The past week I officially started volunteering at KKO. I work as an English teacher from Monday till Friday in various classes. The venue itself is far from my guesthouse usually I start my day with a 35 minute cycle tour! Each time I arrive, I'm sweating like hell because even at half past 7 in the morning it's hot here...But, I can't complain. I have beautiful landscapes to enjoy because of the remote location of the school and as soon as you arrive you are hugged by a bunch of sweet kids!
In the morning I teach 3 young sewing ladies. During the day, they learn how to sew in the sewing classes offered by the KKO, but every morning they have 1 hour of English. The main purpose of this class is expanding their general knowledge, but most of all I want to get them out of their comfort zone. We do this by talking about all kinds of topics, like the table customs in Thailand or what kind of country Brazil is. Being able to talk about everything is a plus point if they want to open their own sewing venture.
The other hours, I teach young children aged 5 to 12 years old in ABC classes (f.e. the 'ch'-sound, so I write down words like chair, lunch or watch). It's a very challenging age category because they learn English at a very young age compared to our school system. Reading is the most difficult part. The children know the alphabet but they CAN'T read the words on the board. In Khmer they don't combine letters in that way, so it's a typical Cambodian problem. Keep calm and smile is my motto! ;) My last class consists of older students with an average age of 18 years old. Today we discussed how the airport works and which steps one must take to board the plane successfully.
I'm confident that, as a volunteer, you add a lot of value to theses classes by telling them stories and experiences from Europe or elsewhere in the world. This contribution is very important for the children as it is an excellent trigger for them to listen carefully and learn from you. For the organization itself, having foreign volunteers, also expands their knowledge. The staff is eager to improve by listening to your ideas and feedback during weekly meetings on Friday.
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