 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
You
are here: A Cambodian Reflection
Dr. Ellen Kahan joined John Morefield in his work with school directors in Cambodia in November of 2003.
by Ellen Kahan
John Morefield and I stood in the Cambodian sun, surveying the hard-packed dirt that served as the only play space for several hundred school children. Little girls, their arms linked in devotion strolled under a solitary tree. A small huddle of boys, noses to the ground, played with a bag of treasured marbles. A lucky few children lined up to buy a shaved ice treat from the leaning wooden snack stand of an enterprising woman. Contented children gathered in small groups laughing and talking quietly, others more rambunctiously jumped, tagged, skipped and ran to the unwritten rules of playground-created games. There were no slides, swings, balls, jungle gyms or other equipment that is standard on even the poorest of American school playgrounds. But the luxury of such items was probably only missed by the western observers.
For ten days I visited John in Cambodia and joined him in his work with school directors. To read John Morefield's account of this visit, navigate here. I traveled into the Cambodian countryside visited six schools from the close environ of Phnom Penh to near the Vietnam border. Exhilarated by the sights, smells and sounds of Cambodia I rejoiced in every minute and was swept up by the way my mind and heart were stretched to include new friends, new ideas and new learning. One of the most powerful and thought provoking observations during my visit has continued to evolve since my return home. It is a thought that to me is so provocative that I cannot put it aside. It is simple and yet complex. What did I learn from Cambodian children that would improve the lives of American children?
Dr. Ellen Kahan, Assistant Supt. from Edmonds School District in Washington State, Duong Odom, principal of school near the Viet Nam border in Kampot Province, and Reaksmey, a translator working with John Morefield.
Our observations of the Cambodian children playing in the schoolyard were most notable, not for the lack of play equipment but for the peace that reigned there. Adult supervision was almost totally absent and so were fights, bullying and hurtfully rough play. For most American children the scene on the playground is far different and requires frequent adult intervention. Why is that? What experiences and expectations in American society create children that need so much more supervision and guidance than the Cambodian children I saw?
Another day's burning image is of fifty-nine four year old children sitting on wooden benches pulled up to narrow tables, their bare feet swinging far above the concrete floor. Not a crayon, not a pair of scissors, not a toy or "developmentally appropriate" activity was in sight. The teacher instructed the children lecture style from the front of the classroom using only a dim chalkboard as a teaching tool. And yet, there they sat and participated, not knowing that what they were doing broke every rule of preschool education best practices. It was not what I would seek for my four year old but still how remarkable that these very young children had the self-management skills to participate in this style of learning.
A bobbing and weaving technique reminiscent of Muhammad Ali's championship form was necessary to navigate the Cambodian roads. Potholes dry or muddy, chickens, ducks, cattle, pigs, and dogs and people all claimed space in the same area. Morning, noon and evening, long lines of children pedaled their bikes along these roads to attend school. For some the ride was quite long and maybe on a shared bicycle. The youngest children often perched on the handlebars of an older brother or sister but just as often they rode on their own. Despite the treacheries of riding their bikes to school, it was a very popular and effective method of transportation that they made look easy. Again, I was struck by the autonomy of young children meeting the challenge of riding to school in difficult circumstances.
Many of the things I saw children doing in Cambodia would be illegal in the United States and many other countries. Children work at family food stalls near open cooking fires or sell gasoline by the bottle at roadside stands. They help plant acres and acres of rice, care for the livestock and keep the small farms running. They care for their much younger siblings while still small children themselves. By the standards of my culture these things are not generally accepted. Despite that, I think we have much to learn from the Cambodian ways. Cambodian children are important contributors to the survival of their families and the community. At school they exhibit incredible ability to learn against great odds and live within a large group of peers in a peaceful non-competitive way. Notably children accomplish these things with comparatively little direct adult supervision. Watching them I questioned much about our expectations for children. Cambodian children demonstrate that children are capable of so much, perhaps far more than we even give them opportunity to show. Attitude surveys of our own children, especially middle school youth, reveal that they often feel disconnected from the community and adult world. I wonder if Cambodian children would report the same, or would their deep involvement in family life and welfare bolster their sense of self-worth? Does our culture promote individualism and competition in such a way that we create the playground issues of aggressive and mean spirited play? In our efforts to keep children safe or innocent are we lowering our expectations for them and denying them opportunities?
After pondering for hours the differences between the lives of American and Cambodian children, I strongly believe that aspects of the lives of Cambodian children are worthy of emulation. I don't mean that children should be exploited as free labor but I wonder if freedom from all but the simplest family chores isn't denying them the opportunity to learn responsibility and interdependence. Today in a kindergarten class, I sat on the floor and explored the concept of patterns with children playing with colorful wooden shapes. It was a wonderful learning opportunity for the children, but what more might we expect of them if we stretched our thinking about the concept of "developmentally appropriate?" I don't wish to anger my colleagues in education or my fellow parents. I don't want to suggest that children who live in a land with the luxury of safety, material goods and excellent systems of education should lose all of that. But I will continue to ask how we can change our systems to more fully develop in our children, the maturity, sense of responsibility and community spirit seen in the children of Cambodia in our own children. I think to not try to do so is to deny our children the right to develop their full potential.
Dr. Ellen Kahan is an Assistant Superintendent of Edmonds School District in Edmonds, Washington. Her email address is kahane@edmonds.wednet.edu
Copyright © February 2004 New Horizons for Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org
info@newhorizons.orgFor permission to redistribute, please go to:
New Horizons for Learning Copyright and Permission Information
