Ray saat Ray sedang gundah, sedih, ataupun marah. Tanpa sepengetahuan Bunda, Ray sering mengintip Bunda di balik jendela kamar bunda. Ray sering melihat Bunda menangis menyesali nasib dan sakit yang diderita bunda. Ray ingin menghibur bunda, tapi Ray tidak pernah bisa menghibur Bunda karena Bunda akan mengunci pintu kamarnya kalau ingin sendiri. Hari ini adalah hari ulang tahun Bunda yang ke -47 tahun, Ray sudah menyiapkan kejutan untuk Bunda. Pagi ini, Ray bangun lebih awal dari biasanya, dan khusus hari ini Ray lah yang menyiapkan sarapan untuk Bunda, pukul 6 pagi Ray sudah ada di dapur, Bi Sumi yang biasanya menyiapkan sarapan Bubur untuk Bunda, terkejut karena majikannya sudah ada di dapur.
“Mas Ray lagi ngapain?” tanya Bi Sumi.
“Aku lagi buatin Bubur untuk Bunda, emang kenapa Bik?” tanya Ray.
“Sudah biar Bibik aja yang nyiapin seperti biasa, Mas Ray tenang aja” ujar Bi Sumi.
“Nggak bi, mulai hari ini aku yang akan nyiapin bubur buat bunda, aku juga yang nyiapin obat- obat untuk Bunda minum, Bibik tenang aja. Bibik bisa ngurus kerjaan bibik yang lain.” Ray langsung berlalu menuju kamar Bunda.
“Bunda..” Ray membangunkan Bunda, Bunda tampak terkejut melihat putra kesayangannya sudah ada di sampingnya.
”Ray…tumben kamu bangun pagi- pagi nak?biasanya Bik Sumi yang sering bangunin Bunda tiap pagi, mimpi apa ya Bunda semalam?” goda Bunda sambil mencubit hidung Ray.
”Selamat Ulang Tahun Bunda…., Maaf Ray Cuma bisa buatin bubur buat Bunda, maaf kalo keasinan ya Bun….” tanpa terasa air mata Bunda menetes.
”Bunda,jangan nangis lagi dong!Bunda kan udah dewasa, kata bunda yang menangis hanya anak kecil, sekarang koq malah Bunda yang sering nangis?” Tanya Ray.
”Kali ini Bunda nangis karena bahagia koq nak…” jawab Bunda.
”Memangnya Bunda bahagia?” tanya Ray.
“Bunda bahagia nak,Bunda bahagia punya anak seperti kamu, anak yang selalu perhatian sama Bunda…” ujar Bunda.
Mereka pun berpelukan erat, ”Ray sayang sama Bunda, hari ini, besok, dan selamanya.” air mata Ray menetes.
Ibu dan anak itu kelihatan sangat bahagia, Bik Sumi terharu melihat kejadian itu. Hari ini Ray balapan lagi. Motor King itu terus melaju kencang, teriakan para penonton malah membuat Ray semakin bersemangat. Ray terus melaju kencang, dia seperti tidak peduli dengan lawan- lawannya yang lain, tanpa Ray sadari di depannya ada polisi tidur, Ray terus melaju.
Dan “Brakkk… Motor King itu terseret di aspal. “Akhhhhhh……” teriak Ray.
Para penonton berhamburan di jalanan, Ray pun di bawa ke rumah sakit, darah mengucur deras di lutut kirinya. Bunda yang mendengar kabar Ray kecelakaan langsung menuju ke rumah sakit tempat Ray dirawat. Bunda sudah ada di samping tempat tidur Ray, dengan duduk di kursi roda. Bunda membaca Al-fatihah dan surat- surat pendek untuk kesembuhan Ray, sesekali Bunda menghapus air mata yang menetes di pipinya. Ray mulai sadar.
“Bunda……” panggil Ray dengan suara lemah.
“Ray….Alhamdulillah akhirnya kamu sadar juga nak.” air mata Bunda terus mengalir di pipi Bunda.
”Bunda, jangan nangis lagi ya!Ray mohon, Ray gak apa- apa koq, Ray pasti sembuh dan jagain Bunda lagi, Ray janji…” Ray mengusap air mata Bunda.
Akhirnya setelah seminggu dirawat di rumah sakit, Ray kembali ke rumah, tapi untuk sementara ini Ray tidak bisa mengendarai “KING” kesayangannya, kaki Ray harus di perban dan untuk sementara ini Ray harus memakai tongkat. Sekarang Ray sudah jarang ke kamar Bunda, karena Ray harus banyak istirahat untuk pemulihan kakinya.Sekarang kondisinya terbalik, malah Bunda yang sering ada di kamar Ray, dan menyuapi Ray makan, Bunda melakukan itu di atas kursi rodanya. Sesekali Bunda mengusap- usap kepala anak kesayangannya itu.
“Ray….kalau nanti Bunda gak ada, Bunda gak mau kamu kebut- kebutan di jalanan yang gak jelas. Bunda mau kamu mengurusi perusahaan kita, selama ini hanya Pak Danar asisten Ayah kamu yang menyelesaikan semua urusan kantor, semenjak Ayah kamu ninggalin kita kamu gak pernah ke kantor, harapan Bunda kamu bisa memimpin perusahaan milik kita.”
Perusahaan itu memang milik keluarga Bunda, dan selama Bunda menikah dengan ayah kamu, ayah kamu yang mengurus semua kegiatan kantor,tapi setelah ayah kamu ninggalin Bunda, hanya Pak Danar yang Bunda percaya mengurus perusahaan kita.Kamu harus janji sama Bunda, kalau Bunda udah gak ada, Bunda mau kamu yang mengurus perusahaan keluarga kita.” pinta Bunda pada Ray anak semata wayangnya itu.
Kondisi Bunda semakin menurun, kata Dokter Bunda terlalu lelah selama seminggu ini. Ray tahu itu karena Bunda yang menjaganya saat Ray sakit dulu, dan selama Ray sakit Bunda kurang istirahat, Ray benar- benar merasa bersalah pada Bunda.
”Bunda, Maafin Ray ya!gara- gara Ray sakit, Bunda harus menjaga Ray sampai Bunda kelelahan seperti ini, maafin Ray ya Bunda….” Tangis Ray pecah melihat Bunda tersenyum sambil menghela nafas panjang.
”Ray…dulu kamu yang minta Bunda untuk tidak menangis, sekarang Bunda yang gak mau lihat kamu menangis.” Kata- kata Bunda semakin membuat air mata Ray mengalir deras. “anak laki- laki Bunda koq nangis sich….Ray kamu anak laki- laki Bunda satu-satunya, kamu bukan perempuan yang boleh menangis, sepanjang sejarah baru kamu Loh.. laki- laki yang menangis…”Bunda mencoba menghibur Ray, “Ray sayang sama Bunda…., Bunda jangan tinggalin Ray sendiri ya….”Ray menghapus air matanya.Pagi ini, Ray menuju ke kamar bunda. Ray mendengar suara batuk yang tak kunjung henti, Ray langsung menuju kamar Bunda, dengan kaki yang masih sakit dan memakai tongkat Ray sampai di kamar Bunda, Ray melihat darah di lantai kamar Bunda,”Bunda…….’’teriak Ray. Ray langsung memeluk Bunda, “Bik Sumi, cepat telepon dokter…..”teriak Ray dari kamar Bunda.Dokter yang sudah tiba langsung menuju ke kamar Bunda, dengan sigap Dokter memeriksa denyut jantung Bunda, tensi darah Bunda mencapai 180/70, sangat tinggi untuk ukuran normal, kata dokter ukuran normal itu berkisar antara 120 s/d 130, Bunda pun langsung dilarikan ke rumah sakit, sampai di rumah sakit Bunda di masukkan ke ruangan UGD.Ray langsung menelepon Ayahnya, Ray tahu untuk saat ini bukan saatnya untuk Ray berdebat dengan ayahnya, walaupun Ayah Ray sudah meninggalkan mereka, tapi Ray ingin Ayahnya bisa melihat kondisi Bunda, yang mungkin untuk terakhir kalinya.Sekarang Ayah Ray dan Ray sudah ada di samping Bunda, tiba- tiba HP ayah Ray berbunyi Istri Ayah menelepon, dan Ayah Ray pun pamit pada anak dan mantan istrinya itu, Ray hampir mencegah Ayahnya pergi, tapi tangan Bunda mencegah Ray,”Ray……..jangan tinggalin Bunda sendiri nak….”Pinta Bunda pada Ray.”Ray janji gak akan tinggalin Bunda, Ray akan jaga Bunda sampai sembuh, Ray janji….” ”Ray…Bunda capek…Bunda istirahat dulu ya Nak…Ingat pesan Bunda kamu gak boleh balapan liar lagi, Bunda gak mau kamu kenapa-napa Nak…”Saat Ray ingin menjawab pertanyaan Bunda, ternyata Bunda sudah tertidur.Ray terus ada di samping Bunda, Ray membaca surat- surat di Alqur’an untuk kesembuhan Bunda, Tiba- tiba Ray melihat garis lurus di Mesin Pemicu Jantung Bunda, Ray langsung memanggil Dokter, Dokter langsung mengambil tindakan, tapi ternyata Allah berkehendak lain.Saat Kain kafan menutupi wajah Bunda, Ray melihat wajah Bunda yang cantik.. sekali, tapi tunggu, Ray melihat air mata di pipi Bunda, Ray langsung mengusap air mata itu dengan tangan nya, “Ini adalah tangisan Bunda yang terakhir,”batin Ray.Tanah merah itu menjadi saksi betapa besar kasih Bunda pada anak kesayangannya itu.Ray berdiri di samping makam Ibunya,”Selamat jalan Bunda….Ray janji akan sayang sama Bunda selamanya…..”Kini yang tampak bukan lagi air mata Bunda, tapi air mata Ray, tapi Ray cepat- cepat mengusap air matanya dan pergi meninggalkan pemakaman itu”Suatu saat nanti, Ray akan temani Bunda lagi disana, Tunggu Ray Ya Bunda……” batin Ray.

COMMUCATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

Communication is process knowledge of the forms of language is insufficient. The goal is enable students to communication in the target language. To do this students need knowledge of the linguistic forms, meanings, and functions.
In this role, one of his major responsibilities is to establish situations likely to promote communication. During the activities he acts as an adviser, answering student’s questions and monitoring their performance. He might make mote of their errors to be worked on at a later time during more accuracy-based activities. At other times he might be a communicator engaging in the communicative activity along with students. Students are, above all, communicators. They are actively engaged in negotiating meaning-in trying to make them understood and in understanding others-even when their knowledge of the target language is incomplete. Also, since the teacher’s role is less dominant than in a teacher-centered method, students are seen as more responsible managers of their own learning.
The most obvious characteristic of CLT is that almost everything that is done is with a communicative intent. Students use the language a great deal through communicative activities such as games, role, plays, and problem-solving tasks. Another characteristic of CLT is the use of authentic materials. It is considered desirable to give students an opportunity to develop strategies for understanding language as it is actually used. Activities in CLT are often carried out by students in small groups. Small numbers of students interacting are favored on order to maximize the smile allotted to each student for communicating.
The teacher may present some part of the lesson, such as when working with linguistic accuracy. At other times, he is the facilitator of the activities, but he does not always himself interact with the students. Sometimes he is a co-communicator, but more often he establishes situations that prompt communication between and among the students. Students interact a great deal with one another. They do this in various configurations: pairs, triads, small groups, and whole group.
One of the basic assumptions of CLT is that by learning to communicate students will be more motivated to study a foreign language since they will feel they are learning to do something useful with the language. Also, teachers give students an opportunity to express their individuality by having them share their ideas and opinions on a regular basis. Finally, student security is enhanced by the many opportunities for cooperative interactions with their fellow students and the teacher.
The culture is the everyday lifestyle of people who use the language. There are certain aspects of it than are especially important to communication-the use of nonverbal behavior, for example, which might receive greater attention CLT.
Students work with language at the suprasentential or discourse level. They learn about cohesion and coherence. Students work on all four skills from beginning. Just as oral communication is seen to take place through negotiation between speaker and listener, so too is meaning thought to be derived from the written word through an interaction between the reader and the writer. The writer is not persent to receive immediate feedback from the reader, of course, but the reader tries to understand the writer’s intentions and the writer writes with the reader’s perspective in mind. Meaning does not, therefore, reside exclusively in the next, but rather arises through negotiation between the reader and writer.
Judicious use of the student’s native language is permitted in CLT. However, whenever possible, the target language should be used not only during communicative activities, but also for explaining the activities to the students or in assigning homework. The students learn from these classroom management exchanges, too, and realize that the target language is a vehicle for communication, not just an object to be studied.
A teacher evaluates not only the student’s accuracy, but also their fluency. The student who has the most control of the structures and vocabulary is not always the best communicator. A teacher can informally evaluate his student’s performance in his role as an adviser or co-communicator. For more formal evaluation, a teacher is likely to use an integrative test which has a real communicative function. In order to assess students writing skill, for instance, a teacher might ask them to write a letter to a friend.
Errors of form are tolerated during fluency-based activities and are seen as a natural outcome of the development of communication skills. Students can have limited linguistic knowledge and still be fluency activities and return to them later with an accuracy based activity.

Techniques for Teaching Speaking and Listening

Techniques for Teaching Speaking
Students often think that the ability to speak a language is the product of language learning, but speaking is also a crucial part of the language learning process. Effective instructors teach students speaking strategies -- using minimal responses, recognizing scripts, and using language to talk about language -- which they can use to help themselves expand their knowledge of the language and their confidence in using it. These instructors’ help students learn to speak so that the students can use speaking to learn.
1. Using minimal responses
Language learners who lack confidence in their ability to participate successfully in oral interaction often listen in silence while others do the talking. One way to encourage such learners to begin to participate is to help them build up a stock of minimal responses that they can use in different types of exchanges. Such responses can be especially useful for beginners.
Minimal responses are predictable, often idiomatic phrases that conversation participants use to indicate understanding, agreement, doubt, and other responses to what another speaker is saying. Having a stock of such responses enables a learner to focus on what the other participant is saying, without having to simultaneously plan a response.
2. Recognizing scripts
Some communication situations are associated with a predictable set of spoken exchanges -- a script. Greetings, apologies, compliments, invitations, and other functions that are influenced by social and cultural norms often follow patterns or scripts. So do the transactional exchanges involved in activities such as obtaining information and making a purchase. In these scripts, the relationship between a speaker's turn and the one that follows it can often be anticipated.
Instructors can help students develop speaking ability by making them aware of the scripts for different situations so that they can predict what they will hear and what they will need to say in response. Through interactive activities, instructors can give students practice in managing and varying the language that different scripts contain.
3. Using language to talk about language
Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything when they do not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them. Instructors can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participants' language skill levels. Instructors can also give students strategies and phrases to use for clarification and comprehension check.
By encouraging students to use clarification phrases in class when misunderstanding occurs and by responding positively when they do, instructors can create an authentic practice environment within the classroom itself. As they develop control of various clarification strategies, students will gain confidence in their ability to manage the various communication situations that they may encounter outside the classroom.
Structured Output Activities
Information Gap Activities
 The gaps in a schedule or timetable: Partner A holds an airline timetable with some Filling of the arrival and departure times missing. Partner B has the same timetable but with different blank spaces. The two partners are not permitted to see each other's timetables and must fill in the blanks by asking each other appropriate questions. The features of language that are practiced would include questions beginning with "when" or "at what time." Answers would be limited mostly to time expressions like "at 8:15" or "at ten in the evening."
 Completing the picture: The two partners have similar pictures, each with different missing details, and they cooperate to find all the missing details. In another variation, no items are missing, but similar items differ in appearance. For example, in one picture, a man walking along the street may be wearing an overcoat, while in the other the man is wearing a jacket. The features of grammar and vocabulary that are practiced are determined by the content of the pictures and the items that are missing or different. Differences in the activities depicted lead to practice of different verbs. Differences in number, size, and shape lead to adjective practice. Differing locations would probably be described with prepositional phrases.
Jigsaw Activities
 In one fairly simple jigsaw activity, students work in groups of four. Each student in the group receives one panel from a comic strip. Partners may not show each other their panels. Together the four panels present this narrative: a man takes a container of ice cream from the freezer; he serves himself several scoops of ice cream; he sits in front of the TV eating his ice cream; he returns with the empty bowl to the kitchen and finds that he left the container of ice cream, now melting, on the kitchen counter. These pictures have a clear narrative line and the partners are not likely to disagree about the appropriate sequencing. You can make the task more demanding, however, by using pictures that lend themselves to alternative sequences, so that the partners have to negotiate among themselves to agree on a satisfactory sequence.
 More elaborate jigsaws may proceed in two stages. Students’ first work in input groups (groups A, B, C, and D) to receive information. Each group receives a different part of the total information for the task. Students then reorganize into groups of four with one student each from A, B, C, and D, and use the information they received to complete the task. Such an organization could be used, for example, when the input is given in the form of a tape recording. Groups A, B, C, and D each hear a different recording of a short news bulletin. The four recordings all contain the same general information, but each has one or more details that the others do not. In the second stage, students reconstruct the complete story by comparing the four versions.
Communicative Output Activities
Role Plays
 Prepare carefully: Introduce the activity by describing the situation and making sure that all of the students understand it
 Set a goal or outcome: Be sure the students understand what the product of the role play should be, whether a plan, a schedule, a group opinion, or some other product
 Use role cards: Give each student a card that describes the person or role to be played. For lower-level students, the cards can include words or expressions that that person might use.
 Brainstorm: Before you start the role play, have students brainstorm as a class to predict what vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expressions they might use.
 Keep groups small: Less-confident students will feel more able to participate if they do not have to compete with many voices.
 Give students time to prepare: Let them work individually to outline their ideas and the language they will need to express them.
 Be present as a resource, not a monitor: Stay in communicative mode to answer students' questions. Do not correct their pronunciation or grammar unless they specifically ask you about it.
 Allow students to work at their own levels: Each student has individual language skills, an individual approach to working in groups, and a specific role to play in the activity. Do not expect all students to contribute equally to the discussion, or to use every grammar point you have taught.
 Do topical follow-up: Have students report to the class on the outcome of their role plays.
 Do linguistic follow-up: After the role play is over, give feedback on grammar or pronunciation problems you have heard. This can wait until another class period when you plan to review pronunciation or grammar anyway.
Discussions
 Prepare the students: Give them input (both topical information and language forms) so that they will have something to say and the language with which to say it.
 Offer choices: Let students suggest the topic for discussion or choose from several options. Discussion does not always have to be about serious issues. Students are likely to be more motivated to participate if the topic is television programs, plans for a vacation, or news about mutual friends. Weighty topics like how to combat pollution are not as engaging and place heavy demands on students' linguistic competence.
 Set a goal or outcome: This can be a group product, such as a letter to the editor, or individual reports on the views of others in the group.
 Use small groups instead of whole-class discussion: Large groups can make participation difficult.
 Keep it short: Give students a defined period of time, not more than 8-10 minutes, for discussion. Allow them to stop sooner if they run out of things to say.
 Allow students to participate in their own way: Not every student will feel comfortable talking about every topic. Do not expect all of them to contribute equally to the conversation.
 Do topical follow-up: Have students report to the class on the results of their discussion.
 Do linguistic follow-up: After the discussion is over, give feedback on grammar or pronunciation problems you have heard. This can wait until another class period when you plan to review pronunciation or grammar anyway.














Techniques for Teaching Listening
Instructors want to produce students who, even if they do not have complete control of the grammar or an extensive lexicon, can fend for themselves in communication situations. In the case of listening, this means producing students who can use listening strategies to maximize their comprehension of aural input, identify relevant and non-relevant information, and tolerate less than word-by-word comprehension.
Focus: The Listening Process
To accomplish this goal, instructors focus on the process of listening rather than on its product.
 They develop students' awareness of the listening process and listening strategies by asking students to think and talk about how they listen in their native language.
 They allow students to practice the full repertoire of listening strategies by using authentic listening tasks.
 They behave as authentic listeners by responding to student communication as a listener rather than as a teacher.
 When working with listening tasks in class, they show students the strategies that will work best for the listening purpose and the type of text. They explain how and why students should use the strategies.
 They have students practice listening strategies in class and ask them to practice outside of class in their listening assignments. They encourage students to be conscious of what they're doing while they complete listening tape assignments.
 They encourage students to evaluate their comprehension and their strategy use immediately after completing an assignment. They build comprehension checks into in-class and out-of-class listening assignments, and periodically review how and when to use particular strategies.
 They encourage the development of listening skills and the use of listening strategies by using the target language to conduct classroom business: making announcements, assigning homework, describing the content and format of tests.
 They do not assume that students will transfer strategy use from one task to another. They explicitly mention how a particular strategy can be used in a different type of listening task or with another skill.
Integrating Metacognitive Strategies
Before listening: Plan for the listening task
 Set a purpose or decide in advance what to listen for
 Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed
 Determine whether to enter the text from the top down (attend to the overall meaning) or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases)

During and after listening: Monitor comprehension
 Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses
 Decide what is and is not important to understand
 Listen/view again to check comprehension
 Ask for help
After listening: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use
 Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area
 Evaluate overall progress in listening and in particular types of listening tasks
 Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task
 Modify strategies if necessary
Using Authentic Materials and Situations
One-Way Communication
Materials:
 Radio and television programs
 Public address announcements (airports, train/bus stations, stores)
 Speeches and lectures
 Telephone customer service recordings
Procedure:
 Help students identify the listening goal: to obtain specific information; to decide whether to continue listening; to understand most or all of the message
 Help students outline predictable sequences in which information may be presented: who-what-when-where (news stories); who-flight number-arriving/departing-gate number (airport announcements); "for [function], press [number]" (telephone recordings)
 Help students identify key words/phrases to listen for
Two-Way Communication
In authentic two-way communication, the listener focuses on the speaker's meaning rather than the speaker's language. The focus shifts to language only when meaning is not clear. Note the difference between the teacher as teacher and the teacher as authentic listener in the dialogues in the popup screens.

Techniques for Teaching Reading and Writing

Techniques for Teaching Reading
The teacher wants to produce students who, even if they do not have complete control of the grammar or an extensive lexicon, can fend for themselves in communication situations. In the case of reading, this means producing students who can use reading strategies to maximize their comprehension of text, identify relevant and non-relevant information, and tolerate less than word-by-word comprehension.
Focus: The Reading Process
To accomplish this goal, teachers focus on the process of reading rather than on its product.
 They develop students' awareness of the reading process and reading strategies by asking students to think and talk about how they read in their native language.
 They allow students to practice the full repertoire of reading strategies by using authentic reading tasks. They encourage students to read to learn (and have an authentic purpose for reading) by giving students some choice of reading material.
 When working with reading tasks in class, they show students the strategies that will work best for the reading purpose and the type of text. They explain how and why students should use the strategies.
 They have students practice reading strategies in class and ask them to practice outside of class in their reading assignments. They encourage students to be conscious of what they're doing while they complete reading assignments.
 They encourage students to evaluate their comprehension and self-report their use of strategies. They build comprehension checks into in-class and out-of-class reading assignments, and periodically review how and when to use particular strategies.
 They encourage the development of reading skills and the use of reading strategies by using the target language to convey instructions and course-related information in written form: office hours, homework assignments, test content.
 They do not assume that students will transfer strategy use from one task to another. They explicitly mention how a particular strategy can be used in a different type of reading task or with another skill.
By raising students' awareness of reading as a skill that requires active engagement, and by explicitly teaching reading strategies, instructors help their students develop both the ability and the confidence to handle communication situations they may encounter beyond the classroom. In this way they give their students the foundation for communicative competence in the new language. Teachers can help their students become effective readers by teaching them how to use strategies before, during, and after reading.

Before reading: Plan for the reading task
 Set a purpose or decide in advance what to read for
 Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed
 Determine whether to enter the text from the top down (attend to the overall meaning) or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases)
During and after reading: Monitor comprehension
 Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses
 Decide what is and is not important to understand
 Reread to check comprehension
 Ask for help
After reading: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use
 Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area
 Evaluate overall progress in reading and in particular types of reading tasks
 Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task
 Modify strategies if necessary
Strategies that can help students read more quickly and effectively include.
 Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions to get a sense of the structure and content of a reading selection
 Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make predictions about content and vocabulary and check comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and purpose to make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about the author to make predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content
 Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the main idea, identify text structure, confirm or question predictions
 Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and the ideas in the text as clues to the meanings of unknown words, instead of stopping to look them up
 Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating the information and ideas in the text



Techniques For Teaching Writing
 Introduction
Students need to be personally involved in writing exercises in order to make the learning experience of lasting value. Encouraging student participation in the exercise, while at the same time refining and expanding writing skills, requires a certain pragmatic approach. The teacher should be clear on what skills he/she is trying to develop. Next, the teacher needs to decide on which means (or type of exercise) can facilitate learning of the target area. Once the target skill areas and means of implementation are defined, the teacher can then proceed to focus on what topic can be employed to ensure student participation. By pragmatically combing these objectives, the teacher can expect both enthusiasm and effective learning.
 Choosing The Target Area
Choosing the target area depends on many factors; what level are the students? What is the average age of the students, Why are the students learning English, Are there any specific future intentions for the writing (i.e. school tests or job application letters etc.). Other important questions to ask oneself are: What should the students be able to produce at the end of this exercise? (a well written letter, basic communication of ideas, etc.) What is the focus of the exercise? (structure, tense usage, creative writing). Once these factors are clear in the mind of the teacher, the teacher can begin to focus on how to involve the students in the activity thus promoting a positive, long-term learning experience.
 Purpose Choosing The Target Area
Having decided on the target area, the teacher can focus on the means to achieve this type of learning. As in correction, the teacher must choose the most appropriate manner for the specified writing area. If formal business letter English is required, it is of little use to employ a free expression type of exercise. Likewise, when working on descriptive language writing skills, a formal letter is equally out of place.
 Planning In The Class
With both the target area and means of production clear in the teacher's mind, the teacher can begin to consider how to involve the students by considering what type of activities are interesting to the students: Are they preparing for something specific such as a holiday or test?, Will they need any of the skills pragmatically? What has been effective in the past? A good way to approach this is by class feedback, or brainstorming sessions. By choosing a topic that involves the students the teacher is providing a context within which effective learning on the target area can be undertaken.
Finally, the question of which type of correction will facilitate a useful writing exercise is of utmost importance. Here the teacher needs to once again think about the overall target area of the exercise. If there is an immediate task at hand, such as taking a test, perhaps teacher-guided correction is the most effective solution. However, if the task were more general (for example developing informal letter writing skills), maybe the best approach would be to have the students work in groups thereby learning from each other. Most importantly, by choosing the correct means of correction the teacher can encourage rather discourage students.
Have you ever walked into a classroom expecting students to be prepared and begin learning and instead found them looking at you like you are an alien from another planet for even expecting their rapt attention? Unfortunately, low expectations have become the norm for both teachers and students. Many teachers do not want to fight against the expectations that students have because realigning their thinking is both time consuming and difficult.
Students might come into your classroom with expectations of how you are going to act and what they will be expected to do. However, just because they harbor these beliefs does not mean that you have to conform to the mediocracy that has become much of teaching.
How do you do this you ask? By setting up an academic environment from the first day and always keeping high expectations. What this means is that you as a teacher have to make a committed effort to be consistent, fair, and firm.
Consistency means that you come into class on the first day of school and assume that learning begins that day. You let students know right away that they might play in other classrooms but not yours. And then you follow through! You do not come to class unprepared (you wouldn't expect your students to!) You instead come with a lesson that begins at the beginning of class and ends at the end. (Believe it or not, this seems foreign to some students and teachers). Further, you act the same every day. You might not feel the best or you might be having a bad day because of something going on at home or at work, but you do not change your demeanor or, more importantly, they way you handle discipline problems. If you are not consistent, you will lose all credibility with students and the atmosphere you are trying to create will quickly disintegrate.
Fairness goes hand in hand with consistency. Do not treat kids differently. Sure, you will have personal likes and dislikes for different students, however, never let this bleed into your classroom. If you are unfair, you will quickly lose students who will not trust you. And trust is paramount for an effective academic classroom.
What this means is that you need to help the students understand that what you say is what you mean. And you must also help the students see that you believe in their abilities. Tell the students you know that they can learn what you are teaching, show them by your rapt attention, and then reinforce this by praising authentic achievements.
Which brings up the point: do you really believe that your students can learn? Many teachers have become cynical over time, believing that their students just can't do it or that their lives get in the way. Hogwash! We are wired so that we can learn! With that said, obviously students need to have completed the prerequisites for a course. You can't teach calculus to someone who has just finished Consumer Math. My point here, however, is that you need to examine your attitudes because they bleed through into class. Try not to say phrases like," This is just too advanced," or "We just won't spend the time trying to learn this." While these might sound innocuous, instead they are just off putting.
Finally, this brings up to the term firm. Discipline in your classroom should never be about raised voices and confrontations. It should be about consistent application of established rules. Further, learning will occur in a safe environment if the teacher establishes from the beginning that they will be fair but firm.
We are representatives of our discipline. It is our responsibility to commit ourselves to teaching an academic course of study. It is a sad state that students are surprised when teachers come in and actually expect their students to learn - not just to regurgitate the facts that they read in a text. However, if we fail to create an academic environment, we leave students with the implicit knowledge that school and therefore learning is not that important or it is for the 'brains' of the school and not them.

Total Physical Response

Teachers who use TPR believe in the importance of having their students enjoy their experience in learning to communicate in a foreign language.TPR is develop in order to reduce the stress people fell when studying foreign languages and thereby encourage students to persists in their study beyond a beginning level of proficiency. The way to do this is to base foreign language learning upon the way children learn their native language.
The teacher is the director of all student behavior. The students are imitators of her nonverbal model. Usually after ten to twenty hours of instruction some students will be ready to speak. At that point there will be a role reversal with individual students directing the teacher and the other students.
The first phase of a lesson is one of modeling. The instructor issues commands to a few students, then performs the actions with them. In the second phase, these same students demonstrate that they can understand the commands by performing them alone. The observers also have an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding. The teacher next recombines elements of the commands to have student s develop flexibility in understanding unfamiliar utterances. These commands, which students perform, are often humorous. After learning to respond to some oral commands, the students learn to read and write them. When students are ready to speak, they become the ones who issue the commands. After students begin speaking, activities expand to include skits and games.
The interaction is characterized by the teacher speaking and the students responding nonverbally. Later on, the students become more verbal and the teacher responds nonverbally. Students perform the actions together. Students can learn by watching each other. At some point, observers must demonstrate their understanding of the commands in order to retain them.
One of the main reasons TPR was develop was to reduce the stress people feel when studying foreign languages. One of the primary ways this is accomplished is to allow learners to speak when they are ready. Forcing them to speak before then will only create anxiety. Also, when students do begin speak, perfection should not be expected. Another way to relieve anxiety is to make language learning as enjoyable as possible. The use of zany commands and humorous skits are two ways of showing that language learning can be fun. Finally, it is important that there not be too much modeling, but that students not be too rushed either. Feelings of success and how anxiety facilitate learning.
Just as with the acquisition of the native language, oral modality is primary. Culture is the lifestyle of people who speak the language natively.
Vocabulary and grammatical structures are emphasized over other language areas. These are embedded within imperatives. The imperatives are single words and multi-word chunks. One reason for the use of imperatives is their frequency of occurrence in the speech directed at young children learning their native language. Understanding the spoken word should precede its production. Often do not learn to read the commands they have already learned to perform until after ten hours of instruction.
TPR is usually introduced in the native language. After the introduction, rarely would the native language be used. Meaning is made clear through body movements.
Teachers will know immediately whether or not students understand by observing their students actions. Formal evaluations can be conducted simply by commanding individual students to perform a series of actions. As students become more advanced, their performance of skits they have created can become the basis for evaluation.
It is expected that students will make errors when they first begin speaking. Teacher should be tolerant of them and only correct major errors. Even these should be corrected unobtrusively. As students get more advanced, teacher can fine tune-correct more minor errors.

The Community Language Learning

The goals of teacher who use the community language learning method want their students to learn how to use the target language communicatively. All of the objectives can be accomplished in a no defensive manner if a teacher and learner(s) treat each other as whole persons, valuing both thoughts and feelings.
The teacher’s role initial role is primarily that of a counselor. This does not mean that the teacher is therapist, or that the teacher does not teaching. Rather, it means that the teacher recognizes how threatening a new learning situation can be for adult learners, so he skillfully understand and supports his students in their struggle to master the target language. Community Language Learning methodologists have identified five stages in this movement from dependency to mutual interdependency with the teacher. In stages I, II, and III, the teacher focuses not only on the language but also on being supportive of learners in their learning process. In stage IV, because of the students’ greater security in the language and readiness to benefit from corrections, the teacher can focus more on accuracy. It should be noted that accuracy is always a focus even in the first tree stages: however, it is subordinated to fluency. The reverse is true in stages IV and V.
The beginning class, which is what we observed, students typically have a conversation using their native language. The teacher helps them express what they want to say by giving them the target language translation in chunks. These chunks are recorded, and when they are replayed, it sounds like a fairly fluid conversation. Later, a transcript is made of the conversation, and native language equivalents are written beneath the target language words. The transcription of the conversation becomes a text with which students work. Various activities are conducted (for example, examination of a grammar point, working on pronunciation of a particular phrase, or creating new sentences with words from the transcript) that allow students to further explore the language they have generated. During the course of the lesson, students are invited to say how they feel, and in return the teacher understands them.
The nature of students-teacher interaction in the Community Language Learning Method changes within the lesson and over time. Sometimes the students are assertive, as where they are having a conversation. At these time, the teacher facilities their ability to express themselves in the target language. Building a relationship with and among students is very important. In a trusting relationship, any debilitating anxiety that students feel can be reduced, thereby helping students to stay open to the learning process. Students can learn from their interaction with the teacher. A spirit of cooperation, not competition, can prevail.
Responding to the students feelings is considered very important in Counseling-Learning. One regular activity is inviting students to comment on how they feel. The teacher listens and responds to each comment carefully. By showing students he understands how they feel, the teacher can help them overcome negative feelings that might otherwise block their learning.
Language is for communication. Curran writes that learning is persons, meaning that both teacher and students work att building trust in one another and learning process. At the beginning of the process, the focus is on sharing and belonging between persons through the language tasks. Then the focus shifts more to the target language which becomes the groups’ individual and shared identity. Curran also believes that in this kind of supportive learning process, language becomes the means for developing creative and critical thinking. Culture is an integral part of language learning.
In the early stages, typically the students generate the material since they decide what they want to be able to say in that target language. Later on, after students feel more secure, the teacher might prepare specify materials or work with published textbooks. Particular grammar points, pronunciation patterns, and vocabulary are worked with, based on the language the students have generated. The most important skills are understanding and speaking the language at the beginning, with reinforcement through reading and writing.
Students’ security is initially enhanced by using their native language. The purpose of using the native language is to provide a bridge from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Where possible, literal native language equivalents are given to the target language words that have been transcribed. This makes their meaning clear and allows students to combine the target language words in different ways to create new sentences.
The evaluations of this method are first, teacher made classroom test would likely be more of an integrative test than a discrete point one. Second, students would be asked to write a paragraph or be given an oral interview, rather than being asked to answer a question which deals with only one point of language at a time. Third, teachers would encourage their students to self evaluate to look at their sown learning and to become a ware of their own language.
For giving a respond to the students, the teacher repeat correctly what the students has said incorrectly, without calling further attention to the error. Techniques depend on where the students are in the five stage learning process, but are consistent with sustaining a respectful, nondefensive relationship between teacher and students.

DESUGGESTOPEDIA

The methods present in this and the next chapters are illustrative of that which Celce-Murcia (1991) calls an affective-humanistic approach, an approach in which there is respect for students’ feelings. The originator of this method, Georgi Lozanov, believes as does Silent Ways’ Caleb Gattegno, that language learning can occur at a much faster rate than ordinarily transpires. Desuggestopedia , the application of the study of suggestion to pedagogy, has been developed to help students eliminate the feeling that they cannot be successful or the negative association they may have toward studying and, thus, to help them overcome the barriers to learning.
The Principles
Teacher hope to accelerate the process by which students learn to use a foreign language for everyday communication. In order to do this, more of the students’ mental powers must be tapped. This is accomplished by desuggesting the psychological barriers learners bring with them to the learning situaton and using techniques to activate the ‘paraconscious’ part of the mind, just below the fully-conscious mind.
The teacher is the authority in the claaroom. In order for the method to be succesful, the students must trust and respect her.
A Desuggestopedic course is conducted in a classroom whch is bright and cheerful. Posters displaying grammatical information about the target language are hung arround the room in order to take advantage of students’ peripheral learning. The posters are changed every few weeks to create a sense of novelty in the environment.
Vocabulary is emphasized. Claims about the success of the method often focus on the large number of words that can be acquired. Grammar is dealt with explicitly but minimally. In fact, it is believed that students will learn best if their conscious attention is focused not on the language forms, but on using the language. Speaking communicatively is emphasized. Students also read in the target language (for example, dialogs) and write (for example, imaginative compositions).
The Techniques And The Classroom Set-Up
Classroom set-up
The challenge for the teacher is to create a classroom environment which is bright and cheerful. This was accomplished in the classroom we visited where the walls were decorated with scenes from a country where the target language is spoken.
Peripheral learning
This technique is based upon the idea that we perceive much more in our environment than that to which we consciously attend. It is claimed that, by putting posters containing grammatical information about the target language on the classroom walls, students will absorb the necessary facts effortlessly.
Positive suggestion
It is the teacher’s responsibility to orchestrate the suggestive factors in a learning situation, thereby helping students break down the barriers to learning that they bring with them. Teachers can do this through direct and indirect means.
Choose a new identity
The students choose a target language name and a new occupation. As the course continues, the students have an opportunity to develop a whole biography about their fictional selves.
Role play
Students are asked to pretend temporarily that they are someone else and to perform in the target language as if they were that person. They are often asked to create their own lines relevant to the situation. In the lesson we observed, the students were asked to pretend that they were someone else and to introduce themselves as that person.
First concert (active concert)
The two concert are components of the receptive phase of the lesson. After the teacher has introduced the story as related in the dialog and has called students’ attention to some particular grammatical points that arise in it, she reads the dialog in the target language.
Second concert (passive concert)
In the second phase, the students are asked to put their scripts aside. They simply listen as the teacher reads the dialog at a normal rate of speed.
Primary activation
This technique and the one that follows are components of the active phase of the lesson. The students playfully reread the target language dialog out loud, as individuals or in groups.
Creative adaptation
The students engage in various activities designed to help them learn the new material and use it spontaneously. Activities particularly recomended for this phase include singing, dancing, dramatizations, and games.

COMPARISON OF THE AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD AND THE SILENT WAY

The Audio Lingual Method
This method based on the principles of behaviour psychology.
The Audio Lingual Method, like The Direct Method we have just examined, is also an oral-based approach.
Based on the principles that language learning is habit formation, the method fosters dependence on mimicry, memorization of set phrase and overlearning.
The language teacher uses only the target language in the classroom. Actions, pictures, or realia are used to give meaning otherwise.
Use of the mother tongue by the teacher is permitted , but discouraged among and by the students.
Skills are sequenced : listening, speaking, reading, and writing are developed in order.
Dialogs or short conversations between two people are often used to begin a new lesson
The view of language in the Audio-Lingual Method has been influenced by descriptive linguists.
Vocabulary is kept to a minimum while the students are mastering the sound system and grammatical patterns.
The purpose of The Audio-Lingual Method is to enable the students to communicate in target language automatically.

The Silent Way
One of the basic principles of the Silent Way is that ‘Teaching should be subordinated to learning’. This principle is in keeping with the active search for rules ascribed to the learner in the Cognitive Approach.
Studentshould be able to use the language for self-expression-to express their thought, perceptions, and feelings. In order to do this, they need to develop independence from the teacher, to develop their own inner criteria for correctness.
The teacher is a technician or enginer. ‘Only the learner can do the learning, ‘but the teacher , realying on what his students already know, cn give what help is necessary.
The role of the students is to make use of what they know, to free themselves of any obstacles that would interfere with giving their utmost attention to the learning task, and to actively engage in exploring the language.
Since the sounds are basic to any language, pronunciation is worked on from the beginning. It is important that students acquire the melody of the language. There is also a focus on the structures of the language, although explicit grammar rules may never be supplied. Vocabulary is somewhat restricted at first.
Meaning is made clear by focusing the students’ perceptions, not by translation. The students’ native language can, however, be used to give instructions when necessary, to help a student improve his or her pronunciation, for instance. The native language is also used (at least at beginning levels of proficiency) during the feedback sessions.

The Direct Method

The Direct Method
The Direct Method has one very basic rule: No translation is allowed. In fact, the Direct Method receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be conveyed directly in the target language through the use of demonstration and visual aids with no recourse to the students’ native language (Diller 1978).
The teachers who use the direct method intend that students learn how to communicate in target language. Although the teacher directs the class activities, the student role is less passive than in Grammar-Translation Method. The teacher and the students are more like partners in the teaching/ learning process. Teachers who use the Direct Method believe students need to associate meaning and the target language directly. In order to do this, when the teacher introduces a new target language word or phrase, he demonstrates its meaning through the use of realia, pictures, or pantomime; he never translates it into the students’ native language. Students speak in the target language a great deal and communicate as if they were in real situations. In fact, the syllabus used in the Direct Method is based upon situations or topics. Grammar is taught inductively; that is, the students are presented with examples and they figure out the rule or generalization from examples. An explicit grammar rule may never be given. Students practice vocabulary by using new words in complete sentences. The initiation of the interaction goes both ways, from teacher to students and from student to teacher, although the latter is often teacher directed. There are no principles of the method which relate to this area. Language is primarily spoken, not written. Therefore, students study common, everyday speech in the target language. They also study culture consisting of the history of the people who speak the target language, the geography of the country or countries where the language is spoken, and information about the daily lives of the speakers of the language. Vocabulary is emphasized over grammar. Although work on all four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening ) occurs from the start, oral communication is seen as basic. Thus the reading and writing exercises are based upon what the students practice orally first. Pronunciation also receives attention right from the beginning of a course. The students’ native language should not used in classroom. In Direct Method, students are asked to use the language, not to demonstrate their knowledge about the language. They are asked to do using both oral and written skills. For example, the students might be interviewed orally by the teacher or might be asked to write a paragraph about something they have studied. The teacher, employing various techniques, tries to get students to self-correct whenever possible.
The Techniques of Direct Method
Reading Aloud
Students take turns reading sections of a passage, play, or dialog out loud. At the end of each student’s turn, the teacher uses gestures, pictures, realia, examples, or other means to make the meaning of the section clear.
Question and Answer Exercise
This exercise is conducted only in the target language. Students are asked questions and answer in full sentences so that they practice new words and grammatical structures. They have the opportunity to ask questions as well as answer them.
Getting Students to Self-Correct
The teacher of this class has the students self-correct by asking them to make a choice between what they said and an alternative answer he supplied. There are, however, other ways of getting students to self-correct.

Conversation Practice
The teacher asks students a number of questions in the target language, which the students have to understand to be able to answer correctly. In the class observed, the teacher asked individual students question about themselves. The question contained a particular grammar structure. Later, the students were able to ask each other their own questions using the same grammatical structure.
Fill In the Blank Exercise
This Technique has already been discussed in the Grammar-Translation Method, but differs in its application in the direct method. All the items are in the target language; furthermore, no explicit grammar rule would be applied. The students would have induced the grammar rule they need to fill in the blanks from examples and practice with earlier parts of the lesson.
Dictation
The teacher reads the passage three times. The first time the teacher reads it at normal speed, while the students just listen. The second time he reads the passage phrase by phrase, pausing long enough to allow students to write down what they have heard. The last time the teacher again reads at a normal speed, and students check their work.
Map Drawing
The class included one example of a technique used to give students listening comprehension practice. The students were given a map, then the teachers gave the students directions. The students then instructed the teacher to do the instructions.
Paragraph Writing
The teachers in this class asked the students to write a paragraph in their own words on the major of the study. They could have done this from memory, or they could have used the reading passage the lesson as a model.

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Grammar-Translation Method

The grammar-translation method has been used by language teachers for many years, it was called the classical method since it was used in the teaching of the classical language, Latin and Greek (Chastain 1988). The study of the grammar of the target language, students would become more familiar with the grammar of their native language and that is familiarity would help them speak and write their native language better. For learn this method is by reading a literary language and students study of the target culture is limited to its literature and fine arts. In translate the important is can translate some language into the other. The language instructions to be able communicate. Reading comprehension is the primary skills to be developed are reading and writing. In Grammar-Translation Method speaking and listening just give a little and almost none to pronunciation. If there something wrong with the student, the teacher gives the right answers. In process of translate the student’s need it finds the equivalents of language for all target language words it is like the similarities of the words. In this method use the deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a useful pedagogical technique.

The Principles

The Grammar-Translation Method is purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in target language. Students learn about the grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language. The teacher is the authority in the class room. Students can learn abut what the teacher knows. In translate from one language to another with the grammar deductively study. In this study use the grammar rules and example and also memorize and also memorize it to apply the rules. The students also memorize native-language equivalents for target language vocabulary words. The interaction of this method is most of from the teacher to the students. The literary language to spoken language and language that’s students study. The culture view is about literature and fine arts. The translating of meaning to the target language students uses mostly the student’s native language. To evaluate the work teacher give the written tests by translation from their native language to the target language and also about the target culture by apply grammar rules are also common. The teacher responds the students by supplies them with the correct answer.

The Techniques

We may choose to try some of the techniques of The Grammar-Translation Method from the review that follows. In translation of a literary passage students translate from the target language into their native language, its focus for several classes such as vocabulary and grammatical structures. Reading comprehension questions by relate the passage to their own experience. To exercise students should find the antonyms and synonyms for a particular set of words. Student’s works with the vocabulary of the passage are also possible. In Cognates students are also asked to memorize words that book like cognates but have meanings in target language that are different from those in the native language. Deductive application of rules is grammar rules are presented with examples and apply it to some different examples. Fill in the blanks is some exercise in sentences with words missing and fill in the blanks with new vocabulary items or items of a particular grammar type with different tenses. Students are given lists of `target language vocabulary words and their native language equivalents memorize them and also memorize grammatical rules and grammatical paradigms. For make up the sentences the students use the new words, by creating the compositions in a topic to write and prepare of the reading passage.