Today has been the highlight of the trip so far and that is saying a lot because I have thoroughly enjoyed all of our sightseeing days thus far. We were able to go to a school that educates “stateless “ children from Myanmar. In accordance to the Thai Constitution, every child, whether Thai Native or stateless is entitled to a free education and healthcare. It is the school’s mission to actively seek stateless children in their community by going to construction sites and telling their parents that their children have the right to a free education in Thailand. The children who benefit from this school are originally from Myanmar.
We first were given treats that are the same ones that are given to guests of the King. While not very tasty, it was important to try them because this is a very poor school and they went to great expense to host us with the food and beverages they provided. The power point presentation relayed the mission and history of the school and some information regarding the student enrollment. We were able to present the donated school supplies and sports equipment that we brought from our home schools.
The next was my favorite part of the visit. We were allowed to roam around the courtyard and pop into different classrooms to interact with the children. I immediately bolted to the section of the school where I could see older kids sitting at desks through the open classroom doors. I greeted the teacher and asked if I could speak with the students. First, I asked them how old they were and was surprised the the kids ranged from nine to sixteen years old. The boys seemed to be older and the girls younger. I asked the teacher to ask the kids who were 12-13 to raise their hands and then he told them that I was a teacher of the same age group. I passed around a mini album of my students and our middle school in Hopkinton. There were also a few pictures of my family and my daughter Grace dogsledding with me. Since Thailand never gets snow, I thought it would be fun for them to see those pictures.
No matter where I travel in the world, I always bring a frisbee because it opens the door to interact naturally and joyfully with kids . I asked the teacher if it was OK if the kids came outside to play frisbee with me, The girls were very shy but the two oldest boys were up for the thrill of a new game to play. The next half hour was full of great frisbee fun with the middle school kids and we were eventually able to get the girls to play as well. The director of the school even gave frisbee throwing a try and got me to show him how to throw it around the back. The kids loved it when he tried for the first time and his throw went right into the pack of kids on the sidelines.
It was awesome to watch Dan show the older high school boys how to use the donated lacrosse equipment that he brought along from his school in the states. There were more interested in throwing it hard into the net the having a catch with each other. Dan also gave the kids a net to shoot at as well.
The kids receive a very healthy lunch each day as well and it was great to see how polite and thankful they were when they were handed their food. They were also responsible for cleaning their own plates and utensils.
The monks help out with the teaching and some of the young monks attend the school. The school is located right in the courtyard of the Wat Papao which is the local temple.
Before we left, we had an official group photo in front of the temple that is part of the school. The Thai administrators and teachers are in the photo as well.
Looks like an awesome, fun and rewarding visit to the Thai school for the Thai students, Thai teachers, you and your team of travelers. Your Blog is fantastic. It helps make us feel part of your trip. I am looking forward to your community presentation for the Hopkinton community.
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs.Verra,
ReplyDeleteYour post was interesting. It was suprising to learn that the students in Thailand didn't know how to play frisbee. What kind of subjects are studied there? And are the students schedules similar to ours?
- Sarah Kang
Hi Sarah. The reason the kids might not have learned to play frisbee is because they are refugees from Myanmar and are from a very rural area. In the Thai constitution, ALL children have the right to a free education whether their parents are in Thailand legally or not. The kids study most of the major subjects that you do and then on top of that , they learn about their own culture and how to read and write in their own language as well as Thai. The Thai's believe that it is important that immigrants don't loose their own culture when they come to Thailand to live.
ReplyDeleteHi, wow what an amazing opportunity! I was observing the girls with their two French braids. Is it mandatory to have your hair long so you can style you hair like that for their UNICEF School? Did you notice
ReplyDeleteIt seemed like a lot of the girls in the UNICEFF school had braids. I am not sure if that was mandatory or just how the girls like to wear their hair. When we visited the upscale private school, those girls had to have hair that could be no longer than their shoulders. Almost all of the girls have "bob" haircuts. If their hair gets too long, then the teachers will cut out a clump of hair in the back of their heads.
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