A Crazy Whirlwind

The air on campus felt different that first afternoon of school, charged with anticipation and fresh beginnings. Our motivational welcome speech kick-started the academic year, as students sat in neat rows, some nervous, some excited, all dressed up nicely.

While the students were stepping into a new chapter, we were already deep in preparations behind the scenes. The first big milestone on the horizon was the graduation ceremony for our newly graduated students. Planning it brought a mix of pride and nostalgia, watching them grow over the years, and now preparing to let them go into the world.

In between meetings and planning sessions, Kiki and I delivered the annual Safeguarding training to the entire staff. A new rulesystem to protect everyone involved with the organization. From students to teachers to parents to every external visitor. The room was warm, filled with the quiet seriousness of responsibility. It is always an important reminder that beyond education, our foremost role is to ensure every child is safe, heard, and cared for. One by one, Code of Conduct forms were signed by students, parents, and teachers, the rustling of papers and soft conversations filling the space as accountability and trust were formally renewed for another year.

Amid all this, I kept a careful eye on the budget spreadsheets, often late in the evening when the campus grew quieter, and the only sounds left were distant laughter from the dormitories and the occasional motorbike passing outside. There is a certain calm in numbers, a reassurance that everything is stable, sustainable, and aligned with our mission.

It was during this very first busy week that we met Jury for the first time. She arrived with a gentle confidence and a thoughtful presence that immediately stood out. She had applied for a teaching position. At the time of writing, Jury has grown to be the head-teacher at our boarding school. When she later accepted the full-time position and officially started in December, it felt like a natural and meaningful addition to our team.

By the end of that intense week, exhaustion had settled into our bones. We met my uncle, aunt, cousin, and her fellow international trainees for dinner after they had spent the afternoon wandering through the lively Water Festival and the colorful markets scattered around Siem Reap. Their faces showed that familiar mix of awe and fatigue. Sun-kissed, slightly overwhelmed, and very hungry.

We chose Peace Café, a hidden gem tucked along the riverside, where the soft glow of warm lights and the gentle evening breeze created a peaceful refuge from the crowded streets. The atmosphere was calm, the curries delicious, and the conversations slow. Going over our travels to Nepal and New York, and their experiences in Cambodia. Yet beneath the warmth of the evening lingered a quiet awareness: after dinner, my aunt and uncle would travel to the capital, and I wouldn’t see them again for over a year.

The second week unfolded with a different kind of energy. There was excitement in the air as we prepared to update our website. Thomas was set to fly in to take new photos and even create a video for the organization. At the start of the following week, my focus shifted to the teachers. After their regular hours, when the classrooms grew quieter and the golden evening light filtered through the windows, I gave introduction classes on a completely new subject and teaching approach: Project-Based Learning (PBL).

I had created all the projects myself, carefully tailored to the needs of our students and cross-referenced with every curriculum goal, tailor-made for our students and target audience. Standing in front of the teachers, I felt both responsibility and excitement, introducing not just a method, but a mindset. We discussed student-centered learning, guiding students toward answers rather than giving them directly, and nurturing skills like critical thinking, research, and self-expression within a safe learning environment. We also focused on different ways of grading students. We now grade both on their end product as on their process, how they got their, what choices they made along the way, and why, and most importantly, what they've learned from it.

It required patience, repetition, and many one-on-one coaching moments throughout the year. Some evenings were long, filled with questions, trial lessons, and quiet breakthroughs. But even now, I can still see how those early sessions continue to pay off, in the way teachers facilitate discussions, in the confidence of the students, and in the small sparks of curiosity that appear during lessons.

After all the extra training sessions, my days were not yet over. In the evenings, as the heat softened and the campus settled into a calmer rhythm, I taught the Year 4 students. Their energy, questions, and laughter were the perfect reminder of why all the long hours, planning, and emotional investment were worth it. Grounding me again in the heart of our mission: education, growth, and care.