Thursday, February 25, 2010

Teaching in Cambodia is a learning experience

February 25, 2010
By Adam Wisnieski
The Riverdale Express (New York, USA)


A trip to the poverty-stricken nation of Cambodia has led to dramatic changes for one Riverdalian.

“I’ve never worked that hard in my life, and I can’t wait to do it again,” said Helene Tyler, a Manhattan College math professor who spent the month of December teaching a graduate course at the Royal University at Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

The last Riverdale heard from Ms. Tyler, she was boarding a plane on Thanksgiving Day to help rebuild the education system of Cambodia, devastated during the reign of dictator Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge. Almost 30 years later, the country still relies on the generosity of volunteers such as Ms. Tyler.

Her three-week course in differential equations was different from any class she’d ever taught. Each of her 11 students had a different educational background, some with gaping holes in certain areas. Ms. Tyler had to prepare entirely new lectures every morning and spent every afternoon in stifling classrooms in order to get the lessons across.

“You know, a lot of people have asked if it’s changed my life, and I feel like it sounds kind of trite to say it, but it did,” she said while enjoying french fries at the Riverdale Diner last week.

Now that she’s experienced life on the other side of the globe, some of her priorities have changed. She uses the Internet less and loses patience with friends who complain on Facebook about waiting in line at Target for too long. Observing life carrying on in Riverdale is far different from watching children fight to survive on Phnom Phen’s streets by selling souvenirs to tourists.

“It was difficult because every bit of extraordinary beauty was right next to something extraordinarily ugly. On the road that led to the hotel we stayed at, the beach was this little shanty village. I just couldn’t believe that people live that way.”

Some of her students were so poor they slept in nearby temples with the monks, unable to afford the fare to get home to their families.

“They have a whole different attitude about everything. A lot of the drive to succeed is tied to an obligation to help their families,” said Ms. Tyler, “What they sacrificed to be in that class is unbelievable.”

They don’t take the opportunity to learn for granted, she said.

“I mean no disrespect to my students here. I have never had a harder working, more earnest, eager, hungry group of students anywhere. I didn’t work that hard when I was a student,” she said.

After her teaching was done, Ms. Tyler and her husband Ron Zwerdling traveled around Cambodia. They attended a traditional family wedding of a language instructor Ms. Tyler had befriended and visited the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat. To reward her students for their hard work, she treated them all to dinner at a nice restaurant. When she was leaving, the entire class showed up at the airport to say goodbye, regardless of how significant the cost of traveling there was for some of them. She boarded the plane in tears.

When asked if she would return to Cambodia, she said she hopes she will. Her husband has already been pushing her to return next year.

18 comments:

Sacrava said...

Thanks Angel Tyler.
We need more people like you to shape up Khmer Kids.

Sovachana Pou said...

I am touched by your didactic experience in Cambodia. My heartfelt thanks to you for being the spark and the flame of the students continuous learning.
Pou Sovachana

Anonymous said...

This is a great job.your contribution is meaningful and respectful. thank you. you must go back again to give those students of cambodia a golden opportunity to build their bright future.

Anonymous said...

Eat your heart out, Theary Seng.

Anonymous said...

Wouldnt it be great if there are more people like Ms. Tyler show up? There are a lot of good, Cambodian teachers here in the U.S.

Anonymous said...

A lot of talented Khmer professionals over here in the States. When it comes to helping Cambodia, it's too bad that they are only interested politic.

Anonymous said...

Somebody asked here;
Wouldnt it be great if there are more people like Ms. Tyler show up? There are a lot of good, Cambodian teachers here in the U.S.
10:13 PM

Why do always Foreigners have to help the Cambodian People?
Why other rich Cambodian People cannot help poor Cambodian People.

Why they rather let them die then to help them?

Why Cambodians in the USA usually not help each other like the Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese People?
(Yes I KNOW there are exceptions! Not all like this but most)

This is the reason that the Cambodian People are not successful in Life and Business.

Everybody is proud if there is a Chinese person as relative in the Family.
Why?
If a Cambodian boy have the chance to marry a pure Khmer girl or a girl have Chinese, half Khmer be sure he will jump on the mixed girl.

She is more worth! Better Family
and they know this.

As long as the Cambodians think so low about them self nothing will change in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

1:42am,
All of your questions are logical. let me answer just one below:

Why Cambodians in the USA usually not help each other like the Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese People?
(Yes I KNOW there are exceptions! Not all like this but most)

I and my wife in US are doing well but I can't go to Cambodia like Ms Tyler and her husband, because my children and my grand kids are here. Unfortunatly we damn Cambodians (or Asians) always weight family member first over thousand of poors infront of our eyes who are crying for help. We Asians love Money and family members. Unlike white American family who adopted poor Asians children, we rather buy expensive houses, expensive cars, expesive university tuitions for our children and grand kids. We Asians in USA live in fear of not enough Money. Even our dead ancestors, we burn paper money for them so they can live well in the heaven. White Americans and my children borned in USA think differently. They wanted to go back to help the poors in Cambodia... they want to adopt orphans etc...

It is how we were trained. We are stucked with it. I heard no rich chineses went back to Mainland to help their fellow poor people in the 80's either...

Anonymous said...

It's not that I don't want to go back and hep the poor, first of all, I have to make a living by going to work 5 days a week. I want to make sure I support my own self first. Then comes, family, relatives, friends and so on. I want to explore what there's to explore in US. And believe me, there are so many places to visit. Now, you know why I can't go back and help the poor. I know it's a bit greedy. But that's life and you have to deal with it.
Unlike the poor people in Cambodia do nothing but complaints. They should find better things to do instead of having of a lot of kids. I'm sorry I'm off the topic, however, my question I want to know is, why do poor people in Cambodia keep having a lot of children?

SenBlue said...

The New Collection of Wallpaper
According to construction in Cambodia
construction materials said a collection of wallpaper was created for Italian.
Moreover this wallpaper is hypnotic, and need more energy; this model is full of color and pluri-dimensional.
One more thing this new wallpaper model comes to replace the grey spaces that become part of your lives.
Indeed, it will make you house full of artistic and more beautiful and you will feel relax and fresh to live in.

Vannak Chhorm said...

The Global Suites Hotel

Now we can come across a hotel with a unique style, which is the second one of the Global Suites chain, leading to furniture shop in Cambodia
construction materials highlighted.
By this way the location of this hotel is in an ancient building, and it has already been used as hotel before being reorganized in 2011.
One more thing this hotel is divided in two ways such as; ground floor, where we find the common areas such as reception, coffee bar and breakfast room; then three floors, where 25 bedrooms and a wonderful platform with a special view are located.

Unknown said...

The Abundance White House

This beautiful house is designed for more comfortable and interesting, according to furniture shop in Cambodia construction materialssaid.
One more thing this house is decorated with the white rounded shapes that makes for fresh and attractive.
In addition the yard has an attractive landscape and comfortable furniture, in this way the furniture is built in beds like wardrobes that merge with the walls and wooden sofa, beds that flank the living area.
Moreover the windows of this house open to the side of the courtyard, and then it is designed with the modern lighting such as new skylight and small wall recesses with embedded light which offer a dispersal of luminosity from hidden lighting.

Unknown said...

Hollywood-styled Art Deco glamour by Linda Brettler

According to reliable furniture shop in Phnom Penh construction materials information, co-owner and architect Linda Brettler designed the featured bathroom and whole house with the passion of taking vintage Hollywood glamour into the design.
The main feature in creating the perfect ambience of her description was the tilework.
"The tiles in the first batch were rejects – they had been double glazed and were very uneven," Brettler says. "But I opened up the box and loved the variations, which gave the tiles a very handmade look. So the mistake turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
"This Art Deco ziggurat detail and the mosaic tiles are often seen in Spanish and Moorish architecture, which has long been a strong design influence in Hollywood."
The bathroom also consisted of a bathtub, walk-in shower, toilet, twin set of washbasins and mirrors, and vanity cabinetry.

Unknown said...

Layout inspiration by Mary Landgren

As successful furniture shop in Cambodia construction materials
informed, outside the box, the featured bathroom’s remodel is known by its unusual shape of eight-sided polygon line.
Designer Mary Landgren at first found this as a challenge yet got inspired to turn the table around with the design. "It can be hard to design within an unusual shape, but it is a great opportunity for a distinctive look," she said.
To counter with the room’s shape, the identical figure is used in the bathtub as well as spa in the room’s central point. Another key factor to increase the quirkiness is the etched-glass shower wall. The designer create a dramatic aura with the flower illustration and candles.
"All the elements in the room have been selected to create a warm, inviting feel," she added. "I selected the colors to enhance the rich tones of the limestone floor and the wall tile in the shower."

worldjonh said...

Salesforce.com opens French data center
Well-known web design in Cambodia, digital marketing agency, Data center operator Interxion is working with cloud service operator Salesforce to build a new European data center in France with the former saying the French data center will be powered by renewable energy sources.
According to Roseau de Transport de electricite (RTE), with 85% of France’s electricity generated by nuclear power that could limit the options for the siting of the facility.
Analyst Clive Longbottom, senior researcher at Quocirca, is doubtful of the possibility of a sustainable data center in France, saying: “Overall, the statement is 100% greenwash - and should be treated as such.”
He added: “The only way that you can guarantee 100% sustainable power is to have a system that is self-contained and off-grid; something that I would not recommend for any data center, which at the very least needs to be on-grid for availability purposes.”

Unknown said...

Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus Said to Imitate Samsung Galaxy Notes
( digital marketing agency, thesnsgroup.com)- By this time, everybody should know that well-known Apple has recently unveiled the iPhone 6 Plus with a larger 5.5 inch display.
Regardless of the new handset’s elegance and innovation, Apple’s rivals Samsung has claimed in a commercial ad that the iPhone 6 Plus is copying its phablet model with bigger screen initially released in 2011.
Cited by AppleInsider, Samsung's narrator said, "now it's not being dismissed by competitors," a direct shot at Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus device.
Naturally, the ad moves on to tout a few Galaxy Note features, like inclusion of a stylus and multi-pane multitasking, before showing tweets that imply the new iPhone 6 Plus is merely derivative of Samsung's large-screened smartphone family. The commercial ends by noting the Galaxy Note 4 — "The Next Big Thing is Here" — comes out in October.

Unknown said...

Leading trend

As successful furniture shop in Cambodia construction materials informed, experienced in the industry for more than a century, French company Mobalpa is a leading firm in designing kitchen of innovative and ground-breaking configuration.
"Mobalpa is reinventing itself, and launching a new kitchen catalogue that features 230 bold and daring designs," managing director Thierry Le Biez stated. "The Cyane high-shine kitchen featured here is a case in point."
"Used in conjunction with wood panels or stainless steel, these colors give the kitchen an ultra-modern look," added Le Biez. "Cyane plays with reflections and mirror effects, manipulating space and volume with dramatic results."

loy man said...

A New Study Found a Hi-Tech Method to Moderate Battery Consumption
( digital marketing agency) – For those users who whine and are tired of running out of battery within a matter of hours after usage on their mobile devices, this new technology can solve the issue with its energy-consuming control inside transistors.
“We devised a technique to cool the electrons internally – allowing reduction in operating voltage – so that we can create even smaller, more power-efficient devices,” said study co-author Kyeongjae Cho, professor at the University of Texas, Dallas.
“The whole semi-conductor industry is looking for steep devices because they are key to having small, powerful, mobile devices with many functions that operate quickly without spending a lot of battery power,” added co-author Jiyoung Kim, a professor at the University of Texas, Dallas in the US. ”Our device is one solution to make this happen,”