Teaching the Teachers

Reflection can be a powerful tool. It can also be somewhat humbling and frightening at the same time. I’ve had to do a lot of it as I think about the approach I take to teaching classes. After all, I’m teaching others on what I do and critically thinking about my process. So far I haven’t had any “Oh… I’ve been doing that all wrong” moments but I definitely feel like I could make some improvements. The class has a big emphasis on planning and preparation to make sure these new teachers understand their material and feel confident about their first lesson.

On the mosquito nets front, I’m running into a little bit of resistance in the process but nothing unexpected. I have a few more emails to trade and then hopefully the wheels will start turning. I expected this to be a bit tricky, and it’s living up to expectations.

One random tidbit: the roads continue to improve. Mony and I were driving back from Khnar Tmei on a stretch of road that has not been improved. This is the way all roads used to be, even the one going from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. “Before the good road,” Mony said waxing nostalgic, “It took two days to get to Phnom Penh. Also, a lot of robbers.” That’s not the case anymore. I also asked about the road to Anlong Veng, a town far to the north near the temple of Preah Vihear. It took us a full day to drive there a few years ago and most of the road was bad.

“Oh yes, good road all the way. Even to Preah Vihear! They make the road all the way to the temple at the top of the mountain”

“So, do you still need to hire a 4-wheel drive to get to the top?” I asked.

“Well… 4 wheel drive is still good idea, but a Camry…” he said while patting the top of the dashboard, “can also make it. It depend on the driver, if Brave or not Brave. Ha ha ha ha!”

Ah, I’m glad to see some things don’t change!