Chey School
The school that I am at for the time being is a short tuk tuk ride away in the countryside. There are 750 children there up from about 250 5 years ago. No, here hasn't been a huge surge in the birth rate it's just that more people are sending their children to school now. The children either attend from 7-11 or from 1-5. My lessons are from 11-1 I have two classes; English 1 and English 2 with about 25 children in each class. English is an extra for them and so they have to do their khmer lessons first. The Teachers at the school are very supportive of Ponheary's team and the school really value having English taught by native speakers. Rithy, the teacher I see most of has good English although his pronunciation needs a little polish. He is a young, very keen chap who lives in the school during the week and only goes home to his family on Sunday. He doesn't have to sleep at school and there are no facilities but he worries about security, especially sine the Plf were able to install solar panels last year. Lori has told him to go home but he wont.
I had to learn some Cambodian classroom etiquette. In Cambodian homes you always remove your shoes before entering, we do here in my house. At school, the children take off their shoes but as Teacher you never do. It's an authority thing. When I walk into class all the children stand and great me by putting their hands together at their chin. I do not do that but I tell them to sit down. If a child is late to class I do not look at them when they walk in for maybe 30 secs. They, in the meantime are greeting me. I then decide to free them from their agony and look at them and nod - no talking. If they are late often I make them wait for 2-3 minutes before looking at them. Too many rules.
The kids are keen to learn and quick to pick things up. In Cambodia children are taught by rote and so a more relaxed style is a novelty for them. Rithy sits in my lessons and takes lots of notes on what i do. The Cambodian teachers like to learn too. all the while, Sovann, my tuk tuk driver waits patiently in the playground.
Thursday is labour day in school and all the children, no matter how tiny, become the janitors and tidy up the school and the grounds. They sweep leaves, pick rubbish, garden etc. My 1'clock class has to finish 10 minutes early so that the children can clean the room for the afternoon kids.
THe school has almost no equipment. Classrooms are bare apart from a blackboard and a platform for the teacher.
I had to learn some Cambodian classroom etiquette. In Cambodian homes you always remove your shoes before entering, we do here in my house. At school, the children take off their shoes but as Teacher you never do. It's an authority thing. When I walk into class all the children stand and great me by putting their hands together at their chin. I do not do that but I tell them to sit down. If a child is late to class I do not look at them when they walk in for maybe 30 secs. They, in the meantime are greeting me. I then decide to free them from their agony and look at them and nod - no talking. If they are late often I make them wait for 2-3 minutes before looking at them. Too many rules.
The kids are keen to learn and quick to pick things up. In Cambodia children are taught by rote and so a more relaxed style is a novelty for them. Rithy sits in my lessons and takes lots of notes on what i do. The Cambodian teachers like to learn too. all the while, Sovann, my tuk tuk driver waits patiently in the playground.
Thursday is labour day in school and all the children, no matter how tiny, become the janitors and tidy up the school and the grounds. They sweep leaves, pick rubbish, garden etc. My 1'clock class has to finish 10 minutes early so that the children can clean the room for the afternoon kids.
THe school has almost no equipment. Classrooms are bare apart from a blackboard and a platform for the teacher.
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