Another day, another teacher does her bit to change the world

This Teacher Appreciation Day we celebrate the many talents of our teachers and staff and the difference they make in the lives of children. 

Mrs Till made a world of difference to students and teachers in a state school in Cambodia last school holidays when she spent a week helping her son Darren teach his Grade 1 and 2 class. 

Darren has been teaching in Sovannaphumi School in the capital Phnom Penh since completing his English (TESOL) course in Cambodia eight months ago.

“I wanted to go and check out how he was settling in over there. To be honest, I was busting to get in and see what he was doing and wanted to help,” says Mrs Till, a highly experienced Enhanced Learning and ESL teacher who has been working at BAC since the late 90s.

“I spent three whole months collecting and making resources like alphabet, basic sight word and reading activities, and educational games such as Pass the Bomb, Crazy Cards, I Have, and Snakes and Ladders. Some of the teachers donated unused readers and our fantastic EL team at school pitched in to help me finish in time!”

The end result was impressive. By the time she had unpacked all of the educational resources from her suitcases at the other end, the king-sized bed was buried beneath the pile. Her educational resources came complete with instructions, extra stationery, rewards and stickers, children’s story books and presents for the children. 

Over the course of the week, Mrs Till taught four lessons a day, which included literacy circles with reading games and shared reading and writing from big books.

“The students were used to listening to lessons and working from a text book, so they loved the variety and excitement of small group games. They also loved the books I took, learning the words by heart and then changing them to create their own stories.” 

In the same week, she ran workshops and shared resources with the Cambodian teachers about how to teach reading through phonics rather than rote learning.

“It was a great experience,” says Mrs Till. “It was wonderful to teach alongside Darren and get to know his students. I can’t wait to go back again and see how they’re getting on.”