June 16Today we were invited to attend a traditional Thai ceremony at the Suksasongkroh boarding school. The Wai Kru Ceremony is considered a teacher appreciation ceremony that Thais have once a year on any chosen Thursday in June. We were very lucky to have been able to attend this ceremony because it happens once a year. As the students entered the auditorium, they sat in rows on the floor while the professors sat on the outside in chairs. The students enter carrying their bouquets that they made to give to the teachers. They walk up to the font stage with flowers and pray to Buddha as a sign of respect then bow to the front where teachers are. When they are finished thanking the officials and staff members in the front, they present their teachers with beautifully sculpted handmade bouquets that the students make on their own. These flowers have beautiful smells and vivid colors similar to the chart below. The kids sang a song about goodness and light. It is a way to show respect for the way the teachers spend their time working with them to provide a better life. It was so amazing that the teachers included us in the ceremony. In fact, once the teachers were given their bouquet, they passed the bouquets to us to look at.
After the flowers were passed out, a group of girls performed a dance for the teachers. This was a Thai cultured dance that showed appreciation for teachers and Buddha. They all had their matching with gold accents in their hair. They had long gold and red dresses and had flowers on their fingers. Students were also awarded scholarships for good merit and behavior. They were applauded in front of the congregation and the principal handed them an award. A majority of the students given awards ran out of money for the boarding school and get no help from their parents. At the end of the ceremony, the principal announced the winners of the best bouquets. There 3 winners were recognized for their creativity and hard work on the bouquets. It takes about an entire day to make the bouquets using pins, various flowers, glue, and other tools.
We met up with Mrs.Jeup after the ceremony and she drove us to a beautiful hotel called The Grand View. They had reserved a table for us at a delicious buffet! This food as absolutely amazing and so colorful! There was blue rice that was infused with butterfly pea tea leaves, sushi, curry, soup, noodles, and pad Thai! All of the directors thought I was hilarious because my plate had LITERALLY one of everything. Don’t worry, I made sure to leave room for dessert! They had orange meringue crepes, coconut jelly, cakes, pies, and so much more. I stuck with the orange crepes! We expressed our gratitude to Mrs.Jeup for the lunch and she said she wishes there were more ways to thank us for volunteering at the school. I hope she knows how influential she has been to me. She is such an inspiring woman with such a passion for the students. She gives so much time, attention and support to the students without complaint. I hope to pay her and the students a visit when I come back to Thailand!
Although America has their own teacher appreciation day, I definitely think this should be more recognized. Teachers have such an impact on society. They inspire and challenge the future minds of the world to modify so many aspects of life. These leaders guide the future of society and inspire us to think for ourselves by giving us the freedom to learn and explore. I will always remember my high school teacher, Mr.Juan Robledo, constantly encouraging me to be the best leader I can be. I learned how to plan school events and lead a student body with positivity and encouragement. What I appreciated about his guidance was he would let us make mistakes and analyze means for improvement without discouraging us. I hope to share these gifts with my future students. Although he is well aware of my appreciativeness to him, I could never thank him enough for the support and wisdom he has blessed me with. As I ventured through college, I came across a variety of professors (the good and the bad). Luckily, I experience more of the “good” than the “bad”, or maybe it was just because I respected each professor. I will never forget my senior year I was enrolled in an English class with Dr. Linda Mitchell. Although her class was the most challenging throughout my college experience, I am lucky to have had her as an instructor. Her common mantra for class was “think smarter, not harder”. She was aware of how hard I was working to follow along with the class, challenged me to speak up in class, and helped me build more confidence in myself. The teachers that I worked with in Thailand all shared these same qualities which reminded me how important it is to be passionate about teaching. While it is important to be passionate about teaching, it is just as important to appreciate our teachers. As I continue my adventure through Thailand, I can’t help but express my gratitude to my professor, Dan Brook. This trip has challenged me and changed my attitude about various things in life. He has given us the independence to learn from the Thai culture and each other. I am more than appreciative of this experience.
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