What Cambodian Kids Don't Mind Saying: Reprised

Maybe, I've lost touch, but I'm sure most western kids would think that they are way-too-cool to write some of the things young Cambodians do. Here's some samples of blog-writing from 11-15 year-old English students.

A 13 year-old Cambodian giving her classmates some life-advice:

'...I want to tell everyone of you that you should try your best at everything even if you can't do it well but at least it is the best you've got!!'

Rather than be sneered at, as she surely would be back home, this suggestion is well received by her fellow students.

Here's a student talking about a blanket she was given at birth:

'What I like the most about is the warmth that it gives to me is as warm as my mum hands, that reminds me of how warm I was when mum held me in her arms….

I sometimes argue with my mum when she gets it washed without telling me. The reason is……because I don’t want to lose the smell of that. Strange and funny, isn’t it? That’s true I love the smell although that’s not a nice smell but that smell remind me of myself as a small kid.

Thanks Mum for making me this lovely blanket, Love it !'

Cue more sneering, teasing and bullying if this was revealed in a school back home.

Or, try this heartfelt story from a young learner:

'Why I want to have a good family because my mother and my father separated while I was a baby....

I want to have a big family with warm care. I know that I really hate my father, but it's so difficult for me without father.... .

I tried to ask my mother that where was father, but, she tried to lie me too. She always told me that my father was busy about his job in Phnom Penh, it was so easy to lie because i was young...

But when I was 10 years old and it time for me to know about my parents ... My mother was told me about the truth thing that she was separate with my father. I remember that i was cry maybe a few days. Also I was angry because shouldn't lied me for long time about it. They should told me when they separated.'

Or this, from one teenage blogging about her stuffed toy:

'Well, don't laugh, but I hug it when I sleep and pretend to talk to it sometimes as if it was alive. I sometimes talk to it like a friend and share my emotions with it. I think of it not only just a stuffed animal, but a friend.'

And while her classmates might indeed laugh, it would be with, not at her.

Disliking, Unlike

While teaching level 9B Cambodian students prefixes on Friday, they had a choice of word beginnings to add to the verb 'like' - 'dis' being the obvious and only correct answer.

But ALL students chose 'un'.

Why?

Because facebook allows you  to 'unlike'.


Ahhh.... the difficulties of teaching English...

'Teacher, Book No Have'

This post is a reprise from more than 2 years ago.

My Cambodian students are much more studious that the ones I taught in Thailand. They don't have the same sense of fun as the Thai-and I miss that- but I've never had the experience below, or anything like it, at my Cambodian school. And I don't miss that.

Bang Na, Bangkok, Thailand, 2009

"Please open your books to page 16," I ask my class.

No one stirs.

"Open your books, please," I say slowly.

46 students and yet not one reaches for a book.

"Where is your book?" I ask one student.

"Teacher, book no have."

"Why?" I ask.

A blank face stares back at me

"Where is your book?" I try again.

"No have, teacher."

"Is it at home?"

"Yes, teacher, book at my home," she answers, unfazed.

"How many of you have your books, raise your hands, please?" I ask, already dreading the answer.

Not one hand is raised.

"How many of you have left your books at home?" I question.

Forty-five hands enthusiastically reach skyward.

"And you?" I ask the lone girl who hasn't put her hand up. "Did you bring your book?

"Yes, teacher, book have," she replies unsure of whether she should be pleased or disappointed with herself.

"How can you study without your books," I ask.

No answer.

"How can you study?" I try again.

"Teacher, book have next week," one sixteen year-old answers brightly.

"Yes, next week," the rest of the class chorus.

"Are you sure?" I question, doubtfully.

"Sure, sure, teacher. Next week, book have," they call pleased that they have surely solved my problem.

"OK, " I answer while my mind races to think of something to teach for the next fifty minutes.

"Next week, sure."

Why do the students hate him?

Here's a young student blogging about their 'Worst Teacher'*

Why do the students hate him? 

The problem with him is that he always takes the student’s money. He always took 3,000 riel a month... and for the month’s test he took 500 riel more. When we had an examination he took 1,000 riel for one paper.

2 students can’t afford the bribe, the writer continued.  And although the teacher allows them to remain in class ‘he is always angry at them.’ 

So some of the classmates chip in to help their poor friends: “When they gave the money he looks so happy and took it very fast,’ the blogger wrote.

The students asked him "Why you still take money from them?" They are the people who don't have someone to take care of because they didn't have parents and no house to live. They just live in a pagoda with the monks and help the monks to do anything in the pagoda or go out to take the food from the citizens from one house to another house.

An imaginative story by a young Cambodian? Could be. Much more likely though, is that the story is true.

Happens all the time, in the cities, towns and villages of Cambodia and it's an ugly, early introduction to the cesspit that is Cambodian corruption.

*I've cleaned up some of the grammar for the sake of clarity.

Girls Passed Exams with Flying Colours

Another Australian Centre for Education (ACE) term has passed.

Also - the three girls that we sponsor from the Healthcare Center for Children - have passed their English exams, and well.

Here's to the chicken project beginning in just such a successful way.

Well done Girls!!!!

When You Are the Last to Know

At our Thai schools boys often came in with their heads shaved. The shaving was so that they could become a monk, an important rite of passage for teenage Thai boys.

So when one of my young Cambodian learners came into class with a shaved-head, I thought little of it and asked him where he had been.

'Father dead, teacher.'

I didn't, but should have known, that shaving one's head is a sign of mourning in Cambodian culture. And of course with my non-existent Khmer language skills and the students' improving but far from fluent English skills no one gave me the heads-up.

Some research showed me that the boy's father was a famous journalist; intrepid, honest, highly skilled and a  fine teacher of journalism, too. He was the press boss for the Khmer Rouge Trials Tribunal as well- a big, big deal in this country.

Sadly my student and his family won't have all the support they need; both the man's parents were killed by the Pol Pot regime.

Monk Business

Until this term I have never taught a monk before. It takes some getting used to. 

He sits aloof from the rest of the class which is never good for classroom cohesion. 

Many of the students have no idea how to relate to him. Some of the females are afraid to engage him in conversation whilst a few of the boys are more comfortable. That's not surprising because there is a more strict protocol in a woman-meets-monk situation.

There isn't any great respect shown- which has surprised me- more the relationship is one where everyone bumbles around not knowing quite what to say. 

No different than if you threw a vicar into a classroom of young adults, I suppose.

Cambodian Classroom Corruption

What sort of low-life would steal from schools and thus greatly reduce the level of education that young Cambodians receive?

Answer- a great number of school directors.

A recent survey of teachers across the land has shown that many are greatly worried by corruption in the classroom. The concerns are summed up here:

" The teachers said...some school directors use government funds for their own benefit, keep the money of vendors who rent school space, keep some teacher's salaries and overtime pay, and sell examination papers to students," said Rong Chhun, the President of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association.

Nice ain't it?

Little Sharkodiles Born out of Wedlock

"Homework.'"

Groan.

"Cross two animals to create a new one."

Hmmm....sounds interesting. Here's one result from a young learner, a 13 year-old Cambodian girl.


I crossed a crocodile and a shark and the animal is called a sharkodile! A sharkodile is an animal with a crododile’s face arms and tail, but it has got a shark’s body fins and a horn. Sharkodiles are very strange, idiot and violent animals and they can swim very fast like a shark. They like eatings small fishes also they can eat people and whales because their body is very enormous!!! Oh sharkodiles can walk on the land to find the food too. Sharkodiles usually lives alone and they can have babies without married have husbands or wives. They can live wherever they want and eat whatever they want.


We are running a poll on the best story about a crossed animal, click here to read and vote...

Comparatives and Superlatives - Big-Bigger-Biggest Buggers

While helping my Mum and Dad shift house after the Christchurch earthquake, I visited the Little Big Tree Company with my brother who was looking for big trees for his garden.

I came upon this sign - and thought it would be perfect for my upcoming Level 5 comparatives and superlatives lesson.

Do you think the New Zealand/Cambodian translation will go down well?

A Funny Looking Teacher

The Funny looking teacher

Note: This is not the
blog-writing student

Here's the last blog post from one of my Young Learners of the last term. Let me be indulgent- it made me smile. Sometimes teaching is worthwhile.


'Hi everybody! Today is my last day that study in this class.This term is i am very happy to study with the funny teacher but he is serious when we do an exam or quiz.  But my felling with him I think he is a good teacher good work good teaching and also good explaining.

In this term I have know a lot of classmate that study with me. Oh!my classmate is very friendly polite and all the student is all well done.They also conversation with the teacher so funny and happy.This term I think that I am good at writing enough because now I always writing on the blog so it can make me good writing enough. And the teacher always give us to do the work in the group so it can make our speaking well and also do the different homework that I never seen before. Everybody always smile the most is Peng she always like smile when she smile is very attractive and look beautiful.


So I think study with teacher Philip is very good and funny.He is look funny. All the classmate like his hair style because it easy.So now bye see you this term.........bye...bye..!'

I checked with her to see if she really thought I looked funny. She assured me I did.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor...

It's a new term and my young Cambodian students tell me what they want to do in the future. The boys and the girls have mostly the same aspirations; doctor, lawyer, businessman, businesswoman, pilot and architect are the most popular. Most of them- without prompting- tie their career choices back to helping their country and the poor.

Compare that to the all-boys boarding school that I worked at in Thailand for two years. There, almost without exception they wanted to be either policemen or soldiers.
Sad that they think (but who can blame them) that the forces are where the power and the glory lies in Thailand.

Blogging Again

My Young Learner student pretended not to be particularly pleased; but she was- a brief but big smile gave her away. I'd just told her that I'd read her post on the class blog about a resort in Kampot and that  someone from Norway had made a comment on her post, too. We talked about Norway and found it on the map. That someone from far away had written on their blog interested the class.

Just as we were about to move on the same student, unable, despite her best attempts to contain herself, called out "And teacher, someone from Australia made a comment on a post, too!"

My student is a bright, young girl but she needs encouragement to stay connected with the lesson; a couple of comments on the blog provided her with that, and more!

http://www.younglearnersten.blogspot.com/

http://www.younglearners13.blogspot.com/

Cambodian Students Blogging

Last term I had my young Cambodian students writing a class blog. They enjoyed it and it gave them the chance to improve their computer skills whilst working on their English, too. For all of them the experience is competely new; many of them are on 'FaceBook,' but they had no idea about blogs at all.

It was so successful that I am doing it again with my new intake of students. They aren't as tech-savvy as the last group but they are developing quickly. Like all Cambodian students the biggest job is drumming out of them the idea that a quick cut-and-paste job of someone else's work is acceptable.

After several explanations they get it- but like any young kids they are always looking for shortcuts so the teacher has to be extra vigilant!

Should anyone feel like making a comment on any of the posts- and the students would be delighted- then go here for my class:
http://www.younglearnersten.blogspot.com/

Or, here for Ann's higher-level Young Learners Class:
http://www.younglearners13.blogspot.com/

A Chance to Study at ACE in Phnom Penh

Today I took seven of the girls from the Centre to do a 1 and a half hour placement test costing $5 per student.
Funnily enough they were to arrive at my house at 8.30am...they arrived at 7.30am. Always a communication breakdown regarding time.

However, all went smoothly after that. They were very nervous but there were smiles at the end...largely due I think because the stress of testing was over.

We are going to sponsor two or three of the girls to start studying at the Australian Centre for English (ACE) where we teach. We find out the results on Monday, and the new term starts then.

It will a great opportunity for them to start intensive English, and a little help from us mid-week will make sure all their homework is done!

My Best Teacher Ann

Yesterday was the end of the 3rd term at ACE.
My final class was Young Learners 9 - a group of 12, 13 and 14 year old students of English.

It is never an easy day as some students do fail and have to repeat their class. However, I was surprised when four of the girls presented me with this lovely blouse and hand-made card.

They said they would be looking for me wearing it next term - and I will.

It is always nice to be recognised for your teaching, and delightful to see the card addressed to:
My Best Teacher Ann!

'Break Your Leg'

I recently taught idioms to my Level 10 English class such as; break a leg, knock on wood, a bed of roses, bury your head in the sand, a back seat driver, to play it by ear, to see eye to eye, etc.

Later one of them practising their English emailed me a short message that included the ending - break your leg!

It is always fascinating how 2nd language English usage can get so entertainingly twisted.

A Return to the Centre

One of the older girls who used to live at the Centre in 2005 has returned.

She left the Centre not long after we returned to New Zealand in early 2006. We were sad to think that we would never see her again. She was sent back to her home province to work and subsequently married locally.

However, the marriage was not a good one and her husband regularly beat her. She also has an 11 month old son, and has been sent back to the Centre for safety. Now she is happy, and wrote us a letter to say that she would like to see us soon. That letter was delivered by one of the girls who came to stay this weekend.

We are looking forward to going to see her. We have had such a long contact with these girls, and we hope that we can perhaps start teaching her some English skills also.

Phnom Penh Puzzle Time

It's refreshing when life isn't always about the internet and Cable TV.

The last time Philip was in Bangkok he found  some 500 piece puzzles, a popular childrens pastime of the past. However, I didn't think today's kids would find it interesting enough when there is an email to send or receive, or more facebook live feeds.

It was great to watch the girls from the Centre become fully engrossed in making one of these puzzles. So much so that they got up at 5am the next morning to continue it!

Weekend English Lessons

A change of scenery for the girls from the Centre who stay overnight at our house on the weekends, not only means a change of food, cable TV and a chance for some

personal  space. 

It also now involves English tuition. And like TV, they thoroughly enjoy it.

They don't see it as work, they welcome the opportunity to learn more and are reluctant to finish.

This Sunday past, we did listening activiities, and also vocabulary work on 'food' by getting the girls to work out what everything in the fridge was. That's interesting for them since they don't have a fridge and never have had one.