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Internships.

Foto del escritor: Gabriel Grela MesaGabriel Grela Mesa

Actualizado: 1 abr 2024


Photo: Wat Trea.


Twenty female students and six male students from grades 10 and 11 at Baphnom High School volunteered to participate in internships as teachers for one hour each, at two different pagodas, every Saturday and Sunday throughout September, October, and November 2023. Their goal was to contribute to the community by enhancing English proficiency. Additionally, this experience provided the high school students with an opportunity to improve their own English skills, as well as develop teaching and leadership abilities.


Each intern followed a specific calendar and topic that was organized and shared in advance by the Peace Corps Volunteer. The interns always taught in pairs, collaborating to support each other in the task of teaching, sometimes addressing up to 40 students in a single class.


The practices were held at Vihear Thom from 5 to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and at Wat Trea Primary School on Sundays from 7 to 9:20 am. At Vihear Thom, we typically had a maximum of 25 students, some of whom were monks. Among the regular students (non-monks), approximately 80% were female.

At Wat Trea Primary School, where we could accommodate a maximum of 60 students, we made the decision to split the entire group into two classes: Beginners and More Advanced.


One of the intern, driven by passion, expressed a desire to teach every Sunday for 2 hours. Her teaching techniques and English proficiency greatly enhanced the learning experience for both herself and the beginner learners. Additionally, this dedicated effort fostered significant growth in the teacher-student relationships.


We also had two additional individuals (interns) who observed and evaluated the teachers' performance by completing a questionnaire in a spreadsheet format.

This feedback provided valuable insights from peer to peer, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses. Each intern had the opportunity to teach at least three times (once per month over three months) due to the high demand for the program. Furthermore, some interns developed an altruistic mindset throughout this experience. They are now encouraged to include this valuable teaching experience in their resumes as part of their professional development focused on social development.


In addition to this remarkable initiative, the Peace Corps Volunteer made a deliberate choice to support local food businesses by purchasing drinks from one vendor and food from another, to provided breakfast (food and beverages) to each student at Wat Trea. Our schedule consisted of the first class session from 7:00 am to 8:00 am, followed by a 20-minute break for breakfast. Then, from 8:20 am to 9:20 am, we continued with the second part of the program.


As of 2024, the internships have been suspended due to high demand from interns at the High School. Consequently, the Peace Corps Volunteer is now providing classes to a reduced number of young students at Wat Trea Primary School. Meanwhile, classes at Vihear Thom have been entirely suspended.





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