Claire Roman, teacher trainer, Thai-Burma Border
VSO volunteer Claire Roman is leaving a lasting legacy on the Thai-Burma border, where thousands of vulnerable migrant children struggle to access a good education. The 37-year-old from Brighton, south east England, is currently drawing on 10 years’ experience in primary schools to improve the skills of migrant teachers.
‘I had always wanted to volunteer and I liked VSO’s ethos,’ says Claire. ‘The sustainable element of it is really important to me. I like the fact that I’m teaching teachers. Teaching kids is great but in terms of passing on knowledge, this is going to get me further.’
Making schools legal
Many migrant schools on the Thai-Burma border aren’t formally recognised by the Thai authorities. As a result, migrant children’s achievements count for nothing and they can’t go on to higher education. And without a decent education, their already vulnerable futures look even bleaker.
But Claire is helping to change that. By improving the skills of teachers, she is raising standards in migrant schools. The ultimate goal is for children to get a formally recognised education and have a far greater chance of lifting themselves out of poverty.
A long lasting legacy
Claire wants to make sure that even if the teachers she shares her skills with move on, the skills will stay behind. ‘All the training we’re giving is going to be written up in training manuals which will be translated into Burmese,’ she explains. ‘It’s my little way of the work not disappearing.’
When it comes to child-centred learning – just one of the aspects of teaching Claire is sharing her skills in – it’s the small changes that matter the most. ‘When you go into migrant schools and watch children play something like Run Rabbit Run or see teachers teaching in groups, it’s a great feeling.’
