The Cambodia Rural School Project
The Rachel Trout and
Emma Tate School
Mr. Ouk Veng, acting director of the Rachel Trout and Emma Tate School
Mr. Ouk Veng has been the acting director of the Rachel Trout and Emma Tate School since 1999. He has been at teacher since 1979. He is 52 and is looking to retire from teaching soon. He is married and has seven children, four of whom attend the school.
In Their Own Words. . .
| On the new building: | “I like the new building very much. It is much better looking than the old building because it is modern. The old school building was inside the pagoda. There were many holes in the roof and it had no walls. It was very noisy. This building is a big improvement over what we had before. It is also a good thing for the village because it is the first time a Non-Governmental Organization has come to assist this village. It shows that we are connected to the outside world and that people are concerned, and that helps the village.”
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| On school subjects: | “I like teaching Khmer and mathematics because it is important for my students to be able to speak and write our native language well and it is also important for them to be able to calculate. The students like learning all of the subjects. I don’t think they dislike any of the subjects.”
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| On teaching: | “I became a teacher because I wanted strengthen the Cambodian children by educating them and in that way help the Cambodian nation to improve.”
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| On the difficulties of his job: | “The worst things about my job are dealing with ignorance, poverty, and weakness. For example, if students don’t understand the Khmer language, they cannot understand our culture or civilization.”
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| Message for Dorothy and Peter Rinaldo: | “I would like to thank the Rinaldo family for donating this school for our village. May God take care of your health and may you succeed with your projects forever.” |
