A World of Wonder

Twenty-two hours later, after a layover in Seoul and a flight that took him over the Arctic Circle, the 2006 Collegiate graduate arrived at Dulles International Airport more than ready to stretch his legs, excited about seeing his family, and eagerly anticipating Homecoming festivities and his 10^th class reunion.

 

Monday, he begins his return trip to the far side of the planet. Wednesday, after 44 hours of travel for 72 hours at home, he’ll arrive happily and enthusiastically at work, 9,000 miles and 12 time zones away.

 

“It’s worth it,” he said of his whirlwind visit. “It’s been so long since I talked to any of my classmates. I wanted to see everybody. I wanted to see my family. This was a great reason to come back.”

 

Shapiro, a Brown University graduate, teaches AP physics and AP chemistry at Jay Pritzker Academy, a co-ed, Pre K-12 institution on the outskirts of Siem Reap, a city of 230,000 in northwestern Cambodia. He also serves as science curriculum coordinator for grades 7-12 and as an academic advisor.

 

He’s now in his third year following a four-year stint as a chemistry and physics teacher and wrestling and lacrosse coach at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts.

 

“It was great, and I really loved it,” he said. “In so many ways, it was a lot like Collegiate. As an educator, I figured that if I wanted to grow, I needed a different environment. I went to a job fair looking for new opportunities. The dream job was one where I could teach the subject I loved – science – in the language I speak – English – to kids from a different background.”

 

The possibilities at JPA intrigued him. He followed his heart. He answered the call.

 

“The school is all Cambodian students, and I could still teach the American curriculum,” he continued. “I loved the mission statement. The school sounded cool, so I signed up. Then, I looked up where Cambodia was on the map.”

 

On an idyllic Saturday afternoon as he stood near the Grover Jones Field amidst the flurry of activity during Collegiate’s Homecoming football game with St. Christopher’s, Shapiro talked glowingly and wondrously of his experience.

 

“It’s been spectacular,” he said. “The kids are amazing. First and foremost, they’re teenagers just like anywhere in the world. Kids are kids, no matter where you go.

 

“Most of their families are rice sustenance farmers which means they produce enough food to get by but don’t have much beyond that. It’s cool to think that they’re doing the same homework that kids at Collegiate or Middlesex would do, but they’re doing it after taking the buffaloes out to feed or helping their family bring in the rice harvest, maybe in their one-room wooden shack somewhere in the middle of farm country.

 

“They have big dreams. They know that they’re getting a special education. They’re committed to using that to help the country grow. Most of them have a clear picture of wanting to help people who don’t have the same opportunities. They’re motivated. They’re hungry to learn. I say, ‘Here’s this optional work you can do if you want to get better,’ and they say, ‘Can we have more?’”

 

For Shapiro, the adventure has been life-altering and inspiring, the rewards plentiful, and his commitment to education validating.

 

“The world hasn’t given them much,” he said, “so it’s cool to see the kids feel powerful after accomplishing so much academically, to see them go out in the world, to see them carry themselves with a little more pride, to see hope in their eyes. To be part of that has been really special.”

 

As he’s ventured outside his comfort zone, Shapiro has grown in ways he never imagined.

 

“The first thing I realized,” he said, “is it’s not scary. It’s not that different. People are people. Sometimes they speak a different language. Pretty much everything else is the same.

 

“Surprisingly, my teaching has gotten way better. Because the kids were so motivated, I was motivated to revamp everything I was doing. It’s been really nice to take a critical look at my own work.”

 

Shapiro’s trip to North Mooreland Road was his first in four years. Much has changed, of course, but as he visited with former teachers, picked their brains, compared notes, and shared experiences, he realized that much remains as it was when he crossed the stage a decade ago.

 

“You walk around, the buildings look different, but the school has the same feel,” he said. “It’s nice to know that Collegiate still treats people the right way and does things the right way. That definitely means a lot.”

         -- Weldon Bradshaw