Children

I thought I'd say something about the children here as I perceive them. They are extremely independent minded and can be very responsible, hence the number of children who also have a younger sibling in tow. One girl has brought her elder sister and younger brother to join the afternoon class. The lessons can get a bit chaotic as the children will come to borrow pencils and paper from me - all resources being at a premium. In general the children will return what they have borrowed. However, they will rarely borrow from each other - the principle of "what I have I keep" applies. Not a surprise really.

They like to show you their individual completed work with a "finis - 'cher" - a strange mixture of French and teacher. I was going through some work with a child when I found my hand being prised open finger by finger quite gently and a finished drawing being pushed into it. I have now got them to put their hands up when they want me rather than yell out or follow me around the room. If there is a handout of a picture to colour or a puzzle to complete they will call out to have it and will rarely pass it to a neighbour but they will often ask for a spare to take home for siblings.

The school consists of ten classrooms in a single storey opposite the Wat where there is a temple and where the monks live. One of my boys Satia was left by his parents in the care of the monks, who were the traditional source of education in the past, while they went to Thailand to work. I asked if he is planning to become a monk and he said no. The Belgian teachers found a number of the children in their village school (Angkor Tree school) had similar stories, sometimes being left in the care (satisfactory or not) of other family members. One young man was very bitter about this as his parents had made no effort to contact him or find out if he is doing well (or not).

 

This is a group of young children playing under a banyan tree by the side of Highway 6 - the children play games with small packs of cards making variations of all types, they play a throwing game with a shuttlecock and the balls I take in are very popular for soccer and basketball variations. When the waters were flooding they had tremendous fun playing in ditches and splashing through the water. Most the boys in the country fish either with nets or rods in streams or culverts. The fish are eaten at home so this is an important activity for the family.

The children are involved in their parents' businesses - if they are wood cutters and hauliers in the jungle, the children collect their own small-sized sticks as part of the business. You will see small children in charge of even smaller ones, in charge of water buffalo, herding cows, working in markets, some collect recyclables with large containers on their bicycles etc. Sometimes they will sell you small handmade decorations but they rarely beg which is discouraged by adults here. In Angkor of course the situation is quite different where a whining tone has been developed which is very annoying.

My children's parents have been able to afford the uniforms, teacher premium and supplies to send the children to school although you can see that this has been a struggle. The teachers are not at all well paid so the premium supplements their wages. One of my girls was standing in a classroom doorway a few days ago with the teacher's blackboard stick so I said humourously "you are the teacher now". "Yes" she said "I am grade five so I have been asked to take this grade 3 class as the teacher isn't here today". One of the teachers takes her baby into school where it sleeps in a hammock or is tended by one of the pupils.

 

Those who can not afford school can go to voluntary lessons in schools that people run where there is a need, but this is on a very ad hoc . Obviously anything that anyone can do to improve the literacy rates here is good but I think these placements would be very productive for volunteers in the future. How do you find them? Searching on the internet.

 

 

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