The Change That Inspires the Mentor Teacher
“Mentor teachers” don’t only supervise Teach For Thailand (TFT) Fellows, but also learn from them. An example is the story of Too, Tidtee, and Moo.
Mrs. Kanya Pothinam (Too) is a teacher at Ban Chedi Mae Krua School, Chiang-Mai, and a mentor teacher of Preaw, a TFT Fellow (cohort 9). “Preaw understands the diversity in her student group well; she supports those who learn quickly, and scaffolds for those who are slower with patience.”
Too is inspired by Preaw’s teaching style and perseverance, she also compliments all TFT Fellows in her school, who not only provide academic, but also life skills for the students.
“They structure their classes so that it is easy to understand and relevant to student’s lives. They also include different forms of media, such as voice clips, and other technologies,” recalled Too. “I’ve been inspired and have learned a lot from them.”
This experience resonates with Tidtee, Miss Tamonwan Rungwipoosana, who teaches at Samphran Witthaya School, Nakhon Pathom. She supervises Pheem, a cohort 8 TFT Fellow.
“Pheem is very open to teaching ideas and we exchange very often,” recalled Tidtee. “He has a very good attitude.”
His classroom reflects his learning spirit and open-mindedness as well.
“Pheem is active, responsible, and always comes up with new teaching ideas that encourage interactions in class, not just lecturing. Off class, he gives good advice to students, which in turn makes him quite popular among students.”
“Fellows didn’t study pedagogy, but they make very determined and adaptable teachers,” agreed Mrs.Kamonrat Jaroengamsub (Moo), another teacher mentor teacher at Tha Kham Pittayakhom School, Chonburi, who takes care of Nan, a Fellow from Pheem’s cohort.
“She helps with everything we ask of and is as capable as our teachers.”
“I am very positive about this Fellowship program; we need more Math teachers who can also relieve our workload. It improves everyone’s teaching quality.”
Moo also sees and admires Nan’s dedication to her students and to her work.
“She never loses her temper and has a psychology to invite students to participate in her classes,” Moo recalls.
“What is rare for today’s younger generation is Nan’s mindset of maintaining her ethics, to honor her work and workplace. This is dedication. Now that she nearly finished her program, we really don’t want her to go.”
These are but a few reflections from mentor teachers who had worked with and been inspired by TFT Fellow’s work and attitude. It is because Fellows believe that ‘change’ starts with the individual, and can expand towards students, schools, and the community as well.
