I
love to win. I love awards, certificates, medals, trophies, titles, you name
it. I love the satisfaction of working towards something, achieving it, and
being recognized for it.
While
you could use adjectives like proud or immodest to describe someone like me,
you could also use terms like competitive, hard-working, or determined. The word
used depends on the individual’s affect and appreciation of self, I suppose. Nonetheless,
I would like to view these characteristics in a positive light. Most of us want
to win, and we want to be noticed for our effort. I think that’s a very good
thing as long as it comes with a measure of humility.
Unfortunately,
in Cambodia there is a great lack of confidence. Students are rarely rewarded
but frequently blamed. While there is a national love of certificates and
status, there are few opportunities for advancement based on an individual’s
skills or qualifications. Out of this culture comes a disastrous education
system where students are punished or humiliated for their lack of knowledge
and teachers are evaluated not by how much their students learn but by how many
chapters of the textbook they completed. Classrooms become stages for teachers
to perfunctorily rush through lessons while most students either sit quietly
lost in confusion or chatter without reserve while binging on sugary drinks
from the school’s canteens.
My
co-teacher for grade nine, Chantrea, understands the quantity over quality
problem so ubiquitous in Cambodia, but he isn’t quite sure what to do about it.
Still, he wants to make a difference, at least in the lives of his students, by
teaching them English. Our first few weeks together in the classroom were hard.
The students were out of control, and our attempts at calming and quieting them
down were failing miserably. My stern voice, his lectures on respect, and our
pauses to wait for a silent room were to no avail.
One
day Chantrea asked if I had any ideas for classroom management. While I’ve
never had any formal training as a teacher, I simply thought back to my
experience as a child. How did my teachers get me to behave and work so hard?
It then hit me that (in addition to my family) a whole lineup of middle-aged
women from Mrs. Freiberg to Mrs. Eaves was responsible for my well-mannered
behavior and drive to succeed. They had shaped me that way (in the
psychological sense of the verb) all throughout elementary school.
Mrs. Freiberg had her mason jar which to which she would add big blue marbles when our class behaved exceptionally well. Whenever the jar was full our class got to have a big party. Mrs. Gabriel awarded us ingredients of an ice cream sundae whenever we completed a new multiplication table. At the end of the unit, we got to eat the ice cream with whichever toppings we had earned. Mrs. Eaves rewarded good behavior with money in our “checkbooks” that we got to use at monthly auctions for fun trinkets or at the end of the year auction for autographed paraphernalia which we had solicited from celebrities while practicing our letter-writing skills in computer class. All of them handed out certificates on awards day for perfect attendance, exceptional skills in each subject, and student achievements in activities like spelling bees or invention convention.
While
most Peace Corps volunteers don’t have the technical knowledge of
professionally trained teachers, we do have the experience of growing up in a
different educational system and the university training to understand that
system well enough to apply improved teaching techniques from our experiences
in America to Cambodian schools. Given my experiences with positive
reinforcement as a child and my understanding of the psychology behind it from
my classes in high school and at Carleton, I was able to craft a behavior
modification program with Chantrea that would work in the Cambodian school
environment.
To
improve student behavior, we began a ticketing system with a lucky drawing for
prizes at the end of the month. Students were informed that to receive a ticket
in the drawing they must do three things: 1) come to class on time and stay for
the full session, 2) listen quietly and respectfully to their teachers and
classmates, and 3) participate in English to their highest personal ability.
Whenever Chantrea or I see a student doing all of these things, we give him or
her a ticket to be signed and put in the pot for the monthly drawing. For the
students whose names are drawn, prizes have included bonus points added to the
student’s grade, a small cash prize, snacks, study materials, or items like a
little American flag.
The
reward system was an immediate success. Usually only the very best students
(top three) from each class are recognized for their hard work, but now any
student who behaves well is acknowledged with a ticket in front of his or her
peers. The change of demeanor in the classroom and the new sense of pride was
palpable. Teaching became easier, and students have been more engaged in the
lessons.
It
is small successes like these that make Peace Corps service worthwhile. One
teacher learns a new technique which he will use in other classes and perhaps
even share with colleagues. Eighty students have a better learning environment
and greater self-confidence, the effects of which will never be known by me.
There is no medal or bright golden sash given at the end of a hard two years of service, not even a simple certificate. In fact, you just finish, get on a plane, and go back to being a nobody in the US. Most volunteers are fortunate to even get a “thank you” for their work. However, the reward for us is our service itself, the opportunity to learn, grow, integrate, and sow the seeds of a better life for those who seek it. For me, at least, that is more than enough.
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