Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2014
I Was in a Khmer Play!
Monday, February 24, 2014
Check out this interview with Sambath Meas of Countryside Class in Battambang Province, Cambodia, the organization I’ve been working very closely with.
You can also learn more about Countryside Class at http://countrysideclass.blogspot.com/
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Today was my last day at my school in Svay Rieng Province. I unexpectedly had to leave two weeks earlier than I anticipated due to needing to begin my new responsibilities as a Volunteer Leader. My goodbyes have been rushed, but I have the comfort of knowing that they aren't 'goodbye's, just 'see you in a couple months's.
As part of my leaving, the school director put together a small assembly. He spoke of the history of Peace Corps at our school and presented me with a certificate of service from the school; he also framed a copy of the letter I had written as a parting gift.
As part of the ceremony, the director asked me to give a speech to the students. Here it is (in Khmer and then English):
ពីរឆ្នាំដែលខ្ញុំបានបង្រៀននៅសាលានេះគឺជាពេលសប្បាយចិត្តខ្លាំងណាស់ក្នុងជីវិតខ្ញុំ។ ខ្ញុំមានសំណាងល្អដែលអោយខ្ញុំជួបលោកគ្រូអ្នកគ្រូ សិស្សទាំងអស់គ្នានៅសាលានេះ។ ក្នុងចំនួនពីរឆ្នាំនេះខ្ញុំមានឪិកាសរៀន អំពីវប្បធ៍ម ភាសា និង ជីវិតប្រចាំថ្ងៃនៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា។ សាលានៅកម្ពុជាប្លែកច្រើនពីសាលានៅប្រទេសអាមេរិក។ ខ្ញុំចំលែកចិត្តខ្លាំងណាស់អំពីការអប់រំ សិស្ស ហើយនិង គ្រូនៅកម្ពុជា ជាពិសេសដែលសិស្សហើយនិងគ្រូនៅកម្ពុជាមានការគោរពគ្នាច្រើនជាងនៅប្រទេសរបស់ខ្ញុំ។
នៅប្រទេសអាមេរិកពុកខ្ញុំតែងតែបរាប់ខ្ញុំថាការអប់រំគឺជារឿងសំខាន់ជាងគេ។ ខ្ញុំត្រេកអរថាខ្ញុំបានធ្វើតាមដំបូន្មានរបស់ពុកខ្ញុំ ហើយនិង ខ្ញុំពិតជាជូនពរសិស្សទាំងអសធ្វើតាមដំបូន្មាននេះដែរ។ សូមខិតខំរៀនពេញមួយជីវិត។
ពីរឆ្នាំនេះខ្ញុំសប្បាយចិតតដែលធ្វើការជាមួយលោកគ្រូអ្នកគ្រូ បង្រៀនសិស្ស ថែមទាំង រៀនពីណុកគេទៃងអស់គ្នា។
ខ្ញុំសុំទោសចំពោះកំហុសដែលខ្ញុំបានធ្វើដោយអចេតនា។ ខ្ញុំបានខិតខំរៀនអំពីប្រពែណីវន្នធ៍កមណុជាប៉ុន្តែខ្ញុំដឺងថាខ្ញុំមានកំហុសខ្លះៗ។សុំទោស។
ខ្ញុំស្តាយណាស់ថាខ្ញុំមិនអាចបង្រៀននៅទីនេះយូរជាងនេះ។ ខ្ញុំមិនដែលបំភលេចសិស្ស គ្រូ និង សាលានេះម្តងណាទេ។ សាលានេះគឺជាសាលាលេខ មួយក្នុងចិត្តខ្ញុំរហូត។ ខ្ញុំវិងវឹកលោកគ្រូអ្នកគ្រូសិស្សទាំងអស់ខ្លាំងណាស់។
សូមអរគុណ។ ជម្រាបលា។
The two years that I taught here were extremely happy years in my life. I had great luck to be here and meet all the teachers and students at this school. In these two years, I had the opportunity to learn about Cambodia's culture, language, and daily life. I learned that the schools here are very different from the schools in America. I was very impressed with the educational system, students, and teachers in Cambodia, especially the amount of respect that students and teachers show each other here, much more than in America.
My father in America always told me that education is the most important thing. I'm very grateful that I followed my father's advice, and I truly wish for all you students to follow this advice as well. Please study hard throughout your whole lives.
During these two years, I've been very happy to work with the teachers, teach the students, and learn from all of you. I'm very sorry for all the mistakes I may have unintentionally made. I tried very hard to learn about Cambodia's traditional culture, but I know I made some mistakes. I apologize.
I regret very much that I can not stay and teach here longer. I will never forget the students, teachers, or this school, not even once. This school will always be Number 1 in my heart. I will miss all of you very much.
Thank you and goodbye.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
This past year I undertook two projects through Water Charity’s initiative Appropriate Projects. Appropriate Projects provides funding through current Peace Corps Volunteers for water, sanitation, and public health projects. With grants of $500 each from individual donations through Water Charity, my village constructed a water tank and distribution system at the high school as well as a bathroom at the health center. The experiences were entirely different.
The school director was excited to have a way to funnel money into the school, but the logistics of the grant were left to me to needle out. I was responsible for setting up meetings, finding a translator, pushing to get all of the details, and sitting and waiting patiently while they did work they were supposed to have done before the meeting. And even though I repeatedly stressed that Appropriate Projects demands that the project be completed within two months of receiving the funds, the director has continuously delayed and prioritized other projects. Then, in the most recent meeting, he discovered he was $53 shy of the total cost and asked if I would donate from my personal funds (i.e. volunteer stipend).
The health center, though, sought me out after hearing about the project at the school. They were proactive in arranging a meeting and came prepared. They thoroughly explained the need for the bathroom and outlined responses for each of Appropriate Project’s submission requirements. The construction began immediately after receipt of the funds (the purchase and delivery of the raw materials being pre-arranged), and the project was completed in less than three weeks. And when the project cost exceeded the grant amount, they simply reached into the center’s funds to supplement.
The difference in these experiences, I believe, is that the project manager at the health center is my host aunt. She’s the same woman who arm wrestled me and my best friend, Jessie. The same woman who has insisted on paying to take me to airport when I leave. The one who told me that the only present she wants from America is phone calls from me. The one who whispered urgently to other guests to eat all the American food Jessie and I had prepared, even if they didn’t like it, to make me feel comfortable. Our relationship transformed me from a foreign money source into a human being - her niece - and that transformation made all the difference in our collaboration for the benefit of the community.
The links for the completed health center project:
The link for the high school project:
(posted May 15, 2013)
The Day's Reflection - 30 April 2013
My school breaks for lunch from 11 am until 2 pm four days a week (the other two school days, school doesn’t resume after lunch, unless it’s a designated student labor day). On Tuesdays, my only class is from 2 pm until 4 pm, and it’s my favorite class, kids who are excited to learn and to learn from me.
As 1:15 approached and I began to consider prepping to go to school, the thunder began to roll in. By 1:30 that thunder had increased in volume and frequency and the lightning was visible. By 1:45 we were all in a torrential downpour that lasted until 3 pm.
In the States I never really considered the impact of weather as simple as rain. Sure, we got snow days or icy road days or fog delays, but rain days? In the States, grab an umbrella and make a break for the nearest cover.
Here, though, that nearest cover doesn’t really exist. Most of the students commute a few (up to around 7) kilometers by bicycle, and many make the trek by motorbike. That journey becomes treacherous with slick roads and decreased visibility, plus there’s the ingrained fear of lightning strikes. Even if they all could make it to school, it’s fairly impossible to conduct class with rain pounding on a tin roof.
There are simple things in the States that I never before considered as a privilege, and holding class and commuting during rain is one of them.
On Tuesdays I get to teach my favorite class: 10A. It’s the only class that I get to teach regularly without a co-teacher, so I’m able to do weird things with the students and have a completely casual relationship with them without having to worry about my co-teaching relationship.
Today, we studied prepositions of place: in, on, above, below, beside, outside, between. As usual, I gave them visual representations of each preposition on the chalkboard and then worked with them to produce the proper Khmer translation. To reinforce the lesson, we played a game (an EXTREMELY rare occurrence in Cambodian classrooms) akin to follow the leader. They simply had to follow my command, which included a preposition of place. (Put your pen above your head. Put your book under your desk. Put your shoe beside your desk.) They were starting to catch on, so I yelled, ‘Stand outside the classroom!’ and made a beeline for the door. I stood outside and glanced in, noticing that they were all still seated and glancing at each other nervously. I popped my head inside and repeated the command. I watched as the first student understood and a smile broke out and he sprinted to the door, closely followed by the others. After I sent them back inside, the bell rang for the break time.
Normally, breaks are spent with me at the desk, writing in the class book or studying Khmer. Today, the students had another idea. Some of them had lyrics from their private class, and they pleasantly demanded that I sing them. So I belted out Take Me to Your Heart, followed by Oun Sarang Bong. Feeling a bit parched, I walked out to pick up a water bottle from the nearest stall. On the way back, I passed one of my other grade 10 classes who were currently on break with one of my coteachers. They called me inside for a brief chat, and I noticed from the chalkboard that they were also studying the preposition lesson. I knew this, because those same diagrams that I use to teach that lesson, that I had used in class with this coteacher the previous week, were on the board. For perhaps the first time, I felt as if my being here and working with these teachers might make some sort of difference – one infinitesimally small – but difference all the same.
After the break, I finished the book’s lesson with about twenty minutes to spare, so I decided to indulge in a cultural exchange moment and teach them about the upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations all across the United States. I explained how it was one of our major holidays, that we met with the majority of our extended family, and that we ate till we were full then rested and then ate more. I taught them the form, ‘This year I am thankful for…’ and called on a few students to tell me what they are thankful for this year. They all said, ‘This year I am thankful for my teacher.’ (I’d be more flattered if there weren’t such a culture of copying answers here.) I asked if they have a holiday similar to Thanksgiving in Cambodia. They don’t. I asked when they tell their families what they’re thankful for. Never. So their homework was to go home and tell their families what happened this year to make them thankful. I really hope this is one assignment they actually do…
(posted November 25, 2012)
Lesson Learned #4 (Part 1 and Part 2, A Defense)
In class, if you don’t know the answer, make one up. With confidence.
Which is why Class 10F now thinks that the District of Columbia was named after Columbia, the man who bartered the compromise between Virginia and Maryland for the location of the capital.
Somehow Columbus also got thrown into that conversation… He did sail from Spain, right??
* * * * * *
After my previous post about my classroom antics, specifically about my predilection for fudging facts about history and geography, I had a few comments from a couple actual teachers (I believe somewhere in the States). I went to respond to each of them in private, but neither maintains an ask or submission section, so I decided to respond publicly.
The comments my glib post engendered:
Absolutely not. You do NOT make up an answer. You make it an opportunity to show how to look something up, say you’ll come back to that question later, or offer a challenge for them to find the answer!
Agreeing with NOT making it up. I have a Parking Lot cork board in my classroom, where we park questions that I can’t answer right away. Sometimes I look the answer up, sometimes a student does. Once we have the answer, I tack it up with the question and tell the class. Students need to see that teachers are still learning, too.
My response:
You’re absolutely right, ladies. There should be the opportunity for classroom learning and research to probe intellectual curiosity and the desire/ability to seek out additional information. However, I don’t live/teach in an environment that allows for such things. I teach English as a Foreign Language in a high school in rural Cambodia. My students don’t have access to research books or free internet in the community let alone in the classroom or on the school grounds. My classrooms don’t even have window panes or electricity. I would love to encourage my students to pursue learning past the lesson, but the Ministry of Education mandates that we complete the required national curriculum, and with teacher/student absences and liberal holiday-taking, we’re constantly in a rush to finish everything. So one lesson can very rarely ever extend to another day. Beyond that, I’m not a history teacher; I’m an English teacher. I want my students to improve their English skills, which they do by listening to my stories and asking follow up questions. I’m not concerned that I made up the date of the Louisiana Purchase today with my 11th graders. I’m thrilled that they had the excitement to figure out how to ask me in English about the Statue of Liberty and how that conversation - one which they were able to understand and in which they could participate - evolved into a discussion of Manifest Destiny. The facts aren’t important to me, not really. It doesn’t really affect their lives what the “Columbia” in Washington D.C. means. But when we talk about what liberty means and how even in a land of freedom there is still discrimination, those thoughts on culture and human nature can affect them.
That all said, I perused each of your blogs. You seem like lovely ladies and amazing, dedicated teachers. Just try not to be so harsh on an untrained teacher trying to make the best learning experience she can for her students in the situation they’ve been placed.
(posted May 28 and 29, 2012)
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
English Class #2
Me: (teaching about "There will/won't be...") If my friend Jessie comes to visit, what could you tell her about Prosaut?
Student: There will be my girlfriend.
Class: *hysterical laughter*
Me: I think you meant "There WON'T be my girlfriend" because I don't believe you have one.
Student: Oh, Teacher... I am shy. *sits down*
(posted February 2, 2012)
Why I Love Cambodia #86
Being able to wear entirely mismatched clothes to school and still have an entire class of 10th graders exclaiming your beauty.
(posted February 2, 2012)
(posted February 2, 2012)
English Class #1
Me: Why do astronauts need special clothes, food, and medicine?
Students: *whispering together*
Brave Soul: Because there are no sellers on the moon yet.
Students: *laughter*
Coteacher: Why don't you tell them the correct answer?
Me: No. I'm pretty sure that's a more than acceptable answer.
(posted January 8, 2012)
(posted January 8, 2012)
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