When the Needs Coloring My Life

I love to start writing with the word “when”, somehow it will direct me to reflect to what all I have done from the past and maybe until now. When I was a cute baby, I used to cry every time I felt my stomach needed to be filled. At that time, the milk and food were my needs. As I grow up there are also another needs that have to be fulfilled besides the food and drink which is safety and the most essential is affection. When I entered teenage zone, I needed to build my confidence to interact with my social community. In the community I need an acceptance from others and others are people whom I really need to be by my side which are ‘friends’. When I grew up to be an adult, my needs become bigger and bigger than before. At the young adult stage, I start to look for someone who really can understand me, love me, and make me feel secure. I also need achievements, respect from others, status, glory and recognition. See, needs will also grow up and getting bigger along with ourselves. According to Maslow theory, food, drink, house are belongs to physiological needs, while affection is belong to belongingness and love needs. Feeling need for secure is belong to safety needs and confidence, respect, achievement, status and recognition are belong to the esteem needs. Those are called by deficiency needs which if unfulfilled will energize people to meet them. Later on, perhaps I will feel need to maximize my potential which is called by self-actualization. That is called by growth need.

Well, those are that I have mentioned above is Maslow’s hierarchy needs. There are two more categories of needs which are the need for self-determination (need for competence, need for autonomy and need for relatedness) and the last is needs to preserve self-worth (self-esteem and self-handicapping).  During my learning process in school, I have experienced a moment that could motivate me in learning English. At that time, my English teacher asked me to join an English debate competition. I thought that it was possible to do because I was not confident with my English ability. I keep thinking that it was foolish idea to join that competition because I believe I just an ordinary student which has no super ability in English like others. Then my teacher kept said to me that whatever ability that I have, I have to believe in myself that I can do anything if I believe I can do that. Not only motivated me through words, my teacher also gave me challenging motions every time I practiced debate. At that time, I felt frustrated because I really hate the condition when I was under pressure. My teacher really appreciated every effort that I have done by given praise and critics.  I just realized that learners need to be challenged so that potential or ability that we have will be improved and I have proved it that it was success for me. My classmates supported me by assisted me when I need a help in practicing debate. We were just like a small family in the class; connected each other and feeling worthy of love and respect. That is called by the needs of relatedness; because I felt connected each other within my social community. Well, I think both of the needs of competence and the needs of relatedness are important particles for a successful learning and teaching process especially for the students. I do believe that the teacher role is not merely molding brilliant generations but also make them as precious creatures for their social community. When we are, human, puts ourselves as blank paper, then let’s put our needs as crayons and our motivations as hands which will collaborate together to compose beautiful color in our life.