Thank you Teacher for your Teaching!

As we’ve mentioned in our previous posts, Cambodia is a country still recovering from incredible devastation from their civil war.  As a result, the people do not have a solid infrastructure and do not have a stable public education system. Most children, especially in the villages, do not have access to any education at all– they only attend school if their parents have money…and to be honest – not many do. The average wage for most Cambodians is $5 US per week.

But there are people who are trying to make a difference. Through some of our contacts with Families on the Move (FOTM), we found out about SHAC – Smiling Hearts Association for Children. About 5 years ago, the principal/owner Aly….decided to build a school that would allow 240 kids to learn English. The school only receives money from donors and has no assistance from the government. Aly relies on volunteer teachers – some who are there long term, while others, (like us) for a very short time.

English is the ticket for the people of Siem Reap as it will help them get a job in the tourist industry. There is no math, science or any other subject taught…just English. The school relies solely on donations so there are hardly any supplies for the students. They have no pencils, pens etc… and Aly was telling me how she collects the whiteboard markers each week to reink them so they can last longer.  For all of the activities we did with the kids, we brought in everything (paper, glue, scissors etc…)

Over the past year, Aly was able to save up enough donor money to build a second level for a homestay for the volunteer teachers. For an extra $10 a night, teachers can stay at the school. It’s a great way for the school to make some money…however, as they are just starting this initiative, they are still building up the necessities, such as air conditioning! But she is optimistic that it won’t be long until they have everything ready and organized.

Given our love for Cambodia and its people, we were eager to help the kids in any way we could. We had a fabulous time meeting the children and working with them…we were lucky to have the Level 2 class which was for kids around the same age as Zoe and Mik. In the morning, we had around 20 students and in the afternoon – usually 4! The heat made a big difference as there is no air conditioning and the temps were way over 40+. Everyday, we would start class with the children standing at attention with their hands clasped together in front of their faces and they would say, “Good Morning Teacher – How are you today”. Once all of our intros were done…we would get to learning.

All students have workbooks with dialogues to read and grammar activities to complete. Each week there is a different theme. Our week was focused on a family where the parents went to an office to work. Most students could decode – but comprehension was a totally different story. Nobody in Cambodia works in an office, or wears a suit and tie, so the students didn’t really understand what it was all about. I showed them the principal’s office so they had the basic concept – and they wear uniforms with ties…so we could make some connections…but it wasn’t too easy for them. The kids are highly motivated as they recognize the importance of education and are eager to practice. Many of them stay in during recess to work ahead in their notebooks. But they really need to focus on comprehension and oral pronunciation.

Although we stuck to assigned curriculum, we tried to do different things with them to help them improve their oral pronunciation and understanding. We broke them into small groups and each of us took a bunch. Of course I had the group of boys who didn’t want to really do any work…they wanted to play….but that was half the fun!

Mik working with one of the students

Zoe working with her small group.

Oliver fitting into the tiny desks!

It was great to see Mik and Zoe working with the kids and trying to help them with pronunciation. They certainly gained a greater appreciation of what a teacher does and how to keep students engaged. They were super keen to make things interesting for the kids and over the course of our time there, they taught them how to make “cootie catchers” and picture flash cards for oral card games.

Preparing for class!

Making cootie catchers!

Kids playing and learning their vocabulary with the cootie catchers!

Kids playing flash card games to help them improve their vocab.

For our final class, the girls taught the students how to do pop up cards for Khmer New Years, lanterns, and origami.

Making New Years pop-up Cards!

Decorating their creations!

The final creations!

At the end of each class – the students would stand up and chant – “Thank you teacher for your teaching”. Then all the students in the school would gather in the school yard and a prefect would have them do some marching and choral chanting in English. It’s really sweet to hear them chant – and then say goodbye to their classmates.

The other volunteer teachers were a collection from around the world: Scotland, Quebec, America, Australia and many more. It was great to meet everyone and see how they had arrived at SHAC. Many had come through NGOs and had paid over a thousand dollars to be placed there –(sadly none of their fees went to the school).

So overall, we had a fabulous time with the students. Mik and Zoe made some lovely new friends and were given hugs and presents at the end of our week. Both girls wanted to stay longer as the kids were super friendly and included them in recess activities. Our time in Siem Reap and Cambodia was too short – we will go back again for sure…and would love to help out at SHAC in any way we can. It’s an organization that is really trying to help the kids and improve their lives.

Playing games

Learning and having fun!

Helping out!

Listening

Reading with the kids

New Friends!

Saying Goodbye was hard to do!

We really enjoyed the Khmer culture and we hope the country is able to move forward from the civil war and that schools such as SHAC receive the help and support they need to empower and educate the next generation.

We are now moving onto China! Stay tuned for more of our adventures!