To be a teacher is to watch a soul develop

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The class is Critical Thinking. The assignment was to take a problem or a situation in your life, something that is important to you, and use the skills you have learned in critical thinking to arrive at a judgment or conclusion. Some students wrote about getting married, some wrote about choosing a major or starting a business. Generally speaking, I didn't treat this as a spelling and grammar exercise. If I did that, few would pass the class. I really wanted to get insight into how they are making decisions. I had a number of really amazing papers but the one below absolutely blew me away. I want to honor this student by using his voice so I have copied it almost exactly as he wrote it. He's from one of the provinces and he's here on scholarship. Many of our students are from middle class and wealthy familes. But we have several that come from rural provinces where they have not been well prepared for college work and finding themself here is like winning a lottery. They acutally may have a chance at a decent life but adjusting to Phnom Penh and "big city" life is a huge challenge. Try to stay with it, and read on. This blog isn't much about me, so I'll catch you up on that later. This was important for me to share and will give you insight into why I love being here (most times).



My parents are a farmer, so my father wants all the sons and daughter have high education. When I finished at high school my father gave money to me for pay school at Phnom Penh. I arrived the first time I never know anywhere, anyone. I rented one home near my school because it easy to go to school. I have stayed and study one year ago I think if I don’t find the job for support myself my mother will pay a lot of money for me for food, rent home, and pay school so that I want find job to work for support myself the first I tell my friend that I want to find the job to work so that my friend tell me you don’t worry I know one person. He needs the person to work. This job it is very easy and you get high salary. My friend let’s me go to meet him. He is a rich men. He use the modern things. He ask me, Do you want to work? I leave answer, yes I do. He never ask about my experience. I ask him what kind of job do you give me to work? He tell me it is an easy job, you don’t worry. You can do and you can get high salary. In the one day after he call me to work. When I arrive a place that he call to meet. He have one bag and he tell me, you don’t open the bag to see and carefully when you meet the police, you just to go far away from police. You take this bag to give a person in this photo, now he is at Sorrya Market. He is waiting you. I agree with him. I left from him, I wonder what is in the bag. I open the bag to see. In the bag his a lot of addict drugs. I think if I do this work successful I will get many money from my boss. When I have a lot of money I will buy new car, buy big home and support my study. When I have money I will have every things that I want. But I come home and I turn on the TV for watch news. I see the police catch the persons that sell addict drugs and send them go to jail at Prey Sour. When I see this information I start think against if I do this work. It have many problem to social and myself and my family. If I sell addict drugs, there are many teenagers in social use addict drugs. They will have bad attitude in their family and in social. They don’t have money to buy addict drugs for use. They will threaten their family and steal money from their family. The problem for me if I sell addict drugs. I think in the one day the police will catch me an send me to jail at Prey Sour. If I stay at Prey Sour, I lost the chance to study at university. There are a lot of people hate me. My parents will be unhappy because they have the son if have bad attitude. If I left from the jail I don’t have high education for find the good job for help myself and my parents when I apply go for work. The other company they don’t call me to work so that I will find the work that use energy.

After considering all of the reasons I should not do this job and I will report this information to the police because I think it has many disadvantage to me and social and my family. That you now know that I describe already. So that I will try to study hard and find a legal work to do. When I finish at university I think I will get a good job and can help my parents and my family will be happy.

I gave this paper 100 percent. It's critical thinking, not an English class.

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Comments

[Sarah]

Awesome!!
That is fantastic. It is so rewarding to see the fruits of your labor, especially while you're still laboring. :)