Adventures in Leadership: Bringing a Lifetime of Learning to Rural Cambodia

Wendy Matthews loves a challenge. She found one worthy of her talents in Samlaut, Cambodia.

In 2007, as Matthews was preparing to retire as ETFO's coordinator of Professional Services, the federation was approached by Right To Play, an international humanitarian organization that uses sports and play programs to promote development in countries affected by war, poverty, and disease.¹ Right To Play was beginning a partnership with the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (MJP), a conservation and community development organization with a special focus on the impoverished villages in northwest Cambodia.² MJP's Millennium Village Project needed a seasoned professional to help define its education component.³ This would be a one-month contract.

Matthews was soon en route to Samlaut, an impoverished area in northern Cambodia that had been the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. She became MJP's education advisor.

"I arrived in September, Cambodia's rainy season, " Matthews recalls."It was at least 30 degrees, and very humid. Thick mud made the roads almost impassable. Flooding encouraged mosquitoes and malaria. Acclimatizing to the environment was a challenge.

The Samlaut Millenium Village Project consists of 10 villages with a population of 5,000 spread over 600 square kilometres. The area contains most of the region's forests, fresh water, ecosystems, and endangered species. It also has more landmines than any other place in Asia. "Apart from the climate, the most obvious challenge was language:· Matthews says."I was fortunate that Narap Ourm, MJP's education coordinator, was able to translate into Khmer for me. Initially I was struck by everything that wasn't there in terms of infrastructure. Then I shifted focus to see what was there and to build on it to make a difference."

Traditionally, Cambodian students learn by rote. With class sizes of 40 or more and fewmaterial resources, teaching and learning is a challenge. Teachers earn about one dollar a day, leaving them well below the poverty line. To make ends meet, some teach twice during the staggered school day once in the morning and once in the afternoon and also engage in private tutoring.

To understand what change was necessary in Samlaut's four primary schools and one junior secondary school, Matthews quickly studied existing school governance, curriculum, and teacher qualifications. She, Narap, and his assistant, Kethya, worked together to develop some practical goals, one of which was to encourage active learning for both students and teachers.

“It was serendipity that the Cambodian government’s recent child-friendly school policy also supported active learning,” Matthews said. “However, that information was slow in reaching Samlaut, and it wasn’t supported by curriculum or resources. We decided to define what the policy meant for us.”

They were soon read to share their knowledge, and planned a two-day pilot workshop for 18 teachers. Matthews used role-playing and other strategies to help prepare Narap and Kethya to lead it. Necessary materials were carried down muddy tracks to Samlaut on the back of Narap’s motorcycle. They set up the room for group work, not for the lecture format familiar to Cambodian teachers.

“We started early because the school had no electricity. Reading participants’ body language, I could see there was some miscommunication between what was intended and what was received in Khmer. Overall, though, the workshop went really well,” Matthews says proudly.
By now, with her one-month contract coming to an end, Matthews had been working seven days a week from morning to night, battling the heat and rain, and working in an unfamiliar language. More remained to be done and her goals were ambitious: “I wanted to leave a plan outlining the next year’s projects and timing. The plan continued to build relationships with stakeholder groups such as village councils, the district and provincial education offices, and UNICEF. These links are now an important part of Samlaut’s network and ensure the previously neglected region stays on the government’s radar.”

If, after that initial visit, Matthews thought she was leaving Cambodia behind, she was gladly mistaken. She has returned twice, in March and again in November 2008. On that last visit she had company: Beth Gunding, former ESL coordinator for the Peel District School Board, provided three days of intensive literacy training to Samlaut’s Primary teachers, and Right To Play’s Julia Porter spent five days training two village sports coordinators.

During her follow-up visits Matthews focused on revising the plan and found time to visit teachers in their classrooms. The rapidly expanding project now includes kindergarten classes, after-school sports programs, and school libraries that also welcome parents.

This month, when Matthews makes her fourth trip, she will be accompanied by two Canadian interns who will work with the MJP team to develop community preschools and after-school EcoRanger clubs for 10 to 12-year-olds.

When asked how she was able to achieve all this and more, Matthews points to her 32 years of teaching: she taught every elementary grade before moving into a staff position at ETFO where she delivered professional learning programs to teachers. She also credits her interest in strenuous outdoor activities and the time she spent travelling independently in Asia during a self-funded leave.

Those who seek to follow her example have big shoes to fill. They would have to be physically and mentally fit, creative and persistent, and treat problems as challenges and mistakes as opportunities for learning. They would also have to be respectful of other cultures, capable of building broad networks, and able to recognize that effective strategies are informed by the experiences and expertise brought by all.
Matthews says, “Everything I have ever learned has been useful in Samlaut. While we work very hard, the MJP team and I have an enormous amount of fun. And the Cambodian people are amazingly resilient, quick to embrace change, and want to build better lives for themselves and their children. It’s an honour to help them do so.”

ETFO Leadership Opportunities

ETFO provides a wide array of leadership training for members and activists. Not all programs are provided every year and requirements for participation vary. Leadership training may also be included in ETFO conferences. Information about workshops and conferences is available on our website, etfo.ca.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TRAINING

This training for local presidents, chief negotiators, grievance officers, stewards, and local executive members also helps develop new leaders for ETFO locals. New Teacher Collective Bargaining Workshops are also provided upon local request. Contact Christine Brown, cbrown@etfo.org.

Skills for Aspiring Chief Negotiators

Workshops are open to all members.No experience is required. Contact LynnMcLean, lmclean@etfo.org.

Members can qualify for WHSC instructor training by completing Level I and Level II health and safety training, which is open to all members. Contact Susan Ansara, sansara@etfo.org.

DIVERSITY IN LEADERSHIP

Leadership training is provided for members from designated groups committed to becoming involved in union work. Contact Sherry Ramrattan Smith, srsmith@etfo.org.

LEADERS FOR TOMORROW

This intensive, year-long leadership development program for women members from designated groups includes workshops and experiences directly related to local and provincial leadership roles in ETFO. Participants are required to put their learning into practice throughout the year. Contact Sherry Ramrattan Smith, srsmith@etfo.org.

MENTOR TRAINING PROGRAM

For experienced teachers who wish to mentor new teachers. Training is also provided for leaders of Mentor Training workshops. Contact Joanne Languay, jlanguay@etfo.org.

EQUITY AND WOMEN’S SERVICES PRESENTER TRAINING

Members from designated groups, who have participated in the Diversity in Leadership or the Leaders for Tomorrow programs, receive training to deliver Equity and Women’s Services workshops.Contact Sherry Ramrattan Smith, srsmith@etfo.org.

PRESENTER’S PALETTE and BEYOND THE WORKSHOP PRESENTER’S PALETTE

Participants enhance their facilitation, presentation, and leadership skills to use as workshop leaders in ETFO programs. Contact Jane Bennett, jbennett@etfo.org.

REFLECTIONS ON PRACTICE

This year-long institute provides six days of face-to-face meetings and an online community for 40 women teachers who develop, carry out, and report on an action research project. Contact Anne Rodrigue, arodrigue@etfo.org.

UNION SCHOOL

The school focuses on the many skills necessary to be an effective local union leader. Participants attend two face-to-face sessions, take part in an online community, and complete a practicum activity. Contact Jerry DeQuetteville, jdequetteville@etfo.org.

WOMEN IN ACTION

Workshops, provided in partnership with ETFO locals, develop women’s political leadership skills. Participants who have been elected to either local or provincial office in ETFO are eligible to receive training to become Women in Action facilitators. Contact Mary Morison, mmorison@etfo.org.

NOTES 
¹ For more information visit righttoplay.com.
² Established by Angelina Jolie in 2003, the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation provides direct support to local villages and to endangered wildlife and habitats, with the aim of achieving a path to sustainable social, environmental and economic development by 2012. Visit mjpasia.org.
³ The Millennium Village Project, also known as Samlaut2012, incorporates the principles of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. Visit endpoverty2015.org.