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:
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