[ti:Indonesian Teacher Uses Clown to Teach Koran] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Learning the Koran is important for Muslims. [00:04.16]But it does not always have to be serious, [00:07.96]says Islamic teacher Yahya Edward Hendrawan. [00:13.84]To help children learn to read [00:16.36]and recite the Koran with cheer, he makes it fun. [00:22.24]He dresses up like a clown! [00:25.44]Hendrawan is a teacher in the Indonesian city of Tangerang. [00:32.28]When he teaches reading to the children, [00:35.04]he wears a colorful clown costume, [00:38.32]with white and pink face makeup, and a red nose. [00:45.64]The 38-year-old teacher calls himself a "sharia clown." [00:51.92]Sharia is drawn from the teaching of the Koran. [00:55.68]It is the law that governs Muslim daily life. [01:01.20]In an interview with the news agency MSN, [01:05.60]Hendrawan said, "There are many clowns out there. [01:09.68]But I teach and motivate children to read the Koran. [01:15.28]And who wouldn't want to read books cheerfully with a sharia clown!" [01:21.36]Hendrawan told Reuters news agency [01:24.44]that when children are asked to recite the Koran, [01:28.36]it is a bit difficult. [01:30.88]"But if there are clowns," he explained, [01:34.60]"they feel they go to the classroom with some purpose." [01:40.04]Hendrawan told MSN, [01:42.40]"How can they read when they don't want to come? [01:45.80]They must have a purpose. [01:48.48]So, we try to get them to join first. [01:52.20]We need to understand the children's world." [01:56.92]During the month of Ramadan, [01:59.40]he rode to the school with his five-year-old son, Mirza. [02:06.60]His son also dressed as a clown with big glasses [02:11.32]and a big yellow and orange hairpiece. [02:16.12]The father and son usually spent about an hour getting ready [02:21.28]before meeting the children, [02:23.88]including those from a community reading group. [02:29.08]It was not easy for Hendrawan to become the "sharia clown." [02:34.76]His father did not accept [02:37.28]his son's unusual methods for teaching the Koran. [02:43.08]He told Hendrawan that he was an embarrassment. [02:47.92]Hendrawan's father has since passed away. [02:51.16]And he still talks about his father's words as cutting into his heart. [02:58.00]"His behavior hurt me so much," said Hendrawan. [03:03.28]However, the founder of the school encouraged Hendrawan. [03:09.20]He gave him confidence to pursue his dream of teaching as a clown. [03:15.76]Hendrawan now takes on part-time entertainment jobs. [03:19.92]He makes sure to include religious values in his performances. [03:26.76]He also shares the importance of reading and writing in his programs. [03:33.68]To teach a child to read, he said, they first must come to class. [03:39.12]And if the lessons are fun, then they are they more likely to go. [03:45.20]The important thing, Hendrawan said, [03:48.24]"is that they want to go to school first and be happy." [03:53.96]His love of teaching and keeping children entertained [03:57.88]has won him praise in the community. [04:01.96]A parent of one of the students said [04:05.44]that "he helps children build an interest in reading, [04:09.20]which will reduce the time they spend [04:12.40]playing with phones" or other devices. [04:16.08]This, the parent adds, will have a great effect on their development. [04:22.64]I'm Anna Matteo. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM