This was a great trip, though quite different from the January trip in a number of ways. This was the first time we had run workshops in both Kompong Cham and Ratanakiri. In both places we were honoured to run the workshops in the government’s Provincial Offices of Education (POE).
... [he] said that it was the best professional development training they had ever received…
Also, this was also the first time we had run a mentor programme and it was really well received. In Kompong Cham, we had representatives from KAPE, the IPEC project, the POE and DOE all sitting in with the teachers to get a good understanding of this programme right from its start, so that they can support the mentor teachers in the schools, the districts and the provinces. There were several teaching principals in the workshops as well who want to start the programme in their schools.
The other workshops were both at Level Two and the Aussie teachers did a magnificent job. The senior (American) representative of KAPE who sat in on the workshops was very excited and said that it was the best professional development training they had ever received and set a benchmark for the organization for the future. He hoped we would be able to run similar workshops for the teachers in the demonstration school attached to the POE. Of course we were excited and incredibly proud of the achievements of both the Aussie and Khmer teachers!
Kampong Cham teachers who attended the SeeBeyondBorders workshops
We had a very long, very beautiful and exciting trip to Rantanakiri, across country because of the floods. In many cases, it wasn’t possible to see where the road itself was and we just had to follow the trail of lorries and carts surfing their way through the flood waters which was a bit hairy at times but made for some great photos! We also got a real first-hand view of the terrible devastation and hardship caused by the floods which made us more determined to make the workshops worthwhile.
Banlung was incredibly and unexpectedly beautiful. We all fell in love with it on sight. The guest house was simple but amazing, sitting on the lake and only a short walk to the POE. We were made to feel very welcome by the VSO staff and they had gone to great lengths to organize everything for us and for the non-teaching group. On our day off before starting the workshops, we swam in the beautifully clean lake and had noodles on the jetty – a fantastic, refreshing experience.
Central Banlung, Ratanakiri, the location for the second week of workshops in October.
The Aussie teachers did a great job delivering Level One and were flexible in adapting the programme depending on how the Khmers had coped that day. It was incredibly exciting to see the three groups of Khmer teachers planning and delivering lessons with such confidence in such a short time and so appreciative of the Aussie’s belief in them.
Another small but great group, with firm friendships formed and lots of memories and anecdotes to share when we have our get together in 2012. An enormous thank you to all the teachers for their hard work, enthusiasm and generosity which made this trip what we hope was a fantastic experience for everyone.
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