Reflections on our growth from loyal friends Terry & Joseph Rothchild, who first joined the PLF Army of Love way back in 2008 when Terry came with daughter Alissa to volunteer-teach at our projects. They have remained unwavering supporters since that first visit, and it was a pleasure to welcome them back to Siem Reap, 17 years later!
Meeting the team at PLF HQ in 2025!
“As long-standing donors to PLF, it was so rewarding for us to return to Siem Reap this year in order to meet with the current PLF staff and hear about their work more in-depth. There is nothing like witnessing in person their enthusiasm and dedication to their work!
Joseph and I are very impressed with how organized and thoughtful PLF is in their consideration of how to support a disadvantaged child through their formative years of public school education. They understand that the success of such a mission has to be grounded on a commitment not only to the child, but to their families and their communities. There is a recognition that important life necessities, such as adequate nutrition for the child to attend to learning, and overall hygiene habits, are basic and fundamental.
We saw firsthand how these areas continue to be built into the students’ daily life at school, as well as hear about the many exciting new advances …
- The various learning centers offer opportunities for students to obtain supplemental, educational and recreational activities that go beyond academics, such as arts and crafts, music, chess as a strategic game and competitive activity. This allows students to engage further in different areas of learning and strengthen the development of the whole child.
- There are so many bright and cheerful libraries now for all age groups that encourage reading and serve as strong community social centers.
- The IT labs for older students are very impressive and teach them crucial technological skills.
- Due to PLF’s overall success in keeping students engaged in learning, many more students are graduating high school, which in itself is a tremendous achievement! For those students who are interested and capable, PLF can offer a path to college or vocational training along with the possibility of scholarships to these students.
It was also a joy to see meet the PLF team at their headquarters which are housed in the newest learning center in Siem Reap, as well as visit the Knar Learning Center and libraries there to help prepare lunch for the 4-6th Grade students and distribute food for them to bring home. At Knar Learning Center they were celebrating Reading Day so we also donated library books and participated in some of their celebrations.
Our 2-day visit to PLF confirmed the richness of all of the programs and activities provided to school children that we have read about through the years since our last visit 17 years ago!”
Terry’s impressions from their mother-daughter teaching trip to Siem Reap, July, 2008
Terry’s daughter Alissa with teachers & Lori in 2008
“The students call out, “teacher, teacher” to get my attention so I can help them with their school work, “What is this name? How do you say this?” Their faces break out in wide smiles, and their bright eyes meet mine. These students’ ability to connect beyond language and words, along with their spirited enthusiasm, was an experience that I felt over and over again during my time of volunteer teaching Cambodian students in a primary school, along with my daughter Alissa, age 25. The students live in the surrounding rural farming area in homes without electricity or running water.
Our reliable and punctual tuk-tuk driver arrives early at Ponheary’s guesthouse every morning to pick us up, and we pass temples, villages and their activities, and rice paddies on the way to school. Under a shaded tree by the dusty roadside, a lone woman and her infant child sit day after day selling a variety of melons. We see farmers hunched over in the rice paddies pulling up rice shoots and tying them into bundles. Water buffaloes cool themselves in the thick, dark mud in the shade right along the road.
We arrive to school at 10 AM and teach English to our class of 27 students for the next two hours. I assisted Alissa who taught a series of lessons, including introductions and getting to know you, items found in a classroom, modes of transportation, and parts of the body. They love spelling bees and other word games using the blackboard, as well as learning songs. They love to sing and became especially giddy each time when asked to do “the Hokey Pokey and turn yourself around…” That part always cracks them up. A reminder to us of the children’s farming life came during a lesson on “What Do You Do at Home?” We provided sample answers to them, such as “I cook food” or “I play with my friends” and asked them to draw pictures of these activities on the large blackboard. Then we asked them to come up with their own drawings in response to that day’s lesson, and they drew pictures that suggested, “I get water from the well” and “I lead my cow.”
In addition to teaching our students, we also met with about 8 teachers from Knar and Chay Primary Schools every late afternoon to engage in conversational English. Not only do these teachers teach at least half a day six days a week, they also described to us their responsibilities at home and to their families during the other part of the day, which involved plowing their farm land and selling rice and other crops at market that they have grown. They are so motivated to learn that they drive an hour into the city to these meetings everyday. Topics such as Who Did they Admire or Look Up to, Khmer culture, and Their Own Goals formed the basis of many interesting and informational-sharing conversations. The teachers were curious about life in America, including what kinds of animals Americans have and whether the community will help a bride and groom build a house. They are especially proud of their temples and the history behind them as well as the modernizing of Siem Reap. We can see how critical it is to support the teachers in their English language development and at the schools in general, which in turn allow them to be that much better at supporting their students and families.
While many of my experiences in Siem Reap will remain with me from this trip, what will stay in my heart forever are the memories of our students’ bright smiles and shining eyes expressing a show of appreciation as well as their incredible enthusiasm and thirst for learning. Alissa and I will always value this unique trip which offered us such vivid and memorable experiences with the Cambodian people.”
Thank you so much Terry & Joseph for your kind words, and your loyal support for all these years. We are truly blessed to have you in our PLF family!
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