Cambodia

The past few days I have spent teaching in Cambodian schools. The schools are very different here than they are in America. School is not mandatory, and parents would rather have their children working to earn money for the family than spending a day learning. The few students that do show up to school every day are very smart and eager to learn. Students attend three different schools, one in Khmer, one in English, and one in Japanese. School is 6 days a week. The children all thrive to learn. They are interested in any and all new information given to them.

Yesterday, we began teaching in a preschool. The preschool is in the middle of the slum village called Andong Village. There are 23 students, all of which were dressed in clean white collared shirts, with blue shorts or skirts. I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say these are some of the smartest children I have ever met. They have only been learning English for 5 months, however they know as much as any preschooler in America would. There are quiet, they wait for instruction, and they are very disciplined. While asking questions, I was surprised to see 100% participation from all of the students. The preschool is dismissed at 10:30 for lunch, and resumes class at 2:00.

Four of us were fortunate enough to be invited back to the school for parent teacher conferences occurring later that day. We returned with no expectations. Slowly, parents began to arrive. We all sat barefoot on the floor in a circle. A young male, who works in the school, was there to translate the conference for us. I stood up and gave the parents an introduction about who we are, what we are doing, and where we are from. Looking around the room, I made many observations of the parents.

The parents were of all ages, some very young, others very old (probably grandparents). Everyone was dressed up very nicely. Regardless of crooked and rotten teeth, these were some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. The teacher had a ranking system, ordering students from best to worst. As each name was called the parents stood up and you could tell how proud of their children they were. This proved to be a very cultural experience, as some parents even sang songs. Everyone was clapping and happy. They asked us to sing, so we lead them in Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, with full participation. Each parent took turns thanking us for both the work we are doing with their child, and with the community. As each family left, the school provided them with a large bag of rice in order to keep their family healthy.

Today I resumed teaching in the English School with levels 1 and 4. Teaching in the school has been such an amazing and humbling experience. I am so grateful to have met such amazing individuals. In the past week I have learned both so much about myself, and about the amazing opportunities I have been blessed with. The students have taught me that knowledge is universally power and freedom. Knowledge is their ticket to a better life, and I should take advantage of the same opportunities afforded to me here and at home.