Talking about the role of school subjects in forming good citizens reminds me of my strict PPKn teacher back in middle school.
At that time, we had an assignment to memorize the UUD, and I didn’t take it seriously. During a quiz, my teacher pointed at me and asked me to stand up. He told me to recite the UUD—I already forgot the exact details, maybe it was pasal 27 or 28. I just stood there in silence, unable to answer, while my friends who studied seriously could answer easily. Because I couldn't answer while everyone was looking at me, I felt so embarrassed. On top of that, he was a very strict teacher, so you can imagine his angry and disappointed face because his student didn’t study seriously.
After that incident, I started paying attention in class. Eventually, we reached the topic about how laws are made. He was a brilliant teacher, he filled the whole whiteboard with diagrams and flowcharts of the law-making process without seeing the text book. I was amazed, and it actually left a good impact on me. At least that make me still remember some of the crucial steps in making a law.
Fast forward to a Ramadan morning in 2025. A video of Andrie Yunus raiding the Fairmont Hotel to protest the closed-door revision of the TNI Law, fueled my RAGE.
"Is this how they make laws now?! Shouldn't there be public participation in it?" said me, the student who got a 75 in civics—the only 7 on my report card. Honestly, if it wasn't for that video, I would never truly realize how messy the process was. Just remembering my 75 grade made me furious. I thought to myself, "I was scolded and got 75 because I wasn't good at this subject, while these people in power are breaking the exact rules that I tried so hard to memorize back then."
But hey, looking back, my teacher’s hard work actually paid off. I know I cannot do big things like what Andrie Yunus did. But I think I made my teacher proud in a way, because I care enough to be angry about this messy law-making process. Because I am angry, I speak up for the truth, and I feel like a good citizen (at least that's what I think)
At least, I never supported that bad law revision. I never write the 'dukung ruu tni' hashtags. Just reading about it makes me remember my teacher's angry face. I'm sure he would be angry to read that hashtag.
Even though he was disappointed with my middle school grades, I think i grew up to be a good citizen.
Kudos for this article, thankyouuu! I hope civics, history, and social studies classes can continue to play a big role in shaping our generation to be good citizens 🤍
This article really made me rethink what “a good citizen” actually means. I think many students are taught that being a good citizen is mostly about following rules, but we rarely discuss the importance of questioning, analyzing, and understanding the world around us. Civic education should prepare students not only to vote, but also to think. However, I also think the challenge lies in how schools can create spaces for critical discussion while still maintaining fairness and avoiding political bias. Teaching students how to think critically is important, but creating the environment to do so is equally challenging.
Absolutely agree. Raising a critical generation takes a village. Students curiosity need to be properly cultivated by teachers (and parents!) by holding the safe space for open discussion, including when hard conversations/questions arise.
What a great article!
Talking about the role of school subjects in forming good citizens reminds me of my strict PPKn teacher back in middle school.
At that time, we had an assignment to memorize the UUD, and I didn’t take it seriously. During a quiz, my teacher pointed at me and asked me to stand up. He told me to recite the UUD—I already forgot the exact details, maybe it was pasal 27 or 28. I just stood there in silence, unable to answer, while my friends who studied seriously could answer easily. Because I couldn't answer while everyone was looking at me, I felt so embarrassed. On top of that, he was a very strict teacher, so you can imagine his angry and disappointed face because his student didn’t study seriously.
After that incident, I started paying attention in class. Eventually, we reached the topic about how laws are made. He was a brilliant teacher, he filled the whole whiteboard with diagrams and flowcharts of the law-making process without seeing the text book. I was amazed, and it actually left a good impact on me. At least that make me still remember some of the crucial steps in making a law.
Fast forward to a Ramadan morning in 2025. A video of Andrie Yunus raiding the Fairmont Hotel to protest the closed-door revision of the TNI Law, fueled my RAGE.
"Is this how they make laws now?! Shouldn't there be public participation in it?" said me, the student who got a 75 in civics—the only 7 on my report card. Honestly, if it wasn't for that video, I would never truly realize how messy the process was. Just remembering my 75 grade made me furious. I thought to myself, "I was scolded and got 75 because I wasn't good at this subject, while these people in power are breaking the exact rules that I tried so hard to memorize back then."
But hey, looking back, my teacher’s hard work actually paid off. I know I cannot do big things like what Andrie Yunus did. But I think I made my teacher proud in a way, because I care enough to be angry about this messy law-making process. Because I am angry, I speak up for the truth, and I feel like a good citizen (at least that's what I think)
At least, I never supported that bad law revision. I never write the 'dukung ruu tni' hashtags. Just reading about it makes me remember my teacher's angry face. I'm sure he would be angry to read that hashtag.
Even though he was disappointed with my middle school grades, I think i grew up to be a good citizen.
Kudos for this article, thankyouuu! I hope civics, history, and social studies classes can continue to play a big role in shaping our generation to be good citizens 🤍
This article really made me rethink what “a good citizen” actually means. I think many students are taught that being a good citizen is mostly about following rules, but we rarely discuss the importance of questioning, analyzing, and understanding the world around us. Civic education should prepare students not only to vote, but also to think. However, I also think the challenge lies in how schools can create spaces for critical discussion while still maintaining fairness and avoiding political bias. Teaching students how to think critically is important, but creating the environment to do so is equally challenging.
Absolutely agree. Raising a critical generation takes a village. Students curiosity need to be properly cultivated by teachers (and parents!) by holding the safe space for open discussion, including when hard conversations/questions arise.