20 Lives And Their Great Mission To End Educational Inequity, Once And For All

     Because of the pandemic during the past couple of years, Teach For Thailand staff was forced to adjust themselves and work from home, which naturally became their new normal. There is no doubt in terms of performance as every team was able to hit their targets and continued to make a stellar impact on Thai education year after year. Twenty staff spent hours on end in front of their laptops with the determination to drive more than 130 fellows to reach almost 20,000 students across the country last year.

     Still, we must admit that working in a square room, from our own home, all by ourselves, while communicating with others only through a screen requires a lot of willpower. Some were exhausted, and some struggled to find direction. We, therefore, did not hesitate to gather all 20 lives back to our office in January to officially kick off 2023 together, to recharge and refuel each other with energy and motivation that may have slipped through our fingers along the journey. 

“What are we doing? Why are we doing it? Who is it for?”

     Waves of laughter greeted whoever stepped across our door that morning. Some were exploring the local foods we all brought to share for lunch. Some were showing off their carefully crafted costumes with the hope to win a prize later that day. And some were deep in conversations about work, about lives.

     But before we dive into all the fun activities, our CEO and founder, Vichitapol Pholpoke, decided that we should spend the morning recharging those whose batteries were running low. “What are we doing? Why are we doing it? Who is it for?” He simply asked. 

     And the truth is we all know the answers to these questions; we just forgot to actually sit down, step aside and look back at the purpose of this entire journey. It was therefore the morning that we had the opportunity to reflect on where we came from and why we are here. We listened to each others’ stories. We got to know our fellow colleagues more than just the image on the screen. We deeply felt the achievements we have made. We shed tears for the obstacles we overcame together throughout the journey.

Our Goals for the 10th Anniversary of Teach For Thailand

     Most importantly, we truly understand the significance of our goal this year, the year that we will officially turn 10 years old. We understand why we need to recruit 80 more fellows to reach 20,000 students this year. We know why we need more “leaders” to make a systematic change in order to provide all students with equal opportunities for education. We know why these leaders must have first-hand experience and a true understanding of our education problems to offer solutions for our country.

     Through our 10 years of operations, we have cultivated more than 250 alumni who proved that knowledge, skills, and experiences from our fellowship program are keys to the positive impact they are making on more than 100,000 students across the country per year. The problem is there are millions more students who have yet to be reached.

     Seeing this, some people may be discouraged, but 20 lives in a small office right in the center of Sukhumvit Road are full of fire and energy because we all know it is an honor and pride that once in our lives we get to be part of a great mission to end the education inequity, once and for all.