My name is Nol Samnang. I
am 24 years old. I am a new teacher graduated from Regional Teacher Training
Center (RTTC) in Kandal province last school year. After my graduation, The
ministry of Education assigned me to 24 Kannha Upper Secondary School, located
in Kampong Speu province which is bit far away from my home town, but still I
am happy with my career as a science teacher. The school runs classes from
grade 7 to grade 12, and this school year I am appointed to teach chemistry for
all classes in grade 10. I was very nervous for my first teaching day when all
the children in my class stared at me with huge expectations.
Ever since I was a small
girl I dreamt of being a teacher. I like
explaining things and want to help children to gain better knowledge and
skills. During my two years training at
RTTC I have learned a lot both on teaching methodology and content knowledge. I
usually worked in group in the library on the homework given by my teacher
trainers. Through the assignment I learned how to think critically, how to
solve problems as well as to observe phenomena.
These are the skills I find very important to become a good science
teacher.
My teacher trainers usually
apply student center approach as well as including experiments in their lessons.
This has stimulated me to repeat the
same method during my practicum. Student center approaches stimulate students
to develop their skills; they are encouraged to use their prior knowledge and
creativity to form a new content. They learn to recognize and listen to others’
opinion. Moreover, I find experiments
very important for science lesson, it retain their knowledge in the memory
without forgetting it.
In general, to become a
good teacher, they should have strong content knowledge and good appearance, furthermore they should think logically, be neutral and
friendly with the students.
I encountered some
challenges to apply student centered approach in my lesson when I became the
teacher. Some teaching materials are not available in school but I can find and
bring them from home. Sometimes my pupils help me with finding the right
materials. My director is always
enthusiastic to support me when I ask for any request.
Today is International
Teachers’ Day. In Cambodia thousands of
teachers work every day in challenging conditions to give children a better
future. They deserve a lot of respect
and support for what they do. The above
story is a summary of an interview we had last month with Nol Samnang,
chemistry teacher in Kampong Speu province. Credit to Sokhany Nget for transcript and pictures.
