Indonesian Teacher Uses Clown to Teach Koran
2021-05-15
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1Learning the Koran is important for Muslims.
2But it does not always have to be serious, says Islamic teacher Yahya Edward Hendrawan.
3To help children learn to read and recite the Koran with cheer, he makes it fun.
4He dresses up like a clown!
5Hendrawan is a teacher in the Indonesian city of Tangerang.
6When he teaches reading to the children, he wears a colorful clown costume, with white and pink face makeup, and a red nose.
7The 38-year-old teacher calls himself a "sharia clown." Sharia is drawn from the teaching of the Koran.
8It is the law that governs Muslim daily life.
9In an interview with the news agency MSN Hendrawan said, "There are many clowns out there.
10But I teach and motivate children to read the Koran.
11And who wouldn't want to read books cheerfully with a sharia clown!"
12Hendrawan told Reuters news agency that when children are asked to recite the Koran, it is a bit difficult.
13"But if there are clowns," he explained, "they feel they go to the classroom with some purpose."
14Hendrawan told MSN, "How can they read when they don't want to come? They must have a purpose.
15So, we try to get them to join first.
16We need to understand the children's world."
17During the month of Ramadan, he rode to the school with his five-year-old son, Mirza.
18His son also dressed as a clown with big glasses and a big yellow and orange hairpiece.
19The father and son usually spent about an hour getting ready before meeting the children, including those from a community reading group.
20It was not easy for Hendrawan to become the "sharia clown."
21His father did not accept his son's unusual methods for teaching the Koran.
22He told Hendrawan that he was an embarrassment.
23Hendrawan's father has since passed away.
24And he still talks about his father's words as cutting into his heart.
25"His behavior hurt me so much," said Hendrawan.
26However, the founder of the school encouraged Hendrawan.
27He gave him confidence to pursue his dream of teaching as a clown.
28Hendrawan now takes on part-time entertainment jobs.
29He makes sure to include religious values in his performances.
30He also shares the importance of reading and writing in his programs.
31To teach a child to read, he said, they first must come to class.
32And if the lessons are fun, then they are they more likely to go.
33The important thing, Hendrawan said, "is that they want to go to school first and be happy."
34His love of teaching and keeping children entertained has won him praise in the community.
35A parent of one of the students said that "he helps children build an interest in reading, which will reduce the time they spend playing with phones" or other devices.
36This, the parent adds, will have a great effect on their development.
37I'm Anna Matteo.
1Learning the Koran is important for Muslims. But it does not always have to be serious, says Islamic teacher Yahya Edward Hendrawan. 2To help children learn to read and recite the Koran with cheer, he makes it fun. He dresses up like a clown! 3Hendrawan is a teacher in the Indonesian city of Tangerang. When he teaches reading to the children, he wears a colorful clown costume, with white and pink face makeup, and a red nose. 4The 38-year-old teacher calls himself a "sharia clown." Sharia is drawn from the teaching of the Koran. It is the law that governs Muslim daily life. 5In an interview with the news agency MSN Hendrawan said, "There are many clowns out there. But I teach and motivate children to read the Koran. And who wouldn't want to read books cheerfully with a sharia clown!" 6Hendrawan told Reuters news agency that when children are asked to recite the Koran, it is a bit difficult. "But if there are clowns," he explained, "they feel they go to the classroom with some purpose." 7Hendrawan told MSN, "How can they read when they don't want to come? They must have a purpose. So, we try to get them to join first. We need to understand the children's world." 8During the month of Ramadan, he rode to the school with his five-year-old son, Mirza. His son also dressed as a clown with big glasses and a big yellow and orange hairpiece. The father and son usually spent about an hour getting ready before meeting the children, including those from a community reading group. 9It was not easy for Hendrawan to become the "sharia clown." His father did not accept his son's unusual methods for teaching the Koran. He told Hendrawan that he was an embarrassment. 10Hendrawan's father has since passed away. And he still talks about his father's words as cutting into his heart. 11"His behavior hurt me so much," said Hendrawan. 12However, the founder of the school encouraged Hendrawan. He gave him confidence to pursue his dream of teaching as a clown. 13Hendrawan now takes on part-time entertainment jobs. He makes sure to include religious values in his performances. He also shares the importance of reading and writing in his programs. 14To teach a child to read, he said, they first must come to class. And if the lessons are fun, then they are they more likely to go. The important thing, Hendrawan said, "is that they want to go to school first and be happy." 15His love of teaching and keeping children entertained has won him praise in the community. 16A parent of one of the students said that "he helps children build an interest in reading, which will reduce the time they spend playing with phones" or other devices. 17This, the parent adds, will have a great effect on their development. 18I'm Anna Matteo. 19Adi Kurniawan and Heru Asprihanto reported this story for Reuters from Indonesia. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 20_______________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22recite - v. to read (something) out loud or say (something) from memory sometimes for an audience 23orphanage - n. a place where children whose parents have died can live and be cared for : a home for orphans 24clown - n. someone who performs in a circus, who wears funny clothes and makeup, and who tries to make people laugh : someone who often does funny things to make people laugh 25makeup - n. substances (such as lipstick or powder) used to make someone's face look more attractive 26motivate - v. to give (someone) a reason for doing something 27embarrassment - n. the state of feeling foolish in front of others 28encourage - v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident 29confidence - n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something