imagination

I’ve been told numerous times that Peace Corps volunteers often learn more about themselves than they will end up teaching those they encounter along the way. I have realized about myself that I’m not passionate about teaching English as a foreign language. I miss the insight and struggle that comes with studying meaning in language in a literature focused class rather than teaching the basics of a language. In the past I loved to teach vocabulary, but that hasn’t translated (not an intentional pun) into teaching vocabulary in another language. Over the past year, I have struggled to keep myself invested in the content I’m teaching, especially when it comes to a grammar lesson, and must find ways to keep my students and I engaged by making the content relatable to their everyday life. This sometimes feels like an insurmountable task when I’m teaching future primary school teachers who do not currently teach English as part of the national curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, I teach in many locations to every skill level and a large range of ages. This gives me ample opportunity to try activities and curriculum that I am not able to use in my primary role as a Teacher Trainer at my government school. Students at all ages here, primary school to adults, are accustomed to learning in a certain way and when a teacher deviates from the norm, it can be hard for them to follow where you are attempting to lead them. I have become more interested in challenging them to use their imagination, critical thinking and creativity in conjunction with their English learning. This is difficult for numerous reasons: 1) the average curriculum and teachers here do not tap into these at all, 2) they are attempting these tasks in an acquired language, and 3) they probably are misunderstanding what I am asking of them. I challenged some intermediate students to write “Would you rather…” questions which resulted in a few gems: “Would you rather swim with sharks or ride a crocodile?” and “Would you rather kill ghosts or make friends with a monster?” They really love ghosts here.

When I think about where imagination comes from in my culture and my own childhood, I think of books, art, oral traditions, parents’ encouragement and games created with friends. While some of that naturally exists here, there is a huge gap in creative expression from an education standpoint. Reading is not a normal hobby, there are not many books in Khmer or places to acquire them from, art is not often created or taught in schools, and parents focus more on encouraging the idea of studying than exploration of self-expression. Self-expression seems to be overshadowed by shared knowledge, whether that means producing identical answers to your classmates or copying one image and making it your own. An American volunteer working at my site, with another organization with a background in art education, explained to me that art is sometimes introduced in primary school only here as an exercise in copying. They tell the students to create an image of the countryside, are presented an example, and the students who most closely replicate it, receive praise. I taught art classes a bit last year, and I struggled over whether or not to provide an example so they understood what I wanted them to produce. My students kept saying “they didn’t know how to draw” when they felt unconfident and continuously asked me if what they were drawing was beautiful. “Interesting” is not a term they would use to describe their art, whereas thought provoking art is the goal of an art student in America. I will soon resume these art classes with a new outlook on helping them work on their process when trying new forms of drawing rather than solely looking for a final “beautiful” product.

Maybe every student should have an "Intellective Computer"

I was able to visit the art classroom of a Korean volunteer (KOICA) at my site this past week. She teaches primary school children at one of the poorer schools in the town. I stepped into her classroom with swarming fourth graders around her and me to see an interior unlike any other classroom here. She had painted the walls blue and added an animated skyscape. She presented them with coloring books for what she described as an easier day of class as they normally create their own drawings. I watched fascinated as the girls and boys labored over perfect coloring of the figures asking one another which was the correct color to use on each section. We encouraged them to use any color they like, but they continued to flip back and forth, looking at the cover for the “correct” colors. They just wanted to get it right.

KOICA friend and her students

In all my frustrations and potential failures of trying to introduce a new way of learning, I hope they at least remember the teacher who made them feel a bit uncomfortable/confused or the time they felt altered about their own potential as learners. Below is a creative story written by one of my advanced 12^th grade students based on an image from a National Geographic magazine. He has one of the best imaginations I have encountered in my time here. 

Story based on this image

“Why Do You Want to Kill Me?” by Chanratha Pros

Once upon the time, there was a tribe who had lived in a remote area covering with sands. Many tribe members were suffering of stomachache then. No doctors could treat them so that the tribe master ordered three fellows to catch apes and bring them there because they believed that apes’ brains were able to cure almost all diseases.

                Most of the apes lived on a mountain, 60 miles far from where people of that tribe lived. The fellows got on the mountain and saw many strange animals and trees they’d never seen before. About 15 minute walk they found some apes (each ape stands about 2.5 meters tall).

                They tried to catch those apes, but it was impossible. The apes are much stronger and more quickly. Unfortunately, they were beaten and killed by those apes.

                As soon as the tribe master knew that the fellows were dead, he ordered all of the fellows to catch all apes for him. Finally, the apes were caught and killed. Unfortunately, the sick people did not get some relief form their stomachache, but instead their stomachache became more seriously. It caused them to die.

                Finally the tribe master talked to his people. “I shouldn’t have done this. I made a mistake. It cost people’s lives.”