Ok, maybe my last post was a bit melodramatic. But our chaotic arrival into Phnom Penh (including the night bus) leading into our first day on the job felt pretty crazy. What we soon would find out, is that this whole month would go on to feel pretty nutty. In a good way, but we were taken right out of our fluffy comfort zone that we had started to grow as we got more experienced in traveling through Europe and the Western cultures. Thailand and the Philippines were pretty wild, but Phnom Penh was on a whole new level.
I felt like I did eight years ago, when I first went abroad. Culture shock. That sensation of a new place engulfing all your senses… you get those butterflies in your stomach and you feel out of place. You want to go home, but you are intrigued by what you see around you. You want to find comfort, but you can’t wait to step outside what you are used to. I found all of this here, instantly as we arrived at STAR house, where we’d be staying for the month of December. It scared me a little bit, but it also excited me. We were here, for better or for worse, and I knew that it was going to rock my world.
We thought our first day would be an Orientation, where we’d learn about the history and culture of Cambodia, and about the program we’d be working at. But it didn’t work out that way, because our school had some days off work later in the week and so they had to shift our Orientation to the end of the week. Despite being exhausted from not sleeping, we were pretty excited to see where we’d be working! We quickly went upstairs to shower and check out the new digs- we scored a private ‘marital suite’, with 3 twin beds. It was simple, but clean and good sized, so we were happy.
Our site leader took us to the school and introduced us to the people in charge. We would both be working at COLT, the Cambodian Organization for Learning and Training, teaching English. COLT is an Orphanage with around 30 kids of various ages, and also has a small school next door to the Orp
hanage where the classes take place. There are two blocks of two-hour classroom English sessions. One class is for the Orphanage kids, and the other block is for older kids who are in University, called the ‘Uni’ kids. There are four different classrooms, and the kids for both blocks are split up in Class A, B, C, or D, based on their level of proficiency in English. We got a tour of the school and the orphanage, and I learned I would be teaching Class B (intermediate), and Josh would be teaching Class D (the most advanced). When we initially signed up to teach English, we thought we’d be helping out in a classroom where there was a permanent teacher and we’d assisting. As we learned the lay of the land, we realized that we were the only teachers for these two classes. COLT teachers are all volunteers, so they rotate in and out as new people come. We were teachers now. A little pit of doubt formed in my stomach… What do I know about teaching? Could I really do a good job at this? How on earth will I know what type of lesson plans to make?
We asked what felt like a million questions to the head guy of the school. He helped us get a general idea about the lesson plans and what is expected, but our main takeaway was that we could teach whatever topics we wanted (barring anything inappropriate), we just had to follow some basic rules and structure they provided. This was both an exciting and daunting task. It’s great to have freedom, but where do we start? What have the kids already learned?
After our tour that morning we left and came back to the school in the afternoon, because we found out that for December our classes were held in the afternoon from 1-5pm, after the kids had their usual Khmer school. We met our students, and started to get a feel for what class was like. Josh’s class had gone several weeks until this point without having a normal teacher, so the head teacher introduced him to the kids, and BAM….Josh was in it, teaching on his first day. His kids speak ok English so it was mostly conversation and getting to know them, but still, that was a lot for a first day. I was a little luckier… My volunteer teacher’s last day was on my first day, so I got to shadow her for a day and learn more about what she typically does with the kids.
I have eighteen Uni kids, and only 3 COLT kids, so the size, age and structure of the class is quite varied for my two classes. Josh has six kids in both his Uni and COLT classes, so they were both decent sized, but not too big. We spent our first week getting to know the kids, and trying to see what level of English they were currently at, and what areas they struggled with. We had them fill out little surveys about themselves and do icebreakers, which was a lot of fun. One thing I quickly learned- If English is your native language, Khmer (Cambodian) names are very hard to say!! The languages could not be more different. On my first day I took out my attendance sheet for my Uni kids and tried to take role, saying each of the names. I totally botched them! I felt horrible, but it was actually pretty funny for the kids too. I also learned that their last names are listed first, then their given names, so some of them I wasn’t even calling by their first name. Oops! I practiced all their names over and over again, and actually ended up taking pictures of each of them with a nametag on so I could learn how to say and spell each name (thank you iPhone). It was a HUGE help, and by the end of the first week I had it down (though I still botch a few when I pronounce them). Our first week was pretty short because of Orientation and the kids having Friday off work, which was a good way to ease into making lesson plans.
I have so much respect for teachers. Lesson planning is really time consuming, and you could spend hours on just one class if you wanted. Josh and I both really wanted to do a good job with our classes, so we spent a lot of time mapping out ideas and ways to make English interactive and fun, but it took us a fair bit of time to get it all together. When it comes to work I am a bit of a perfectionist, so I wanted to conquer the world and plan way ahead with my lessons, making each one perfect! I realized after a couple days though, that you really have to gauge how the kids pickup on what you are teaching each day before you decide to move away from a topic, or plan too far ahead. It has been such an amazing, and challenging time teaching the kids!
Our kids are awesome. They are so friendly and full of life. It’s also pretty interesting to see how varied each class can be, depending on the dynamic of the different kids. My classes are super different from one another, and Josh’s are very different than mine. My Uni class is a little older, very studious group, who wants to learn about being successful in the work world, and they try so hard. Because of this I have been spending time with them on a unit about careers, job interviews, and resumes. It was been really fun teaching them about how to make a resume. My smaller, younger kids have pretty varied abilities in the class, but we have been focusing on the Food Chain, Animals, and Jobs. We keep things a little more basic, and I always try to incorporate some games in. Josh’s classes are both older, very outgoing, and all boys. They are super inquisitive and want to learn about a lot of serious topics. They’ve spent time on music, culture, and food units. His kids are really into competition and love trivia or games where they play against each other. Josh is perfect for this role, because he loves these things too.
Teaching has been a really big learning experience, and loads of fun. Every day is different, and it has kept us on our toes.
Leave a Reply