My Journal 2

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

HELPING THE STUDENTS TO HAVE A HIGH MOTIVATION

IN LEARNING

Ratnasari Nugraheni

Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta

Abstract:

Having a high motivation to help the students in learning will be good for the students themselves because it will lead the students to have a good achievement in their studies. Giving the homework for the students can be good but it can also give the bad effect for the students. Teachers have to conscious about this problem. They have to make help their students to have a high motivation in learning and throw away the low motivation in learning from the students themselves. Therefore, this paper will examine that too much homework will make the students stressful so that it will influence their motivation in learning to be lower than before.

A. INTRODUCTION

According to Oxford dictionary, learning is the activity of obtaining the knowledg. Another definition which comes from Jeff Cobb is the lifelong process of transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills, behaviours, and attitudes. However, to obtain the knowledge is not easy. Teacher has to do many things to make students obtain the knowledge from what teacher has given in a right way. The different ability to elicit the knowledge, the limitation of time, and the number of students in the classroom are the factors which make the teacher difficult to convey the material fairly for all students. Those factors encourage teacher to give homework in order to make the students comprehend the material well both in school and home. Homework is also believed that it can motivate students and build the students’ independent learning. According to Cooper's much-cited review of homework studies, there have been 20 studies since 1962 that compared the achievement of students who receive homework with students given no homework. Of these, 14 showed a benefit from doing homework, and six didn't.

On the contrary, homework can also make the students stressful when the teacher gives too much homework. It makes the burden for students because it will make the students to do the homework excessively until the students finish them. Therefore, too much homework will influence the way of students’ learning and motivation. Students will have a low motivation in learning because too much homework will make them stressful. Then, they will be lazy to study because they feel bored for learning. This digest will discuss that too much homework will not make the students improve their motivation in learning but it will make them feel stressful.

B. STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING AND THE AMOUNT OF THE HOMEWORK

Achieving success in the classroom is the goal of all students. The important factor which encourages the students to achieve success is their motivation in learning. According to Reeve, students’ motivation is influenced by both internal and external factors that can start, sustain, intensify, or discourage behaviour. Ainley clarifies that the internal factors include the individual characteristics or dispositions that students bring to their learning, such as their interests, responsibility for learning, effort, values and perceived ability, and then the external factors are the variables in learning conditions and environment that trigger, support, or change student motivation.

The high motivation in learning will lead the students to achieve success as it is said by Ames that high motivation in students is linked to reduced dropout rates and increased levels of students’ success. Conversely, the low motivation in learning will make them failed. Nowadays, the amount of the high students’ motivation in learning decreases every year. There are many factors which influence it. According to Ainley, certain types of schooling practices may promote or hinder motivation, such as features of the classrooms, peer groups, tasks, and instructional practices.

According to Skinner and Belmont as it is cited by Cori Brewster and Jennifer Fager, a research has shown that teachers can influence students’ motivation; that certain practices do work to increase time spent on task; and that there are ways to make assigned work more engaging and more students become effective for students at all levels. Usually, the tasks which are given to students are in form of homework. Homework can promote independence and responsibility and homework can also help parents connect with what their children are learning in the school. However, homework can be worse when the teachers give too much homework for their students. The main purpose of the homework is to make the students comprehend more about the subjects and to motivate the students to learn more and more. However, when the teachers give too much homework, it will make the students bored because they do not have time to refresh their mind by doing other activities such as doing their hobbies like sport or sing. Therefore, the students will have the low motivation in learning because they do not have some factors which can support them to do it.

Too much homework is dangerous for the students. For that reason, teachers have to make the homework more effective for the students by making a good time allocation correlates with the amount of homework for the students.

Table 1.1 Time allocation for the homework per day.

Grade	Time Allocation
1 – 3	20 minutes
4 – 6	20 – 40 minutes
7 – 9	1 – 2 hours

Table 1.2 The correlation between time spend and homework.

Grade	The relation
Primary school	Near zero
Middle and junior high school	Positive but weak
Senior high school	Moderate

Based on research, NEA and the national PTA, in America, recommendations are in line with those suggested by Harris Cooper: 10 to 20 minutes per night in the first grade, and an additional 10 minutes per grade level thereafter (giving 2 hours for 12th grade). Then, In Britain, the government has laid down guidelines, recommending that children as young as five should do up to an hour a week of homework on reading, spelling, and numbers, rising to 1.5 hours per week for 8 – 9 years old, and 30 minutes a day for 10 and 11 years old.

Teachers should find the better way to make their students have a high motivation in learning. Homework is good to make the students motivate, but it has to be balance between the time spend and the amount of homework itself. Then, teachers have to find other ways to encourage the students in learning through the homework. According to Connie Frith, the factors which influence the students’ motivation to learn are curiosity, self-efficacy, attitude, need, competence, and external motivators. When the students have those components, it will be easy for teachers to teach. However, there are not all of the students have those components. Therefore, the teachers have to make the homework or the other assignments for learning look attractive as the way to make the students have a high motivation in learning.

Teachers also have to work together with the others, especially, school, an institution where they work. Schools can positively influence students’ motivation through: varied and integrated instructional strategies and resources, an open and caring school environment, a wide range of student supports, and then sharing information and responsibilities for student learning among the staff. These techniques all promote student motivation for educational success (Einspruch, Grover, Hahn, Guy, & Deck, 2001; Shore, 1998; Yair, 2000). Therefore, to help the students to improve their motivation needs all of effort from students, teachers, school, and environment surrounding.

C. CONCLUSION

Although homework has a purpose to make the students more understandable about the lesson, it will also give the bad effects for the students when the teachers give it in excessive amount. Too much homework will influence the students’ motivation. It will make a low motivation for the students because students will feel bored and stressful. Therefore, the teachers should find the better way to help the students to have a high motivation in learning. Teachers should know about a good time allocation to do the homework so that they can make a good portion for the homework. Teachers also have to make an attractive homework for their students so that students will not feel bored and stressful again.

D. REFERENCES

Brewster, Cori and Jennifer Fager. 2000. Increasing student engagement and motivation: from time-on-task to homework. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Frith, Connie. (n.d.). Motivation to learn. Saskatchewan University.

Oxford University. 1995. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Fifth Edition. Oxford University press.

Yeow, Elizabeth. 2002. Homework: To do or not to do?.

Homework: is it worth it?. Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from

Cobb, Jeff. 2009. A Definition of Learning. Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from.

Students’ motivation. Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from.

Homework: Amount, Effects, Help for Students and Parents. Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from.

Homework - Purpose, Public Attitudes toward Homework, The Positive and Negative Effects of Homework, Extensiveness of Homework. Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from.

Students school parents assignments relationship study percent olds. Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from.

My Journal

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

L1 AND L2 USAGE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH

IN THE CLASSROOM

Ratnasari Nugraheni

Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta

Abstract:

English has become the most important language all over the world. It is used as a lingua franca in the international level. Since English becomes very important, using English both orally and none orally is a must for the students. The process of teaching and learning English in the classroom influences the students a lot, especially in giving the instructions; by using L1 or L2. Although conducting the English class by using L1 and L2 is different, they also have the similarities. Therefore, this paper will examine the similarities and differences of L1 and L2 usage in the teaching and learning English in the classroom.

A. INTRODUCTION

The use of language in the classroom is one of the elements which builds teaching and learning communication among the teacher and students. In other words, the ability to comprehend and implement the subject depends on how the communication goes on smoothly in the classroom. Recently, the debating between L1 and L2 usage for teaching and learning English in the classroom has become the current issue among the society in educational level.

Using L1 for teaching and learning L2 in the classroom is believed that the students can pay more attention to the subject which the teachers teach. The mother tongue is also particularly effective with younger learners and adult learners at beginner level to check instructions, to ensure that concepts have been correctly understood and for general classroom management (Bowen). Since the science and technology change very fast, L2 usage in the teaching and learning English has become very important in many schools; both public and private. The extent of the schools is from the elementary school up to senior high school. The L2 usage is believed that it gives more success for the students’ carrier in the future. Moreover, the globalization and free trade will influence it very much. Therefore, the students should have proficiency in L2.

Conducting English class by using L1 and L2 instructions has some similarities and differences. The teachers have to consider what language which they have to use in teaching and learning English in the classroom appropriately. They also have to use the appropriate strategies to avoid the misconception and misunderstanding in the teaching and learning process. This digest provides the information about L1 and L2 usage in giving the instructions within a regular class that leads to the misleading the subject.

B. THE COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

Teaching and learning English by using L1 and L2 have the same objectives which have to be reached. English is taught as the foreign language with the objectives to make the students to be able to read textbooks and other informative materials, and it is considered as a compulsory subject in the tertiary education (Achmad, 1997) and secondary education (Dardjowidjojo, 1997). The objectives themselves are the goal which the teachers have to be reached successfully in the classroom.

To teach English in the classroom, teachers have to know about the curriculum or syllabus, too. Curriculum or syllabus is the specification of the content and the ordering of what is to be taught (Finney, 2002). Both using L1 and L2 in conducting the English class have the same curriculum and syllabus. Auerbach (1993) suggests the following possible occasions for using the mother tongue: negotiation of the syllabus and the lesson; record keeping; classroom management; scene setting; language analysis; presentation of rules governing grammar, phonology, morphology, and spelling; discussion of cross-cultural issues; instructions or prompts; explanation of errors; and assessment of comprehension. The materials or contents which are taught in English class are also same. The students both using L1 and L2 in learning English learn about grammar, vocabulary, texts, and etc. The specific information about those materials is also same although the use of language in teaching and learning process is different.

Although conducting the English class using L1 and L2 has some similarities, they also have some differences. Using L1 in the classroom is believed that it can make students understand more about the subject itself. Auerbech as cited by C. William Schweers, Jr. says that Starting with the L1 provides a sense of security and validates the learners’ lived experiences, allowing them to express themselves. The learner is then willing to experiment and take risks with English. However, a proponent of the monolingual approach, Krashen has argued that people learning foreign languages follow basically the same route as they acquire their mother tongue, hence the use of the mother tongue in the learning process should be minimized (1981). In this case, Aurbech and Krashen have the strong reason although they support and suggest the different method in conducting the English class.

Giving the instructions using L1 and L2 for teaching and learning English also has some different benefits. Rivera finds that allowing students to use L1 makes them feel less intimidated (Auerbach 1993). A research done by Lameta-Tufuga reveals that students can fully understand the content of the written task through L1 (as quoted in Nation 2003). Checking students’ comprehension and correcting errors can be conducted in L1 is believed to be very helpful to avoid misunderstanding (Harbord 1992). English as a second language means that it is programs of bilingual education; instruction is based on a special curriculum typically involving little or no use of the native language and usually is taught only during certain periods of the school day (Corich, 1996). That is why the use of L2 in the English class will make the students can speak English fluently and correctly in the target language. The more students are exposed to English, the more quickly they will learn; as they hear and use English, they will internalize it and begin to think in English (Auerbach, 1993, p.14 ). Therefore, the use of L2 in teaching and learning English will make students faster in mastering English. The students are believed that they can have a good grammar in writing and speaking; both orally and none orally.

C. CONCLUSION

It can be said that conducting the classroom by L1 and L2 for teaching and learning English has some similarities and differences. In summary, the similarities are that L1 and L2 usage have the same objective, which is to make the students to be able to read textbooks and other informative materials, and it is considered as a compulsory subject in the tertiary education (Achmad, 1997) and secondary education (Dardjowidjojo, 1997), and have the same curriculum or syllabus and also the content for teaching and learning English. The differences are the process in conducting the class itself and also the benefits which they receive.

The teachers should be careful to choose which language for conducting the English class. The wrong choice of using language in the classroom will deliver the students to missunderstanding the subjects. It can be said that it can make the misleading teaching and learning in the classroom. Therefore, the teachers should know what the students characters and ability before teaching. It does not matter what the language which they use. The important thing which the teachers should know is the students comprehend the subjects.

D. REFERENCES

Achmad, N. (1997). Addressing language and communication: Issues in university development. Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Language in Development: Acess, Empowerment, Opportunity, Langkawi, Malaysia.

Anynomous. (n.d). The Mother-Tongue (L1) Usage In Teachıng Englısh Perspectıves Of Students And Teachers. Retrieved September, 27, 2011, from http://www.articlesbase.com/languages-articles/the-mothertongue-l1-usage-in-teachng-englsh-perspectves-of-students-and-teachers-1042917.html#ixzz1Z8fD0bAu
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution No Derivatives.

Auerbach, E. 1993. Reexaming English only in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly 27, 1.

Bowen, Tim. (n.d). Teaching approaches: using L1 in class. Retrieved September, 27,2011,from http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/teaching-approaches/teaching-approaches-using-l1-in-class/146496.

Dardjowidjojo, S. (1997). English policy in their classroom impact in some ASEAN-Asian countries:Language classroom of tomorrow issues and trends. Anthology series.

Finney, Denise. 2002. The ELT Curriculum: A flexible Model for a Changing World . In Richard, Jock C. and Renandya, Willy A. (Fd). Methodology in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p 70.

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO-from Fortunato's point of view

An eager desire which I wanted to achieve in my life was being the best master connoisseurship in wine. No one could be the best except I, not my fellow, Luchesi, nor my shadow. Luchesi was the fool person who did not know anything about wine, he was a donkey. His fate in this world was as same as Montersor had - a stupid person who I had ever met. Montersor thought that he was a plummy person who had all things he wanted in his life. It was only a stupid person who thought that I was a good best friend. No! He said I was a good brother. Ha ha ha ha! – he was too foolish to make a brotherhood relationship with me. I hoped he did not know that I only take a profit from him. I only wanted his money as I was too stingy to use my money.

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season. Oh, my God! What a plummy person he was! I only thought about him and I met him now. I accosted him.

“My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking today! But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts.”, he said with a passionate intonation as usual.

“Amontillado?”

“Yes. But I am frantic that I buy the wrong one. Perhaps, it is not Amontillado, my dear. I am on my way to Luchesi to tell about this.”

“Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from sherry. I am the only one who know, I am the master connoisseurship who you know. Let me prove it!”

“Oh, thank you my best brother, how kind of you!”

Ha ha ha ha! Luchesi did not allow to taste the Amontillado before I. Montresor was too stupid about this as I thought before. After I knew the place, I would take The Amontillado from him.
Montresor, Montresor, you were too stupid.

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF LISTENING TO CLASSICAL MUSIC

Music has been a part of human’s life for a long time. It brings a lot of effects for the people who listen to music intensively. The good or bad effects which will emerge depend on the genre, the category of music based on its composition. A lot of scientists have researched this. Most of them find that classical music gives good effects for the people. From the researches, the classical music helps the people in many aspects such as psychology, health, and education.

Listening to classical music regularly affects the people’s psychological situation such as reducing stress, reducing anxiety, and increasing the motivation. The Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan made the experiments about reducing stress problem by listening to classical music for pregnant women in 2008. While the pregnant women were listening to the music, it reduced the stress levels. The classical music also reduces anxiety due to its rhythm and melodies are calm. It happens because the classical music affects our heartbeat and breath frequency. The classical music can also be a good media to motivate people in working. It makes people to think clearly and creatively thus they will be motivated to accomplish their work.

Several scientists have proven that the classical music’s effect can influence our healthy. It can reduce the epilepsy symptoms, high-blood pressure, and pain. By listening to the classical music, the epilepsy sufferers feel relieved because the epilepsy symptoms in their brains are reduced even in unconscious condition. To reduce the high-blood pressure’s symptoms, the doctors use the classical music as one of the therapy media. The music’s composition will reduce the blood pressure. Some hospitals provide the classical music listening program because it also reduces the patients’ pain. The music helps their body and mind relax although they are in the hospital with such uncomfortable atmosphere.

The classical music becomes more popular in education since it influences people’s intelligence. An experiment of Gordon Shaw from University of California at Irvine in 1988 proved that the classical music helps to stimulate the brain activities. Shaw’s experiment encourages other scientists to explore more about it. From the other researches, the classical music enhances linguistic and spatial abilities, which are the main base of learning. While people are listening to the music, the spatial pathways are turned on. However, the improving of spatial skill only lasts for about an hour after stopping listening to the music. Due to the rhythm of the music, people can improve their memory, information, and learning abilities. Laurence O’Donnell III has found that 60 beats per minute of the music activates both sides of brain; right and left hemisphere. It strengthens the other scientists’ researches who state that the classical music can improve the people’s intelligence.

In short, the effects of listening to music depend on the music’s genre. As we know, the negative effects should be avoided. Hence, people have to carefully choose the best music which can bring the positive effects. Based on several researches, the classical music is placed on the top rank of music’s standings which gives the good effects. The effects of the music influence the psychology, health, and education. Those aspects are highly-affecting people’s life.

THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN WRITING CLASS

Writing is one of the basic soft skills in language learning besides listening, speaking, and reading. Most people believe that it gives us a lot of advantages, especially to earn much money by writing a book or an article in the newspaper. Someone can be a successful writer because he or she knows the tricks how to write correctly. The students in English Language Education Study Program also have to know it because the students are always related to this skill everyday. There are many ways to achieve success in writing class, such as reading a lot, mastering the basic writing skills, and managing the time in a disciplined way.

Reading a lot is one of the elements to achieve success in writing class. Most students think that reading is a boring activity because they have to face a lot of sentences and need many hours to do that. Thus, it makes them feel tired. However, it is not absolutely true because reading can arouse their creativity, intelligence, and innovation. Those elements are needed to get a new brilliant idea. Reading many various books will enrich their vocabularies because they can find many words which they have never known before. It will encourage them to find the meaning of each word then their brain will keep the new vocabularies directly.

To compose a good writing, the students have to master the basic writing skills, such as grammar and minimum requirements (punctuation marks, spelling, and diction). They do not only have to know the basic writing skills but also mastering it. It will make their writing more professional. Thus, the people really want to read the students’ writing because they can learn and get the new information through reading. Using the appropriate grammar, punctuation marks, spelling, and diction will make the idea or the information more understandable for the reader. Sometimes, confusion comes when the students are not fluent in English. They write without considering the grammar such as using an Indonesian grammar while writing an English sentence. The students also have to make sure their sentences grammatically and semantically correct.

Managing the time in a disciplined way will help the students to achieve success in writing class. This important principle should be embedded in the first meeting to make the students accustomed to finish their writing on time, based on the lecture’s deadline. A good time management in writing class can be formed by implementing the writing steps; they are choosing the mastered-topic, making an outline and a draft, then revising the draft to be the final writing. This habit will help the students become professional writers or journalists. The students can also build their writing career from now by working as freelance writers or journalists.

Those are the three important things to achieve success in writing class. Reading a lot helps the students to improve their vocabularies. Mastering the basic writing skills will make their writing more professional. Managing the time in a disciplined way makes them accustomed to finish their writing on time. Those will really help the students to pass their writing class with a good mark and improve their ability in writing.

The Lady, or the Tiger? (Based on Frank R. Stockton with additional conclusion)

A long time ago, there was a semi-barbaric king who very loved his daughter, the princess of his kingdom. In the other hand, one of the courtiers also loved the princess, and so she did. The princess and this young man loved each other. Their love moved on happily for many months until the king knew it. It would be terrible for them, especially for a young man. He cast into prison, waiting for the day of his fate when he had to be in King’s arena. The arena was a place where somebody had to be responsible for his deed, as a judgment. There were two doors which should be opened. In which, there was a tiger or lady in each door. The day when he had been waiting came. All people knew these two possibilities. Choosing the tiger, he would be died, and choosing the lady, he would be lived and married with her. The princess also knew about it. She knew these two possibilities were not good for her, although his father wanted it. The princess very loved the young man. She didn’t want the young man died or married with the other woman. These possibilities could not make her happy.

Now, it was his time to open the door. He chose the right door. All people were curious. They yelled, a half of them shouted tiger and the others lady. The semi-barbaric king were smiled as a sign of his victory, nobody could wrest his daughter, the diamond of his life. The princess could not do anything. She did not want to look it, her two hands closed over her beautiful face. A young man did not know what will happen with him. These two doors could not make him got the princess, a lady that he wanted to be married. His fancy was the lady behind the door a princess, his love. He knew it was a foolish thing that could not become true. He was back to the fact.

Tiger! He wanted a tiger as his fate. He did not want to make princess sad. A tear-drop was a wound for him. His love was as big as king’s love. It was so painful that nobody could know this. He wanted to shout that he loved princess more than anything. He felt a princess as his soul, his life.

The door was opened. All people in the arena were silent for a moment. Today was a wedding for him. A very beautiful lady came out of the door. A priest, a band of choristers, and dancing maidens came out of the door opposite him which beneath the king’s place was in. All people in the arena yelled joyfully. A young man could not do anything. Now, he was a husband of a very beautiful lady who was not princess. His eyes moved on to the king and princess. The semi-barbaric king stood up and waved hand to a young man, a fortune person of the day. He bowed head to the king. Although he was smiling to the king, he very hated him, someone who made his life like in a hell now. He looked at princess, gold of his heart. She did not give him smile or tear. A semi-barbaric king was happy. He could prove that he was a powerful man more than anyone. One thing, he could keep his diamond, the princess. Nobody could wrest her from him, he wanted to have her forever.

The day was going on, the princess was sorrowful. This condition made a bad appetite for her. She did not want to eat anymore. The king knew it but he could not do anything now. He did a lot of things to make her daughter becoming normal again. Day after day, the princess was in a bad condition. It happened for a long time. The end was a princess died. A semi-barbaric king felt painful. Tiger could tear human, but his princess’ death torn his heart. His heart was died. It was more painful than a dead body.

TWO KINDS (Based on Amy Tan's mother character)

Becoming a mother was not easy. Nine months, I had to be pregnant. At Tuesday, I looked a white, funny, beautiful, and smooth baby – she was mine. My tears fell down when I saw her at first time. She was my Chinese daughter. I promised to my self to bring her up so well. Everyone had to be a proud of and envy with her talent next time.
America was the right place to bring up my daughter, making her a good musician. I did not want to look her like me, a foolish person who had nothing, having no any talent. It was so terrible for all of years of my life. I could not forget my childhood, crying in front of the stage every Easter and Christmas when all people looked at me. I was frantic when they ridiculed. I did not want my daughter having the bad childhood memory like me.

******

“Amy Tan”, I called her. “Have you learnt ‘The Guide to Pianist’?”
“Later, Mom”, she answered without looked at me.
“Amy Tan! I ask you to learn it and play your piano, now! Mr. Old Chang will come 15 minutes again. You must be ready.”
She stood up and walked to living room, where the piano was there. Actually, I hoped she was conscious thus I would not force her again not to be lazy in practicing. I just wanted to look her becoming a talented-person. All people had to look her like a rose in the desert, just paying attention with her not for others.
Amy Tan, I hoped you know what in your mother mind. I very loved you, my daughter. I was sure; you could be a successful person if you always heard my words. You had to be an obedient daughter. Next week was the first time for her to show her talent in front of many people in the church hall. Amy Tan, I was waiting this moment for along time, seeing you in the stage. I hoped you gave the best of yours.

*****

She did her performance.
I felt proud of her performance, but I did not want to show my feeling. It was to make her not to be conceited. There were many thorns outside; she had to pass this condition for making her stronger. My face was quiet and blank. I was like an actress, showing the different characters of mine, pretended to be another person. I hoped you know my reasons, my lovely daughter.
“Amy Tan! Turn off the television”, I said to her. “It is four clock, now!”
I did not hear her answer. I washed my hands, then seeing her. She did not move, she was watching the television. I walked to reach her and stood up in front of television. I was angry now.
“Mom, I do not want to play piano again!”, she said.
“What? I ask you to play the piano, now!”
“Mom, could you give me my freedom to choose what I want? Let me do what I want, follow my mind, not you!
I was very angry; this place was very hot, like a fire burned my body and soul. I pulled her off the floor and she cried.
“Amy Tan! Only two kinds of daughters”, I said. Then, I took a deep breath and continue again, “Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!”
“Then, I wish I was not your daughter!”
I slapped her spontaneous. She cried and was angry, then went to her bedroom. My tears fell down, I did not know why I do that. Amy Tan, I did not want to do this. I hoped you know that I loved you, I hoped you could hear my heart, especially, hearing the reasons! I did not know that my deed hurt you and made you oppressed. I was sorry, Amy Tan. I just wanted you looked like a rose or more than it, looking like a diamond, not only in my eyes but theirs. I was sorry, Amy Tan. Now, took your freedom. Your lovely mother would not disturb you again.

******

The Top Expensive Things in 2011

Most of the people like to predict something when they are entering the beginning of the year. Since last year, the economists have been predicting that there will be inflation in 2011. In the beginning of 2011, the prediction comes true. All things change drastically such as fashion, technology, music, daily needs, education, and economic. The change of our country’s economic condition will influence the price thus it will grow higher. Food, clothing, gas, college tuition, and sport tickets are the things which will be expensive this year.

Food and clothing are the primary needs which are so important in our daily life. We cannot stop to buy them although they will be expensive. Since the climate changes, the plant in many countries does not grow so well. The crops fail and will be scarce hence the price will be rising such as chili and rice. The food’s price will increase as much as the substance food’s price. Last year, the cotton, which is the raw material of cloth, was expensive so it forced the clothing makers to make a plan to increase the price. The flood in Pakistan and heavy rain in China took a part in making the cotton expensive. It made the world cotton output decreased as a consequence of the damage of the cotton plant. Therefore, there are several clothing companies will be insolvent if this condition is not solved.

To avoid global warming, many countries use gas instead of kerosene. That is why gas so important now. However, by replacing kerosene with gas, it also makes a new problem. The gas’ price will be expensive because many countries will increase the demand of gas. Actually, gas is a limited natural resource so the amount of gas is not enough to cover all of the demands. Another reason is the gas companies want to monopolize gas by keeping the supply and raising the price. Therefore, gas will be expensive not only for this year but next years to come.

Nowadays, looking for a job is very difficult. We have to compete with others so that we should have a good skill and knowledge in many sectors. In this case, the education is very important to get everything. Many people compete to enter the best college which provides the good quality. The fast developing technology makes the college to have the good facilities such as the laboratory and internet. They will make the college spends their money to build a good learning circumstance. Hence, the college tuition will be expensive. It will make many poor people cannot get a good education because they are lack of money.

Watching sport competition is one of the people’s hobbies. The most popular sport which is so famous in the world is football. The FIFA Worldcup, European League, Asian Cup, and Indonesian Super League are the competitions which attract a lot of audiences. They are willing to buy the tickets even though they are expensive. Every year, there are many new stadiums which have to be renovated for keeping the quality of the competitions. The number of famous football players will also increase. The promoters know this so they are raising the ticket price to get much profit. Therefore, sport tickets will be so expensive.

Those are the things which will be expensive this year. Food and clothing will be expensive because the climate changes so that it damages the crops and cotton plants. The monopoly and demand of gas will influence the gas’price. College tuition will be expensive because the development of education. The sport tickets will be expensive because the number of audiences rising. Those are the scientific prediction for this year.