Sekolah Menengah Atas Negeri 1 (SMAN 1) or High School 1 in Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia is one of the prestigious Senior High Schools in the city. It is currently headed by its  chief DRS .H.MUH.JAUHARI,M.M. The school was buit in 1957 with its vision and mission as follows: 

              Vision: Mencetak pribadi berakhlak mulia yang unggul dalam prestasi dan berwawasan lingkungan. (Produce noble personalities that                               excel in achievement and are environmentally sound)

             Mission: 1.    Mengembangkan budaya sekolah yang mendukung terbentuknya pribadi berakhlak mulia. (Developing a school culture                                  that supports the formation of a noble person.) 2. Menciptakan lingkungan sekolah yang kondusif untuk memaksimalkan                                        potensi siswa dalam meraih prestasi. (Creating a school environment that is conducive to maximizing student potential in                                      achieving excellence.) 3. Meningkatkan kepedulian terhadap lingkungan melalui kegiatan yang mendorong pelestarian                                            lingkungan dan kearifan local ( budaya daerah) (Increase awareness of the environment through activities that encourage                                      environmental preservation and local wisdom (regional culture).

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        It was quite new to me that Senior High Schools are not in the same school as the Junior High. They are in every way separated. High Schools are also named by numbers like SMAN 1, SMAN 2, SMAN 3 etc unlike in the Philippines where schools are usually named after a place or a person. The school is located in West Nusa Tenggara Pendidikan Street No.21, Mataram which is about 400m from Airlangga Hotel where we stayed during the month-long internship. It was a short distance so I just walked every morning to get to the school. But if you prefer taking a ride, you can always order a motorbike or a car using a mobile application because it seemed that it is the only means of public transportation there. Students drive their own motorbikes to school and some are dropped and picked up by their parents or drivers.

        SMAN 1 is one of the most privileged Senior High Schools in the area. The facilities are quite good, classrooms are air-conditioned, they have complete science laboratories, generally speaking, the institution is very conducive to learning. The school provides manuals and workbooks for the students. They also have computer laboratories and internet is accessible for everyone. Variety of books are available in the library and reading room. However, these services offered in school are not for free. Students pay school fees every month and those who came from families with low scio-economic status are aided by the government.

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        Classes starts at 7:30 and ends at 14:30. They conduct flag ceremony only every Monday morning. Students have thirteen to sixteen subjects, some of which are optional. Different languages are taught in the school such as Bahasa, English, Nihongo, Dutch and Arabic. Recreational subjects include music and gymnastics. Every Friday morning, students are required to take religion classes. Muslim students are gathered in the school quadrangle, Christians stay at the library, Catholics in a classroom as well as the Buddhists and Hindus at the school backyard. It was one of the best things that I admire about the school, they respect all religions and don’t tolerate any forms of discrimination.

Like most schools all over the world, SMAN 1 conducts term examinations to evaluate student learnings. They have two semesters every academic year. One of the differences of the curriculum in Indonesia and the Philippines is that Senior High School in Indonesia starts from Grade 10 until Grade 12 whereas in the Philippines there are only two years in Senior High School, Grade 11- Grade 12. Before entering university, 12th graders are required to take a national examination to assess their knowledge and skills. It is a computer-based test which the school takes time to prepare for it. They even conduct simulations and practice tests.

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        When it comes to lesson planning especially in Mathematics, teachers only use semi-detailed lesson plans where they only put all the activities for the discussion.

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        SMAN 1 is one of the best schools that I’ve been to. The administration are very accodommodating, teachers are really nice and the students are very polite and participative. Surely, I was very fortunate that I was able to conduct my practice teaching in that school.