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You
are here: Progress and Hope for Growing the Work
February 2004
The fifth in a series of journal reports from Cambodia on a new school leadership professional development project
Towards the end of December, I began making the second round of visits to schools. Five workshops have been completed and the second visits are filled with surprises. Samuth, at Prasat School showed me the log book that he created for each teacher in which he could record his reflections after he visited a class. Each book stayed with the teacher, on his or her desk, and Samuth simply wrote positive statements to reinforce what he observed and a suggestion or two. Such a simple idea, and the first I have seen here. He "made it up" after deciding he needed to spend more time in the classrooms and give more positive feedback to teachers. Samnang, at Ang Rokar School could hardly contain himself when I pulled up for the visit. He said, "I want you to see the classrooms and the new things we are doing. And I want to show you all of the ideas that we have started recently." He is a quiet and gentle man and I had not seen him so animated. It was also the first time a principal had asked me to visit classrooms to watch teaching and learning.
The author with a group of teachers during break time. Increasingly, the teachers want to spend time with the "person who is teaching the principal".
Samnang's teachers were all ready for my visit and were actively engaging their students in learning that was not just rote memory, or reading a text. You could see their effort to utilize teaching materials to reinforce concepts, have students dialogue in small groups etc. It was basic, but deeply moving. They were really excited. And they asked if I would do a workshop for them. Within an hour, the students were dismissed and the teachers and the principal were all gathered in a classroom. I thought to myself, "In the States we could never just spontaneously send children home so that we could do a workshop. Here, it is how it happens." Since I had observed the classes at a time when they were doing math, we explored how to teach math using movement. They loved it and we laughed so hard together.
Samnang also wanted me to see that he had followed up on a suggestion I had made at my last visit. I had encouraged him to consider finding older people in the villages who could read and see if they would volunteer to read to the pre school children and first graders. Since he also had a Wat next to the school, perhaps he could ask the chief monk if any monks would be interested in tutoring or reading to children. He wanted me to know that 3 older people would be volunteering as soon as the harvest season was over and one monk was already volunteering. I watched as an older monk told a "moral story" in the library to enthralled 2nd graders. Many schools are located near Wats and this was the first time that I had seen a monk in a school classroom. I have learned since then that it is not common practice, but many people think it is a good idea. So, I will continue to recommend it to principals and see what happens.
Leang Hak, at Dong School, showed me his new daily schedule. He had created two one-hour blocks of time to be in classrooms. This was the first time he had actually committed to being in classrooms on a regular basis. He is not far from retirement, so this is a major shift. The Animator (an EQIP position intended to give professional support to principals and teachers) for a school district in Takeo Province told me that one of his new principals has made huge gains in his relationships with the community. A VSO volunteer told me that one of the principals that she works with is "on fire" with his new learnings and she describes how "democratic" he is working with staff and community members.
A group of children staring through the door to the main office of a school. Morefield says "I am such an oddity for the children in the far rural schools."
These examples of progress are both surprising and heartening. I am surprised because I never really expected to see results while I am here. In the States, change takes a very long time. Here, it can take a long time, but it also can happen very, very quickly. For years, the street in front of our house in Phnom Penh was dirt. Suddenly, in one day, the street was paved. As a colleague said to me, "Change seems to happen so quickly, but actually, what you are seeing is a little movement that looks like a lot. When you start at zero, any movement seems huge." I don't think the principals are starting from zero by any means, but I do think that some of them are beginning to get comfortable and excited with the idea that they are real leaders.
This particular project is scheduled to end on April 2nd. We will finish 8 workshops and I will have visited each of the 42 schools twice. I am very enthusiastic about these next two months. It will be an opportunity to help them deepen their belief in themselves as leaders and to expand their competence. Then, in late April, we begin a new round of training. This time, Reaksmey and I will be working with just one district and it is in Phnom Penh. The Municipality of Phnom Penh has seven districts. This particular district serves the very, very poor and several of the schools in the district have been helped by Maryknoll, the wonderful NGO that is sponsoring us here in Cambodia. The district has 16 elementary schools. Each school has a principal and an assistant principal. I am including all of them in the training, along with a few principals from other slum areas and resettlement areas plus a few district central office folks. There should be about 50 people in the workshops, but only 20 schools to visit. And, travel will be minimal as they are all in the city. I am excited about working with urban principals. People keep telling me that there are huge differences between principals in the city and principals in the countryside. I will soon find out.
A group of principals in a small group outdoors during a workshop. Morefield notes, "It was quite surprising and delightful to them that they could go anywhere they wanted to for small group work . . . even outside!"
I am also having interesting discussions with a variety of individuals about how to expand this work. I would love to see all school principals have the opportunity for real leadership development. The World Bank is investing another 4 or 5 years in Cambodian education and is in the early stages of planning and preparation for that work. In the design there appears to be room for leadership training. The framework for educational improvement, among other things, moves to a nationwide cluster system. These clusters will have principals who will coordinate the improvement work of the schools in each cluster. Those principals may well be the best hope for leadership development. Amazing what might be possible. And, at the same time, how fragile it all is. As of this day, there still is no government. Since the elections last July, the various political parties cannot agree on how to form the new government. Political assassinations have been happening about once a month. Things move on with the existing prime minister, Hun Sen, operating as if there was a government. But, at some point, the World Bank et al. will have to stop its work here as there is no legal authority to sign contracts, treaties etc.
I spent two weeks in the US in January (and froze the whole time!) and was delighted upon my return to realize that coming back here to Cambodia felt like coming home. This place, these people, this reality is clearly growing in me.
You may email John Morefield at jmore44@yahoo.com.
© February 2004 New Horizons for Learning
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