High School Routines at SMAN 2 Semarang

Group photo with my co-student teachers at SMAN 2 Semarang after the school's fitness exercise program

Schools have their own way to conduct their activities. It may be in a form of a normal routine, policy, rule, cultural habit, tradition and a lot more. And it always has a purpose or a goal.

In SMAN 2 Semarang, classes begin at 6:30am and ends at 3:00pm. Before it begins, the head master, other teachers and student-teachers wait at the entrance as the students come in and greet them respectfully. The way students greet them in respect is by bowing and reaching for their hand onto their foreheads. They call this as salim. It is usually being done by the students to any teacher that they come across, even student-teachers. It is both a sign of respect and tradition.

Every Monday, the school conducts their flag ceremony at 6:30am. It takes around 45 minutes. They pray, sing their national anthem, state their vows, and the school principal talks about important announcements. Sometimes, they also award and recognize student achievements if there’s any.

They also had some special activities. Last Friday, September 6, teachers and student-teachers attended a simple fitness exercise at school. It started around 6am. At first, we did Zumba or Aerobics (I honestly don’t know which is which). Later on, some teachers and student-teachers did some sports activity like football, badminton, volleyball and basketball. Well, even though I’m not a sports-oriented person, I willingly joined to play volleyball. I was even playing against our mentor, Pak Ibnu! We just had fun with it and surprisingly, all of the teachers there are really good in playing the game. Was I the only one who’s not that good? I felt a little bit ashamed but thankfully, the teachers are very friendly and encouraging. That’s why the shameful feeling went away quickly because we were already enjoying it so much. It ended around 7am.

Generally, the school’s regular routines are consistent and it’s easy to be accustomed to. It is normal for schools to have their own and distinct set of routines, traditions, and cultures. Even when I was studying in the Philippines, schools tend to design and make school routines that later becomes remarkable traditions. We just need to embrace it, adapt to it and respect it. That's all! Terima Kasih!

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