Just go, C!
I'm Charity, a proud auntie, wine lover, semi-nerd, and dreamer who can't stay in one place for too long.
Comparing the Thai educational process with the one in the States has been an education in itself. One major example of how the Thais view education and teachers is the Wai Khru celebration held annually in every Thai school. "Wai Khru" basically means "respect teacher". The day before the ceremony, the students at my school took the afternoon away from class to create their own flower arrangements designed with specific teachers in mind. Some of the creations were absolutely mind-blowing. On the morning of the ceremony, all of the students gathered together in the assembly area where authentic Thai music was playing courtesy of some of the students. All of the teachers were asked to go on stage while the students recited their previously-rehearsed chants of respect for the teachers and for the country. I didn't understand any of it, of course. And one of the students sang a song that was absolutely beautiful, whether or not I could understand the words. There was a processional of sorts where the students who created the flower arrangements came up on stage to present them to the applicable teachers. The whole thing was incredibly entertaining, but also very humbling as a teacher from a foreign country. Some students did give me flowers and asked for a blessing, which is common for teachers to do on this day. As an American, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, it would sure be nice if we had the same attitude toward teachers in my own country." In Thailand, the teachers are regarded very, very highly. They are viewed nearly as highly as monks. You don't see the teachers-are-glorified-babysitters attitude which (I feel) is common in the U.S. It seems to me that in the U.S., teachers are expected to do a lot but are heavily reprimanded if there is any kind of discipline or disagreement between the school and the parents. In Thailand, there is a partnership of sorts between the parents and the schools. The parents have the ultimate responsibility, but the expectation is that the children will behave at school exactly how they would be expected to behave at home, and if any issues occur, the parents trust the schools enough to take them at their word and handle the discipline at home. In many cases, the parents also trust the schools to handle the discipline themselves.
The Wai Khru ceremony was such a beautiful tribute to the teachers and it was very humbling to be part of this experience, and it was very gracious of the school to allow the foreign teachers the same experience as the Thai teachers.
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AuthorHi! I'm Charity. I'm from Omaha, Nebraska, USA. I quit my job in October 2016 to travel the world. Archives
June 2022
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