By Emma McWhinney and Melody Remnant

Thailand is different to home in so many ways. Our time at Ban Klong Hang School has provided countless examples of ways in which the institution of school varies considerably from country to country.

Ban Klong Haeng school is located minutes from Ao Nang, the main tourist strip in the region. Despite the overwhelming presence of tourists in the area the students were fascinated by our presence at their school. The first few lessons were nothing more than photo opportunities for the students, intermingled with some basic getting to know you.

Teaching the older students (12-15 year olds) was most certainly a challenge. Whilst it is easy for us to see how beneficial it is to be multilingual, some of the students lacked motivation and were generally disengaged when it came to English (especially written English). However some of the most rewarding moments of our stay here so far have been associated with these same disengaged students. Seeing the transformation in both the behaviour and ability of countless individuals has truly made us feel like our effort and persistence has made a difference in their lives.

The teachers at Ban Klong Haeng were eager to find out about our lives at home and frequently offered us food and little treats. Our main teaching contact, Yu, spoke fantastic English and was always keen to ensure we felt welcome and comfortable. It’s fair to say that our presence brought much laughter to the staff room.

Despite the fact that our time at Ban Klong Haeng was short we feel that our assistance and the resources we brought with us were truly appreciated. Our creativity was constantly challenged as a result of the limited teaching materials. We therefore hope that future volunteers will strive to help the staff and students at Ban Klong Haeng in anyway possible.

You can learn more about Teaching in the beautiful country of Thailand here

Thai school children