New Term - New Teachers

We're all back in Siem Reap now - to the hottest weather we've experienced yet!  I know that those Arizonians out there may say this is nothing, but to those of us used to an English April, swimming in our local pool in temperatures more suited to a hot tub and cycling back to the house with the hot air merely brushing over the surface of our sweating bodies is a tad uncomfortable.  Perhaps we should be grateful, though, that we don't have to put up with the rain and gloom of England. 

It's certainly wonderful to be back.  We arrived at the airport, were through customs within five minutes (largely because of our new multiple entry visas: expensive, but worth it) and out into the car park where we were met by a gaggle of young tuk-tuk drivers: no hassle - all smiles and helpfulness - and a twenty minute trip into town.  It really felt like coming home, and reminded us why we are here and how naturally friendly the people are. And, for those who know Loll: why did we fly back? Well, because the 36 hours travelling to Hue, in Vietnam (including a 20 hour journey by train from Saigon to Hue) was, we felt, better replaced by a one-hour flight from Danang to Siem Reap.  Simple. Mind you the torrential rain, thunder, lightening and strong winds which delayed us at Danang airport was a bit of a put off!

We had set up some training sessions for the new teachers and were really pleased that all four of the Khmer English teachers were able to come to our house and spend a couple of days in the make-shift classroom (our kitchen) while preparing for the new term.  It's going to be hard work for a while as we are introducing a formal English programme to Kurata for the first time.  Meghan and Josh, our two American volunteers, have been preparing the way but we are now in a position to employ two teachers (one for the morning session, one for the afternoon) so that all Kurata children will be able to start the Way Ahead programme which is running so successfully at Spitler school. (This is largely due to generous funding from Kenny King and his family.)

The New Teachers
 

This is Thun Sokkol, a young man who originates from Kratie province, but now lives in Siem Reap.  Although he is still studying at University he has a good deal of experience as a teacher, having worked in schools in Kompong Thom and Siem Reap and is looking forward to working with the children of the Spitler Foundation.  He's also a bit of a sportsman (volleyball, football and cycling) so maybe he'll be joining us some days on our cycle rides into school.  Or not.  Well - why cycle when you have a Honda Dream!

And this is is Phan Phoeum, who was born in Siem Reap province.  He went to school in Siem Reap and he's also still studying at University, majoring in TESOL.  Like Sokkol, Phoeum has experience of teaching English at a Pagoda as well as at an International School.  He, too is something of a sports man and enjoys volleyball.  He says he's not good at football, which makes him a man after Nick's heart!

We all spent a very jolly Friday in the kitchen/classroom, with our improvised whiteboard (the kitchen tiles) allowing us to complete the illusion of a state of the art seminar room.  We are all incredibly pleased that we are unable to project PowerPoint presentations during these sessions, and this is one of the major advantages of working in a country with limited resources.  Long may it last!

Phoeum showing how to form the letter 'n'.

Loll showed the new teachers how to approach the Jolly Phonics material, and they took to it immediately, telling the stories which are associated with each letter sound and making the silly noises and gestures that help young children learn the relationship between the letter shape and its sound.  The programme begins with six letters - s a t i p n - and from these the children quickly learn how to combine letters to make words.  The teachers, however, have to lose a bit of dignity by, for instance, pretending to be an aeroplane, with arms extended, making the 'nnnnnnnnnnn' sounds which the children eventually learn to write as an 'n'.  Sokkol impressed us mightily with his story of the mouse and the 'i-i-i-i' sound the mouse makes.  I think both  these lads need to add acting skills to their CVs!

'i-i-i-i' says the mouse.

Ratha and An Hoy, the original English teachers, also joined us for the training sessions and it was great to see all the teachers sitting round a table and discussing teaching techniques and sharing ideas.  As they normally work different shifts, they rarely get to see each other, so this was a perfect opportunity to get to know one another and begin to set up a sharing network.  (We all use Dropbox to share resources - and Teesside University colleagues will know how very useful this can be.  Occasionally not...)

 

We covered quite a lot of ground in these sessions and although Nick has insisted that he would run a mile from such events in the UK, even he thought these performed a necessary and useful function.

On Saturday, we went over to Kurata to prepare the English room for the start of the new term on Monday. The classroom needs a bit of work yet, but we managed to start putting up some English displays and Vibol, one of the administrators at Kurata, demonstrated his versatility (he is also one of the new drivers of the tuk-tuk) by screwing a new whiteboard over the old blackboard.  The room certainly looks different, and should provide a pleasant surprise for the children when they arrive on Monday.

Vibol at work with the new whiteboard.

 It now also has a computer and sound system, so the action songs that went down so well at Spitler school can be used with the children of Kurata.  Results will be posted on Youtube!

Phoeum setting up the computer and speakers.

Phoeum and Ratha will be the English teachers at Kurata, and Sokkol and An Hoy will work at Spitler School.

Tomorrow we'll see solme kids!!