Véronique shares her experience as a volunteer at PSE
A mission around pedagogy for disabled children
Véronique is a former teacher and arrived in February 2022 at Pour un Sourire d'Enfant for a 6-to-7-month voluntary service. She oversees the pedagogical part of the department of the Adapting Teaching Class of the association, which provides care of 34 children suffering from physical and/or mental handicaps.
After a few weeks of observation in the 4 classes of the department, Veronique realized that it was difficult for teachers to respond to the many diverse needs of children in small classes, resulting in lack of concentration and inefficiency. "Since we were moving classes, we worked with the teaching team to recognize the classrooms," explains Veronique. "We wanted to move towards a more active pedagogy, more focused on the current and future needs of the children. Offering several modules in the classroom was a very innovative process for the teachers."
A sharing of skills with the Cambodian team
After a few weeks with the association, Véronique already feels fulfilled with her mission. "What a joy it is to see the teachers take on the ideas and new spaces that we have planned together! And what a pleasure to see the children discover new educational games that will allow them to develop their skills and gain confidence in themselves" she explains.
The numerous exchanges and training sessions have enabled Véronique to pass on some of the skills she has acquired during her teaching career, but also and mostly to support the teachers in their thought process on what is important to share and how to share it. "The teachers are already discovering with delight that starting from the needs of the children is an approach that is profitable, both at the pedagogical and developmental levels," she concludes.