Ms. Kheav Boromey was driving around on her motorbike, neatly dressed in a school uniform, having not had lunch yet as she was on her way to deliver a lesson to a young student at their house. "Even though the school is closed due to COVID-19, I continue supporting my students to learn at home so that they do not drop out of school," said Ms. Boromey.

Ms. Boromey is 18 years old from Veal Veng district in Pursat province. She dropped out of school in grade 9 because of her families' financial issues. Boromey has been volunteering as a community preschool teacher since mid-2019 to help support children's education since there is a lack of qualified preschool teachers within her community. However, her teaching knowledge was minimal. She faced many challenges in terms of proper lesson planning and using correct teaching methods that apply to very young students between 0 to 5 years old. There were also not enough study materials to support children's learning, which directly affected their learning outcomes.

"I felt nervous when I started teaching in my very first class," said Boromey, "Because I had no previous experience in teaching young children, I did not know where to start."

With support from Save the Children Korea's various donors through the Remote Early Learning project, Boromey received trainings from Save the Children and district education officials on 1) how to properly develop lesson plans, 2) apply new teaching methods, and 3) how to produce useful study materials such as homework worksheets to support children's learning. Boromey applied those lessons learned into practice, where her new skills in teaching helped boost her confidence to support young children's education in her community.  

With extra encouragement and involvement from community members, Boromey was able to develop lesson plans for her classes. She is now very active in providing proper instructions to students and has noticed that her students' abilities have improved through her new teaching methods and planning.

 "Parents in my community also have a better understanding of how important education is for their young children," exclaimed Boromey. "Parents now come in and help to decorate classrooms and improve the school environment." Boromey mentioned that parents are always involved in producing study materials such as flashcards using recycled materials for their children to help keep children engaged in their learning.

During school closures caused by COVID-19, Boromey spends her time reviewing and planning individual lessons to support her young students' at-home studying. "I feel excited that I am still able to help my young students learn even though the school is closed," says Boromey. "I am thrilled to see that most parents are trying to support children's learning at home and that I can help support the at-home learning process."

In the future, Boromey would like to see all parents in her community enrolling their young children into preschool and wish that she could pursue a bachelor's degree in education to strengthen her knowledge and skills.