A Change of Heart

Sometimes it’s best to watch and learn

Words 1986

Polite applause rippled around the staff room as English teacher, Miss Carter, gave her farewell speech and accepted the obligatory retirement gift. She was under no illusion that the rest of the staff considered her an old fuddy-duddy, just because she insisted on things being done correctly and refused to cut corners.

Although everyone is being so nice, they can’t wait to be rid of me

‘Thank you everyone for such a thoughtful gift. I have the perfect spot in my garden for this charming bird table and bird identification book, I’ll soon become an expert.’ With that she left the school— and her forty-year career— behind her.


Back home she placed the bird table in the garden outside her kitchen window, sprinkling it with bird seed before going indoors to check if the position was to her liking. She stood, looking out at her garden, waiting for the birds.
Is this it? Is this what my life is going to be? she sighed. There must be more


Two weeks after her retirement, Miss Evelyn Carter was on a flight to Cambodia. It had taken her just a few days of staring out of her window at the bird table to spur her on to volunteer in a small village in Battambang Province. There she knew her talents, not only as a teacher, but her organisational skills, would be useful and she would at last find appreciation.

***

From Phnom Penh Airport she took a taxi to the city. After a one-night hotel stay and a six-hour minibus ride to Battambang, she was more than ready to arrive at her destination. As the bus neared the village, Evelyn looked out of the open window at the alien landscape, eager to see where she would be living for the foreseeable future. There were rice fields far as she could see, farmers bent almost double toiling in the midday heat. Motorbikes, carrying what seemed like the whole family, passed so close to the bus, Evelyn could almost reach out and touch them. A medley of different odours—damp earth, woodsmoke, and the smell of food cooking which made her tummy rumble with hunger.

She stepped from the bus and stretched her back, which had felt every pothole on the journey. A dog approached, wagging his tail but cautious. It sniffed Evelyn for a few moments before losing interest, returning to lie down in the shade of the palm trees.
She’d been practicing a few words of Khmer and was able to greet and thank her welcoming committee.

***

The dilapidated condition of the school shocked Evelyn.
She hadn’t expected much but it was worse than she’d imagined. The small building, with a rusty corrugated roof which seemed as if it was in danger of falling in or blowing away, took her breath away.

I’m not in Kansas anymore Toto she thought, knowing how Dorothy felt when she landed in Oz.

Lila a young local teacher with careful English and kind eyes greeted Evelyn warmly.

‘I am so pleased to meet you, Miss Carter,’ Lila gave a warm smile, ‘the children are so excited to have a new teacher.’.

‘Sous-Dey, Lila,’ Evelyn returned the greeting.

As the morning progressed Evelyn watched Lila with the children, noticing the lack of discipline as she allowed the younger children to talk and giggle.

I’ll soon have this classroom sorted out tomorrow

The following day Evelyn entered the classroom with Lila and stood to one side whilst their teacher finished speaking to the children in Khmer. Lila introduced her as Miss Carter from Australia and the children clapped and chattered excitedly among themselves. Lila then asked her to say a few words to the class.

‘Good morning, children. My name is Miss Carter, and I am your new teacher,’ she spoke slowly and clearly, ‘I have come a long way across the water,’ she pointed to Australia on the map of the world, which hung crookedly on the wall. ‘In my country, children at school must learn to listen in the classroom. That means no talking.’ She placed her finger to her lips.

The children sat crossed-legged on the hard-packed dusty floor. Wide, brown eyes stared and Evelyn wondered what they saw when they looked at her.

The little building, constructed from warped boards and a tin roof, sweltered in the heat although it was early in the day. Outside the open window a rooster crowed loudly, and a goat nonchalantly wandered past. The children giggled and whispered. Sweat trickled down her back, but Evelyn began her first lesson. Taking a piece of chalk, she began to write the alphabet on the cracked blackboard but when the chalk broke the children burst out laughing. Evelyn didn’t acknowledge their reaction but instantly produced a fresh piece of chalk from her pocket.

‘We shall begin with the alphabet—the English alphabet—repeat after me.’

But the children continued to smile and stare at her, it was as if they knew something Evelyn didn’t yet understand. They knew she wouldn’t stay—the flies, the heat or something else would soon send her scurrying off back to wherever she had come from.

After the lesson and the children had escaped outside, Lila gently offered advice. ‘Perhaps you should go a little easy on them, Evelyn, just until they get to know you.’

‘Nonsense, my dear,’ she patted the young teacher’s hand, ‘discipline is what’s needed, I think I arrived just at the right time.’ She nodded in agreement with herself.


Evelyn had signed up with a non-government agency which provided accommodation for its volunteers and although the guesthouse was basic, she’d found it much as expected—mosquito net, thin mattress, basic toilet facilities and a fan. Her fellow housemates were much younger than her, so although she was polite when they were together sharing their meals, she felt as if they had little in common.


One morning when Evelyn was walking to the school, a group of village people under the shade of a sprawling Tamarind tree caught her attention. Lila appeared from the crowd and beckoned her over.

‘Evelyn, come. We are discussing the new well.’

Evelyn stepped closer, pleased to feel included. She listened for a while to what seemed to be conflicting opinions, although she didn’t understand what was being said.

‘I’m happy to be of help in deciding the best location. I’ve chaired meetings all my life and know how to get the best outcomes,’ she told Lila.

Lila smiled politely but didn’t reply. A village elder stood and spoke in Khmer. People nodded, others raised objections and gestured to a rough map drawn with a stick in the dirt. Evelyn tried to keep up, her eyes flitting from face to face as she attempted to interpret the tone.

Finally, Lila leaned in and whispered, ‘They are deciding where to dig the new well.’

Evelyn frowned. ‘Surely, they should prioritise the school grounds. The children need access to clean drinking water.’

Lila repeated Evelyn’s suggestion to the committee. They listened and continued their discussion, ignoring her idea. After a while, a final decision was settled upon— near the rice fields—where the women said it would save time carrying water. The elder nodded once, a consensus had been reached peacefully and democratically.

Evelyn stood feeling slightly dismissed and continued her walk to school. Oh well, they’ll find out soon enough my suggestion was the best.

***

The rain arrived without warning, one moment the sky had been merely overcast, the air heavy, the next minute the skies opened, and a sudden deluge of water crashed down on the village. The children squealed in delight as the classroom rattled like an empty can. Evelyn could barely hear herself speak over the sound of the rain beating down on the roof. She felt a few spots of rain on her head and then even more.

‘Oh, for goodness' sake. This place is like a sieve. Buckets! We need buckets! ‘she shouted over the din.

‘Evelyn, it is okay. We will move the books.’ Lila tried to calm her down.

‘Move the books? No, no, we won’t do that, we just need to support the roof where the rain is coming in.’ She stood on a wobbly chair, pushing on the tin to redirect the stream of water, but unfortunately she was soaked from head to foot when a gush of rainwater poured down over her head. The children burst into helpless giggles and even Lila needed all the control she could muster to avoid joining in.

‘I’m quite alright,’ Evelyn declared, although she obviously was not. Even with her grey curls plastered to her head she endeavoured to hold on to her dignity.

Meanwhile the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started and the children raced outside to play in the deep puddles, left after the deluge.

Lila gave Evelyn a sympathetic smile. ‘It’s okay, we always fix after the rain,’ she pointed to the roof.

‘Well, why wait until it rains? It should be fixed before the rain!’ Evelyn stood, soaking wet, feeling totally defeated.

‘In the jungle, storms come quick and fast. We learn to bend, not fight.’

Outside the children continued to play with unrestrained joy.


The teachers walked home through the village in silence, Evelyn, for once had nothing to say. Lila guessing Evelyn may be feeling a little embarrassed at the way she had behaved in the classroom. Although that was true, Evelyn had realised she had overreacted, but it was as if she was seeing clearly for the first time, sensing something within herself had shifted. As they walked, she sensed Lila’s struggle and knew there something the young woman wanted to say which Evelyn wouldn’t want to hear.

‘Evelyn?’ Lila began gently, ‘I do hope you won’t mind me saying this but when you tell the children to be quiet and not to speak, they really don’t understand. Children learn when they can express themselves, they want you to see them.’

‘See them? I can see them alright—not listening to a word I say.’

Lila smiled, ‘No, I don’t mean like that. They don’t expect you to be perfect. Accept them for who they are, and this place for what it is. Here things break, storms come, plans change.’

Evelyn didn’t answer but looked away, her cheeks flushed, and as if for the first time she saw where she was—the humidity of the jungle, free ranging goats, strutting noisy roosters, and the rain dripping from the palm fronds.

‘Lila continued, when you tell them, ‘No talking,’ they hear, ‘your way is wrong,’ or when you try to fix things without asking, the villagers feel you are saying our ways are wrong.’

‘I only want what’s best’ Evelyn said, softly.

‘I know you do, Evelyn, but sometimes it’s best to listen before trying to lead.’

***

‘Try again, Miss Carter,’ Lila encouraged as Evelyn struggled to get her tongue around a difficult Khmer phrase, much to the amusement of the children.

Evelyn laughed too. ‘Well, I was close.’

‘Not really,’ Lila teased.

Evelyn thought of all the years she’d spent trying to correct everyone else, never once imagining she might need correcting too. Change, she realised, was far trickier than any grammar lesson she’d ever taught.

They were all sitting under the big Tamarind tree outside the school, taking advantage of the dry season weather. A small child sat snuggled on Evelyn’s knee, a dog-eared copy of an English story book in her hand.

‘Story please,’ she begged.

Evelyn nodded, opened the book and began to read.

Prompt: Quote Prompt for November 2025:

"Everyone thinks of changing the world,
but no one thinks of changing himself."
— Leo Tolstoy