Teaching English in Cambodia

I volunteered in Cambodia for two weeks teaching English at a school in Siem Reap. I hadn't had any practice as a teacher so I was slightly nervous but the IVHQ team provided information on the orientation day to help with any questions and concerns we might of had. When we arrived at our school we were given our timetable and some reading material to help us with ideas for teaching the children and what was expected of us. I was given three classes a day, I had to write lesson plans for two of them and the third I just acted as an assistant. The classes original teachers are usually in the room to assist with translation but you can be left solely on your own so I would definitely recommend having some basic learning games and activities before you start so you're not caught off guard. I was thrown into the deep end as two out of three of the classes teachers handed me the textbook on the first day and then went and sat down, although daunting at first I realised this was the best way to get the most out of my two weeks as I now had full responsibility to teach the kids. Having a textbook as a guideline was very helpful but once you get to know the children you become more aware of their abilities. I then tailored my lessons so I was helping them build on what they already knew.

Two weeks didn't really seem long another to make a massive difference however I did see the children improve in my classes and this made all the slightly stressful times worth it. I wish I had planned to stay for another couple of weeks as although exhausted I wasn't ready to leave after two weeks. It was such a rewarding experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone I really stepped out of my comfort zone and was able to give back to an amazing school.