More of week 3

From June 27, 2008

This week, I have made an effort to find out more about Cambodia’s education system from the teachers here. Each child at the Palm Tree Orphanage attends classes at the orphanage, and also at government school. In the orphanage, they learn English, Khmer, Thai, mathematics and music. At government school, they learn twelve subjects including science and language skills, depending on their age. Palm Tree also has a preschool program for the younger children, to introduce them to Khmer and English. The children here attend class from Monday to Saturday, from about 5:00am to the late evening. Each day consists of both government and Palm Tree school. They are very fortunate to be receiving such intense education, since most children in Cambodia do not have the opportunity to attend school, especially in the rural areas.

However, upon asking more about the programs at Palm Tree, I realized something that did not make sense to me. The young children begin their English education in the Starter Program, where they work first with the Pink Textbook, then the Green Textbook and finally the Red Textbook. The Pink Textbook introduces them to the alphabet and numbers, while the Green and Red books teach full sentences. One of the teachers told me that since the children are so young, once they finish the Red Textbook, they return to the Pink Textbook and learn the material again. This made no sense to me! I tried to tell her about American education and how kids move from Kindergarten to first and then second grade. Progression depends on age, but also the child’s ability in learning the material. However, they seem to think that even though the kids finish the Red Textbook, they are not ready to move on to what they deem Intermediate classes. This did answer a question I had though. The class where I am teaching the Pink Textbook seemed to understand my English much better than the class where I am teaching the Red Textbook. This is because they have already been through the Red book, and now have returned to Pink!

I tried not to ask too many questions, because the system is obviously working for them. But I could not help but think how inefficient it was! Why would children return to learning the alphabet and numbers if they have already mastered completing full sentences? I wonder if the problem lies in the materials; perhaps they do not have an appropriate book for the children to work with after the Red Textbook? The teachers didn’t seem to think so, as they told me that the Director believes in this method, since the children will retain the knowledge better. In any case, I left the issue alone as I did not want to seem rude.

I have also noticed more about the importance of gender. Chores at the orphanage are divided between the children, so each week a different group will have to clean or get meals ready. However, I notice that the girls do the majority of the chores, including sweeping, mopping, sewing and cleaning the dishes. I have not yet seen a boy do chores, except tasks that involve heavy lifting. Of course, as a Women’s Studies major, I was a little upset over this division, but I must remember that gender roles here are not the same as they are in America. I also realize that I am often treated differently by some of the male staff members. When they ask the male volunteers questions about their life back home, those same questions will never be directed towards me. They are also very careful not to sit too close to me. I know that they are trying to be polite, as this is how they treat women in their society, but I will admit that I am not used to it! I want to tell them that it is okay if they want to ask me a question or talk to me, but I think most of the time it is very awkward between us.

In my time here, I have become increasingly interested in finding out about the culture and traditions. Of course, I would love to find out more about the status of women. Fortunately, the teachers I work with are more than willing to talk about their family lives and the way they are treated at home. At the same time, it makes me feel very fortunate to live in America and have the freedoms I do. Just being able to live on my own and work in New York City without asking permission from my family is something I take for granted! As time goes on, I would love to learn more about the expectations for girls growing up in the society, and how this affects the girls at the Palm Tree Orphanage.

Next week promises to be exciting. We are expecting a visit from Raul and Bettina, who are donors to the Palm Tree Orphanage. The children have told me a great deal about the couple and I am excited to meet them. They have a business connection to the founder of the orphanage, and donate regularly to the children here. Since Raul and Bettina are so important to the orphanage’s development, the children often welcome them by putting on a concert. I am excited to see traditional Khmer song and dance! Also, next week is July 4^th, and the other volunteers and I have discussed throwing a party for the kids to teach them more about American Independence Day. I am very excited for the events to come!