Points of View II: Zhuomin Lee, Singapore

This time Zhuomin shares us with us her joys (and frustrations) of teaching English!

"Is it appropriate to express mild frustration about students who just don’t get it? If you are a teacher by profession, this will sound familiar.

Last week students in the intermediate class learnt about clothes, which was fun when it came to role play. They took turns pretending to be customers and shop assistants in a store asking about prices and sizes. This was also a good opportunity to review numbers above one hundred, a lesson they had previously learnt.

This afternoon we went through the same sentence structure again and they made the same grammar mistakes as they did last week. Some also had problems remembering that trousers, shorts and shoes come in pairs.

“I would like to buy a sue.”

“I would like to buy a pair of shoes.”

“It costs 20 dollar.”

“It costs 20 dollarssssss.”

The s sound exists in Khmer, as in Siem Reap and Banteay Srey. However, it is not pronounced if it is at the end of a word. This is why they often miss out the audible s at the end of a plural noun.

“Guys! Remember the s!”. Hiss.

But teachers make mistakes too, and half the time we don’t have the answers either. For example, articles (a, an, a pair of) are hard to remember, even harder still to explain. Two similar items make a pair, so why is it ‘a bikini’ and not ‘a pair of bikini’?

Some grammar rules are as such because… they just are. It sounds correct and it makes sense because we have read, conversed, written, and taken exams in English all our lives, but for individuals who do so in another language, they naturally struggle. In other words, it is like trying to study Khmer from scratch and be expected to do well in four weeks!

The classroom is the only time students get to use their English language skills, since they speak Khmer at home and with their friends. Yet, two hours of practice a day is hardly enough. Although there is a lot of catching up to do, force feeding and setting them challenges way beyond their abilities is not the way to go. As it is, some students have problems attending school. The worst thing to happen is for them to quit school all together, not because of their socio-economic circumstances but because they have completely lost interest in learning.

For the rest of this week, some of us shall probably have to continue to eat, sleep and dream a pair of shoes until the children get it right."

Points of View: Zhuomin Lee, Singapore

Zhuomin joined us last week for three weeks volunteering. We asked her what stood out most to here at the school and she kindly wrote all about it:

"Classroom teaching in Cambodia is a bit of a cultural shock. I don’t mean the part about kids taking lessons in a large shed or outside on the porch. No, I mean the part about them having a sincere respect for their teachers.

Every morning, I receive so much love from an enthusiastic chorus of  “Good morning teacher! How are you today?” It takes all the pre-caffeinated morning grumps away and with little effort, I find myself responding with a “I am fine. Thank you very much. And how are you today?”

“I am fine! Thank you very much!”

The dialogue goes on for a bit sometimes, depending on how much a teacher wants to practise English conversation. Otherwise, the students remain standing until they are told to sit down. And for that, they do a “thank you teacher!”

If someone wants to go to the bathroom, he/she asks for permission to leave the classroom. When he/she comes back, he asks for permission again, to go back to his seat.

Additionally, while teachers can keep their shoes on in class, students are required to remove theirs before entering a classroom. To me, it is a symbolic sign of respect for the institution and the values it embraces, though I cannot verify this, since removing footwear before entering a house is a common practice in Southeast Asia.

It is hard to not be impressed by their manners, considering I wasn’t the most respectful student back in those days. Primary school was a long time ago, but even then, I definitely did not greet my teachers with such enthusiasm. In fact, my manners got worse by the time I was a teenager. Fast forward to the present, some of my friends who are teachers back home in Singapore bemoan unmotivated students who have absolutely no interest in class. A handful has been sent to detention for defiance. No doubt juvenile delinquency is a universal problem in developed and developing countries alike, but at FKC, the students sure know how to respect an education."

Week round-up: Prue and Alice's last day at school

On Friday we said goodbye to Prue and Alice, volunteers from Australia and England respectively, who have been teaching English at FKC for the last few weeks. It has been a joy having them here with us and we wish them all the best as they return back to life in their home countries.

A child hugs Alice for the last time.
She has been teaching the kindergarten
class for six weeks. She also conducted
music lessons on Thursdays and Fridays

FKC staff and children gather around Prue (left)
and Alice (right) for a final group photo.

Prue says her final goodbyes to her students.
She has been helping out with the Kindergarten
and Starter classes for two weeks.

One of the Lem brothers poses for the camera!

Children crowd around to look at a photograph.

 One of Prue’s students hugs and smiles for the camera.

Students wave goodbye to Alice as they file out of school.

A day in the life of a volunteer

Our volunteers enjoy every day they come to school, mainly because the children make it such a great place to work but also because they see the effect they are having over the time they are here.

For more information on volunteering click here!

Here is a typical day in the life of one our recent volunteers - Thea from Australia!

Cycling to school - most of our volunteers stay in guesthouses
or hotels in town, and the cheapest way to get to school is
on a bike (75c per day)

When you get to school you'll often see the kids already there
playing games and chatting

The boys often play a Cambodian version of dodge
ballbut they use a Vortex style toy instead... ow!

Once the kids have calmed down, they make a line
and then sing the Cambodian national anthem
before going to class.

Next up we get ready for the day, putting on
our school uniform and staff ID!

Finally we go to class, where we study for
two hours. Thea is doing one on one
conversation in this photo

After class, we head to the playground and line-up before leaving.
Sometimes our volunteers have to say goodbye too.
Here is Thea on her last day!