A Taste of Success
on Mary In Cambodia (Cambodia), 21/Jan/2010 13:45, 34 days ago
A taste of SuccessWhen we arrived for our second visit to school number one this morning I was pleasantly surprised to find all the suggestions of last week in place. It was 7 15, the Director Mr. Sopheak was doing Gym. with the children while the two teachers were busy in their classrooms preparing work on the blackboards. Classrooms were re-arranged and grades 4 and 5 were seated in the same room. The children lined up and walked in an orderly line behind their teachers to begin the day’s work. Grade 5 pupils immediately set to work to answer some questions from the blackboard, while Mr.Vuth taught a reading lesson to grade 4. The first 20 minutes were excellent, it went a bit down-hill after that, the brighter grade 5’s were finished and some of grade 4’s got a bit bored with the repetition, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m thrilled with so much progress in just a week and I told them so. I asked them for their opinions on the changes. It was obvious they felt a sense of achievement. Mr. Sopheak was purring with pride in himself and his teachers. The school grounds were also looking much better. Things are looking up.                         A very pleased Director with my V.A.Joe.         We might be starting a gardening project!Tuesday 19th.It’s back to earth with a bang this morning. We arrived at our number 2 school at 7 15, just as the sun was rising. Several children were playing around. There was no sign of a teacher. We waited and then decided to get some of the planned work on the blackboards so as to be ready if anyone turned up to teach.That done, we waited for another while before deciding to play with the children. My Khmer is not up to organising games or story-telling yet, but with a few suggestions Joe was in his element. He had the children falling around laughing and competing to come out and act. We had great fun and we noticed a few long faces when teacher finally put in an appearance just before 8 am. The second teacher was gone to a wedding and wouldn’t be in school for a few days, so the older students were given work to do and left alone in their room to get on with whatever! One small change has been made, The two grades are now all facing in the same direction. It’s going to take time for these children to grasp the notion of working alone. Up to now their school day is spent sitting listening or shouting in unison or going to the board one by one or sometimes looking out the window. Even though they knew how to do the maths in front of them they just didn’t understand that they were expected to do them one after another. A few copped on before the end of the session. Whatever about the teacher, the pupils were hoping we would come again next week.                                                                         How about that for a duck-walk!