My name is Srey Nit K. I am ten years old. I live in Khnat village. My house is not big, but it is just right. I have ten pets. There are two ducks, five chickens and three cows.

I have three brothers and two sisters. My mother is a farmer and my father is a teacher. He is a very good teacher.

I want to tell you about my life outside school. During the holidays, I like to read books, do art, play with my friends and look after my baby brother. When I have free time, I help my mother cook rice. I am interested in reading Captain Underpants.

I want to tell you about my life in school. My favorite class in school is Teacher Sarah’s class. In school I like to read. I play with my friends when it is break time. My favorite place in the school is the library because there are lots of books to read.

In the future, I want to be a doctor because when people in my village are sick and they don’t have money, they go to Kantha Bopha hospital and that is the place where I want to work, so that they can come to me and I will not take money from them.

At the end, I want to say thank you to Teacher Mark and Teacher Lisa because they let me study in this good school. And I want to say thank you to all the teachers who teach me good things. I wish Teacher Mark and Teacher Lisa good luck.

Teacher’s View
Sarah Norton (Grade Three Teacher)

Srey Nit K. has always been a joy to teach in class. I first met Srey Nit K. during summer school. Even when I constantly confused her with Srey Nit L., she was never angry or impatient with her new teacher. Srey Nit has grown in her ability to express herself and think critically, or as we say in Third Grade “dig deeper.” I enjoy how she is always ready to share an interesting idea about a story, or ask a challenging question in science class. I look forward to sharing more with her in Third Grade this year and seeing the person she becomes as she continues to grow and learn.

Hello! My name is Veasna. I am thirteen years old. I live in Chey village with my family. My house is made out of wood and the roof is made out of iron. I have two houses, one is my mother’s house and one is my grandmother’s house. I don’t have any pets because pets are difficult to look after.

During my holidays and also in my free time, I like to help my grandmother do housework like wash dishes, clean clothes and clean the inside of my house. When I finish my housework, I like to read books that I borrow from the school library. Before my mother was a soya milk maker in Chey Primary School, but now she doesn’t have a job. Jay Pritzker Academy donated soya milk to Chey School, which is why my mother worked there.

After school, I like to talk to my friends and tell them a lot of jokes. My favorite place in the school is my classroom. I like my class the best, because I like the way my teacher has put up a lot of beautiful pictures and descriptions about my lessons on the wall. I also like our library because in the library, there are a lot of books to read. There are some magazines that I can read and then share ideas with my friends and family.

When I grow up, I probably want to be a teacher. I will teach at this school. I want to be a teacher, because I think I would like to teach small students. I’m very impressed with the way my teacher explains things to me and my friends to help us understand. Sometimes, I also think that if I become a teacher I will teach students the exact way my teacher explains, so that they are able to understand what I am trying to say.

I would like to tell the people of Cambodia to not throw garbage all around, because it can make us sick. In Cambodia, there are a lot of motos and cars. People use gas to run their vehicles, so this is one way that pollution can get in the air and it is very dangerous for our health.

I want people to start taking care of the Earth’s natural resources and the air we breathe everyday, so that there is less pollution around us and we will be healthy.

I hope you will enjoy reading my story. Please help me in taking care of the Earth’s natural resources. You also need to keep trying at the things that you find difficult, so that someday you will get good at it.

Teacher’s View
Tracey Allen (Grade Six Teacher)

A cheerful, friendly student, Veasna displays a caring and considerate nature towards others. She shows a genuine interest in learning and is confident enough in her skills to take risks. An articulate speaker, Veasna eagerly participates in class discussions by asking and answering questions, sharing her ideas and opinions and clarifying information. Veasna completes work with care and pride and demonstrates an able and successful approach to study. Her positive attitude and strong work ethic make Veasna a role model for her peers and an asset in the classroom. Her sense of humor will bring a smile to any face. Veasna is a pleasure to teach!

My name is Kangna. I am eleven years old. I study in Grade Five at JPA. I have been studying here for three years. I live in Prey Tlok village behind a big, red roofed house. My house is made of straw and it’s not big. The pedestal is cracked. I have three dogs.

There are seven members in my family. I live with my aunt, uncle, my mother and my two brothers. My father works in Kompong Cham. When my father has holidays, he comes back home and plays with us. My uncle goes to work near Angkor Wat. My mother stays at home with my aunt. My elder brother is studying at Knat and my second brother is studying in Wat Prasad. When I am not at school, I study and do my homework. Sometimes, I take a little nap. I like to help my aunt by buying things from the little shop near my house. I cook rice for her when she makes food for us to eat. My favorite class in school is science, because I can learn about dinosaur footprints and the nine planets. I do activities with my friends in class to make sure I understand the topics which are taught to us.

My favorite hobby is to play Uno, because I can play with my friends. Sometimes I win and sometimes I loose the game. I also like to read when it is a holiday and when I am not busy. In school I like to play games and sometimes I like to read books with my friends. My favorite place in school is near the fence, because I can take in fresh air and my brain is clear. In the future, I want to be a doctor because I can help thousands of people who are sick. I want to live in Canada, because I can see Teacher Emily again. Teacher Emily taught us last year in Grade Four and she is from Canada. Now she is a student in Canada.

I would like to tell the people of Cambodia to not throw garbage everywhere. I would also like to tell them to drive carefully, follow the rules and make sure they do not have accidents.

I hope that JPA will have lots of students in the future. JPA students don’t steal things, they follow the rules of the school and do not copy from each other when they have tests.

Teacher’s View
Bethany Murphy (Grade Five Teacher)

Kangna was one of the first names I learned in my Grade Five classroom this year. She was and is eager, willing, and able to answer questions and participate in class. She is always laughing, always smiling, and very dramatic. Over the course of the year I have seen her grow more serious about her work, realizing that as she goes higher in grade level, the curriculum becomes more challenging. While she is still fun and eccentric, she is much more careful about raising her hand to speak or answer a question. It has been a pleasure to have her in my classroom this year, and I look forward to watching her mature.

My name is Chivit. I am thirteen years old and I am studying in Grade Seven at JPA. I have been studying here for the last three years.

I was born in Chey Village in Siem Reap. We were five siblings and we were quite necessitous [sic], so my parents decided to offer me and my brother for adoption to my uncle and aunt, so I now live with them in Svay Village.

In JPA we study four subjects such as Math, Science, English and Khmer Literature. I like to study about Biology, Physics and History because I find them very interesting.

My teacher’s name is Ms. Lucy. She is a kind and gentle teacher.

In my free time, I like to play volleyball and chess with my siblings or friends. The place that I like is the countryside where there are many trees and different kinds of animals. I also like it because it is peaceful and quiet. I completely dislike crowded cities where there are millions of people and vehicles. I do not like garbage and pollution which makes me feel sick.

When I grow up, I would like to be a businessman. If I can, I would also like to be a famous scientist

I would also like to develop my own country so that one day it will be a well known country like other countries in the world.

Teacher’s View
Lucy Thompson (Grade Seven Teacher)

Chivit is a charismatic young boy. He is well liked by his peers and is always smiling. As a student, he is self-motivated and hard working. He continuously asks for more books to read to improve his understanding of the world and to develop his vocabulary. He is intrigued with new words and figurative language and is always trying to work his new knowledge into his writing, making it more effective and gripping. He also excels at making connections between subjects, texts, and the world around him. He has already made huge strides this year and has a bright future ahead of him.