A Spotlight on One of our Best
The first
grade classroom for A Heart for Wisdom School sits right across the yard from
the Greater Hope Orphanage so I can hear the sing-song sounds of this hard
working class all afternoon. This class is run by a young woman who is fairly
new at the teaching profession however shines so brightly as a passionate
educator and counselor to her young eager students. Kun-Thea teaches one of our
two 1st grade classrooms and does so in an inspiring way.
The era of
the Khmer Rouge has left an ugly mark on the education system of Cambodia. The
rouge targeted the educated for their death camps which has left the education
system slow to recover. Although Cambodia has free public education, it’s often
riddled with teachers that have purchased their teaching certificates instead
of studied for them, often requiring students to pay bribes for answers to home
work and test scores. This broken education systems most obviously effects the
poorest of the poor who are unable to purchase homework assignments or fold in
extra cash with their test papers.
A Heart for
Wisdom is breaking this cycle with the stunning efforts of many teachers just
like Kun-Thea. Kun-Thea has embraced creative and diverse learning methods
while at the same time preserving Khmer culture and Khmer expression. She is a
model of progress and preservation. Kun-Thea has added singing and dance
classes into her weekly curriculum which instruct the students in traditional
Khmer music and traditional Khmer dance.
Her students brim with joy during these courses with sharp focus and
great effort.
The traditional arts were nearly
devastated during the Khmer rouge era with no allowance for creative expression
during the communist regime. Khmer culture is rich with unique dance, music,
instruments, and performance arts with many of these traditions being thousands
of years old. The arts have gained strength as the country has recovered with
the grandmas and grandpas of this generation carefully handing down memories of
plays, songs, and dance techniques.
It’s a joy
to watch Kun-Thea’s class start a new era of Cambodia. It’s a joy to watch a
whole new generation grow, learn, explore, create, and express the God-made
beauty within them. It’s a joy to watch Kun-Thea balance the progress of
education and the preservation of culture. It’s a joy to watch them dance!
Below a Link
to a short clip of Khmer Dance Class:
