The Teachers Who Transformed My Life
"They did not just teach and leave; they have been my teachers in every aspect of my life." ‘Beat’ – Narakorn Kaewmanee reflected on his two-year experience studying with ‘Khae’ -- Ponpapatch Pisantechakool and ‘Golf’ – Supakiat Khumhoikan, Teach For Thailand’s first cohort, who taught at Wat Sangkharacha school when Beat was in 8th grade.
“When I was in 8th grade, our school introduced two teachers from Teach For Thailand – Kru Khae and Kru Golf – and I got to know this foundation through them.”
Despite having participated in countless activities at the school, Beat and his friends found themselves stuck in a cycle of repeating the same traditional school activities. However, since meeting Khae and Golf, the English Multimedia room where the two teachers were stationed introduced a whole new meaning to “activities,” brimming with new and enjoyable learning experiences.
“We shifted from just going out to play to spending time with Kru Khae and Kru Golf. We engaged in numerous activities, and I learned about processes, ways of working, and even new lifestyles.”
“Just the English Multimedia room was enough; we didn’t need any smartphones.”
Another reason going to school became more enjoyable for Beat and his friends was the classes conducted by the two TFT teachers, which focused on experiential and action-based learning, rather than just studying worksheets. One such activity was when Khae assigned her students to interview Westerners to produce short video clips.
“Kru Khae’s teaching approach emphasized experiential and self-learning. We came to love the English subject despite hating it before.”
“When we were in 9th grade, Kru Khae assigned us to interview Westerners. It was a very new experience for us because normally we wouldn’t have had any chance to talk to any foreigners. Kru Khae and Kru Golf also taught us not just vocabulary but also video-editing skills.”
Belief in their students and an active learning classroom encouraged both teachers to enhance their student’s learning experiences, leading to the “Learners to Leaders” project, which took several students on a trip to Singapore to learn about language and culture. Having participated in this project, Beat’s life was forever changed.
“This project taught me various lessons, such as lifelong learning skills, gaining more knowledge, and communicating in English,” Beat recounts. “I was also the oldest student during that trip, so Kru Khae took me with her during the preparation process, and I gained coordination skills from that.”
“I don’t know if this project was successful for them, but I succeeded as a participant in this project.”
“I don’t know if this project was successful for them, but I succeeded as a participant in this project.”
Beat is currently studying in the Graduate Diploma Program in Teaching Profession and is a teacher trainee at Wat Sangkharacha School. He applies his experiences, skills, and frameworks from Khae and Golf with his own students.
“Kru Khae and Kru Golf’s way of thinking that I still use today is to give my students equal access to learning.”
“For example, the Learners to Leaders project allowed equal chances for all students to participate. Kru Khae and Kru Golf never discriminated against students based on their grades; whichever classroom they were from, they could learn, compete, and play with one another. I use this framework with my students.”
Beat is still in contact with both teachers, despite it having been a decade. They exchange experiences and encounters to continue learning together.
“They did not just teach and leave; they have been my teachers in every aspect throughout my life,” Beat concluded.
Teach For Thailand believes that there are many more individuals who see and want to solve the challenges and drive Thai education forward. We invite passionate individuals to teach, like Khae and Golf, who not only create learning experiences for their students but also remain firm with Teach For Thailand’s mission to provide equitable access to quality education for all students, allowing them to choose their own futures.
