Teacher Vezah's story:

On Becoming a Teacher

                “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I have asked this question multiple times to my students now as a teacher. As a student in the past, I have answered this question multiple times to my teachers, and my answer is always the same. I want to be a teacher. This is the dream that I know I am sure of.

                “The best legacy parents can give to their children is Education – it is our weapon against the challenges in this world.”

      I was born in one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. My parents are not rich either. Growing up, I was aware of how precious education is. Although education is our right, not everyone has the capability to send their children to school, and if they can, quality education is questionable. I always consider myself blessed that despite the fact that my parents were only earning money to sustain our daily needs, they worked extra hard for me and my sister’s education. They sent us to one of the best school in our province (elementary to high school) and in the Philippines (college).

           If my memory is not mistaken, my love for teaching started when I was still in Kindergarten, 4 years old. In my tiny room, I had a blackboard and a small cabinet filled with children’s encyclopedias which my mother paid through monthly installment. On my own, I would play pretend to be both the teacher and the student. I would read a line or two from the book and explain it to myself using broken English but often times I would give up and speak in dialect. Then, I would give myself a test either through oral recitation or written test. I remembered my father laughing at me when he found one of my self-made written tests. “You gave yourself a test? Why didn’t you give yourself a 100% mark?”, he said. I wasn’t embarrassed, I felt proud still. I had never liked playing with dolls; this is the kind of play I enjoyed.

   When I reached high school, people who knew about my dream discouraged me: telling me how little a teacher’s salary is, and that I should go for better-paying profession. The more money I will earn, the happier my life will become. I decided to stay silent, but in that silence I become more eager to fulfill my dream. I am moved by stories of students who would walk across mountains just to be at school. Children from poor families whose only wish is to graduate inspired me.

               

Without a doubt, I took Bachelors in Elementary Education Major in Special Education at the University of Santo Tomas. College marked another story in my life. Being with people with special needs changed my perception of life. My interaction doesn’t limit to kids but with adults as well. These people opened my heart and ignited my passion for teaching. This is the time I decided that I don’t just want to be a teacher who teaches but a teacher who affects not only the mind but the heart. Teaching them made me realize that life is not about who comes first or who does it best because life is neither a race nor a competition. Life is a journey in which every day is a hope, and the teacher uses that hope and turns it into a possibility. Life is also about celebration success. As the movie title goes, “Every Child is Special”, the success of a child is different from the other. Their talents and needs differ, thus their success may differ. It may be as simple as being able to dress oneself independently or being able to count from one – twenty. These may seem very little but celebrating these little things makes life joyful.

“Teaching is everyone's bread and butter but only a few cups of tea.”

                At the age of 19, I tasted my first mouthful of bittersweet reality - I finally became a teacher. I was a kindergarten adviser and was assigned to teach all the subjects. I was assigned to teach Grade 1 – Integrated English and Science wherein I taught two lessons (one for English and another for Science) at the same time. This first mouthful of bittersweet reality brought great impact in my journey on becoming a teacher, it taught me valuable lessons that I didn’t learn at school. I learned to listen not only to my students but to other teachers whose skills were honed through time. I was able to see clearly how important the role of the teacher in the development of the children; how a single praise could mean so much for a child that it could greatly affect his confidence. However, the greatest lesson that I learned was the sacrifices of a teacher. A teacher cares for her student, even if she has so many she still cares for each as if they were the only one she had.

                After a year of teaching in the Philippines, I decided to fly to Thailand hoping to continue my journey to becoming a teacher. This journey brought me to Sathingphra, Songkhla where I taught Mathayom 1-5 students English. Loneliness was not the hardest part because I am already used to living far from my family. Adjusting in their culture was the challenge especially since I couldn’t speak a word from their language. Like any adventure, this was filled with lessons to learn. I learned how to relax and not to pressure myself too much. I learned to value myself more. Little by little I started to understand and appreciate the bitter taste of reality. Slowly, that bitterness became sweet.

              

    As I continued my journey, fate made me stumble upon Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation’s website. Reading about them in their page, I fell in love with their mission. I was reminded of how I dreamt to be not just a teacher who teaches but a teacher who makes a difference. I was aware that leaving my job for PHBGTU would be more challenging because most of the kids I will be handling are from underprivileged backgrounds but my heartfelt excitement when I was offered a job in the foundation. Even when I had been working in the foundation for only about 3 months, I was able to appreciate every effort of the Foundation in nurturing the students, especially the residential students. At a very early age of 6, kids are left to live at school away from their family. It is a joy to witness how the students are very excited to join in our activities. They would always rush in front of our office to see the list of activities prepared for them. Sometimes, my students would ask me excitedly, “Teacher, where is coconut club?”. The best experience I had working with the foundation is the Birthday Party. Seeing the students smile, playing in the pool, and being grateful for the gifts they received is heart-warming. Through every activity that we prepare for them, both in and out of the classroom makes our students feel that they are not alone. They have their teachers who truly care for them. 

        My experience with the foundation feels like I have only just arrived, but it is always meaningful when I see what I have accomplished. I can’t wait for more adventures with the students, co-teachers, and volunteers.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Foundation, Kay and Andy Hunter, and The Chava Resort of Surin for supporting me, and my English programme classes for the year. It makes such difference in everyone's experience.

Teacher Diego: A bumpy road to becoming an English Teacher

Teaching in Thailand is one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had yet. I’ve learned a lot about the culture of this beautiful place and I will never regret my decision to leave Italy and start my adventures abroad, which ultimately led me here.

I had to work hard to get the opportunity to take a TEFL course, going through countless adventures in Australia and New Zealand to learn the appropriate level of the English language that allowed me to start this amazing career. Despite my Bachelor degree in foreign languages and literature achieved in Italy, the language barrier was huge when I landed in Australia for the first time. Every day included many mistakes and struggles with incomprehensible words and local phrases. However, unashamed, I kept trying and trying until my conversations were fluent and my understanding was nearly perfect.

Then, after 4 years, it was time to face the new adventure that I had planned after my degree: teaching English in Asia. Many friends told me about their amazing experiences visiting Thailand so I did my research on the internet and found a very interesting TEFL course on the island of Koh Samui.  Upon arrival I discovered paradisiacal beaches, warm weather, and amazing fresh food; it seemed about right. In short, it was one of the best adventures of my entire life, I was surrounded by amazing people - future teachers, in fact, the location was beautiful and life seemed to be amazingly perfect (which it is even now).

The TEFL course was a blast and it went by too fast. The instructor was clear and funny and after the classes I was definitely ready to apply for a teaching job. I had quick replies from three different schools: one in Songklha, one in Krabi, and one from a charity Foundation called “Phuket Has Been Good To Us”, like the name says, in Phuket. I decided Songkhla was too far and in the middle of nowhere so I placed this offer as my last choice and arranged a Skype interview with the other two offers. Any doubts I had were gone after these interviews. There was nothing wrong with the Krabi school but the professional and friendly people on the other side of my screen from Phuket Has Been Good To Us (PHBGTU) were just amazing! My questions were all answered by the senior teacher, the recruitment volunteer and the boss of the Foundation. I decided to start my adventure from the Island of Phuket!

Friendly staff welcomed me in the small town of Kamala. We had lunch and introduced ourselves; everyone was very friendly and at the same time very professional. The staff and my co-workers helped me a lot during the first months of the job until I got used to it and I started to have my first achievements. Students began to get used to me; the younger ones started to see me as an example and the older ones as a friendly face who they could open up to and explain their problems, dreams, and hobbies. Teaching in the underprivileged government school is not the easiest thing to do but the rewards are enormous considering we can make a small difference in the lives of less fortunate students. I have been so fortunate as to be put in charge of the P6 class here in Kamala which has been sponsored by Jean-Claude and K Kantaya, meaning I can make an even bigger difference.  

Every day is a new experience and there is something new to learn. Even after one year and a half as a teacher for PHBGTU I am still surprised an amazed the Thai people, the community and my co-workers and I’m looking forward to the rest of this academic year ahead.

A Global Perspective on Teaching English: by teacher Violeta

I came to Thailand from Spain. I grew up in a small city in the centre of Spain. Since I was a child I wanted to be a teacher because I loved studying, going to school and I had the chance to have some amazing teachers that inspired me.

While I was at university studying a degree to be an English Teacher in Spanish schools, I found out my passion for the English language and started travelling thanks to several scholarships that I obtained from the Spanish government.

I started travelling only during the summers to improve my English skills and got the amazing opportunity to travel to England, Canada and the US and live with different families for a month or two at a time as well as got to know people from around the world.

After I finished my first degree, I kept on my studies and went on to complete another degree to be an educational counsellor. Unfortunately, Spain was not a good place to work because of the economic crisis and after a few short-term jobs, I decided to move to England.

I started off by doing some volunteering artwork which was a really amazing experience. However, after a while, the teacher within me started to rebel and I decided to move on to teaching again.

I worked with a charity that had opened a new school. I worked as a volunteer teaching assistant at the beginning and then I took on the kindergarten teacher role. I worked for that school as a volunteer for three years and this really taught me how deeply I can bring benefit to kids as well as benefit myself from teaching. I learnt that as teachers we have the opportunity to take part in the development of children not only by teaching the academic curriculum but also providing the kids with some tools that will be very helpful for the rest of their lives in many different aspects.

Unfortunately, after almost four years of full volunteering, I ran out of resources and needed to find a paid job so I decided to leave England and try in a different part of the world.

I stayed with my family for a few months trying to figure out what to do and where to go and somehow I found out about Thailand which was a complete stranger to me at that time.

Within one month I decided to leave Spain again and came to Phuket to complete a TEFL course so that I could have more opportunities to work as a teacher around the world.

That first month in Thailand was great, I was amazed by the way of life and how people take life in a more relaxed way. So, I decided to look for a job in Thailand. I went to the east coast of Thailand and worked as an English teacher for a private school for a few months. It was a good experience that allowed me to get to know the thai system and I also met many amazing teachers.

However, I realised that I was missing being able to help children in a deeper and more meaningful way than just teaching English and therefore started to look for other types of job.

I had read things about PHBTU while I was doing my TEFL course and right away I was drawn by the foundation and its purpose so as soon as I discovered that they were looking for teachers I saw the great opportunity to be able to take part in this inspiring project. With help from my sponsor, MontAzure, I was able to join the team and start teaching soon after.

When I arrived again in Phuket I was so excited to start working and meet the children at both schools where I work. It was a challenging start as it always is in a new job but the children quickly got my heart and working with the team of amazing teachers and volunteers gave me more reasons to love it. The students always seem so happy to see me even if I am not one of their teachers and they learn very quickly.

Working with unprivileged children has brought me a new perspective on life that makes me keep striving to improve my skills as a teacher as well as a person trying to be the best I can be.

My goal for this year is to enjoy every day and take the most of this great opportunity.

I would like to thank the foundation for giving me this amazing opportunity as well as to all the sponsors and in particular, I would like to express my gratitude to MontAzure for sponsoring the English Programme for Anuban 1, 2 and 3 at Anuban Kamala School.

Our Kind Sponsor, XL Catlin

The academic year 2016/ 2017 has ended now and we are happy to send the children home after a successful year of learning. This term, we had dedicated sponsors again who made our classes possible. One of our committed supporters was XL Catlin who not only sponsored a class, but also donated a foundation vehicle!

XL Catlin’s sponsored class is Prathom (Primary) level 1 Class taught this year by Teacher Grace. As the second semester has flown by, students were engaged in the lessons and challenged to be more involved in group activities that promote cooperation and unity. The class schedule included the recognition of letters from A to Z, learning jolly phonetics, reading simple sentences, leading first conversations and counting numbers to 30 and more.

One topic that the class particularly enjoyed was “Parts of the Face”. They made creative face masks on which they drew the parts of the face we learned. Their fine-motor skills were also trained as they did the activity, and the crafts promoted retention of the lesson as well. Most of the students in this class are kinesthetic learners. They learn topics best, and remember that information when they are moving around. This is also probably due to their incredible energy at this age! It has been a challenge at times, but we have seen great progress with class behaviour since we changed the approach in teaching them the lessons and tried to incorporate movement.

The class has shown great progress this semester. They are more responsible and most of them follow the rules. The students have shown more interest in the lessons and have gained confidence in expressing themselves in front of the class.

XL Catlin’s support also includes the donation of our Foundation vehicle. The Foundation vehicle is very useful when we run extracurricular activities for residential students, including our quarterly birthday parties, and transportation of children to Saturday swimming, as well as set up for community and fundraising events. Earlier this month we used the Foundation vehicle to bring Kalim students to the cinema as a graduation present! All these activities would not have been possible without the support of XL Catlin, so a big thank-you for enabling us to enrich the lives of the children we work with!

Ride 4 Kids Fundraiser Update! -by Donna Toon

Long hours continue on the saddle for the 16 riders partaking in the Ride 4 Kids Charity event from the 6^th – 11^th March from Hua Hin to Phuket all in support of three charities on the island, Phuket Has Been Good To Us, The Good Shepherd, and Outrigger’s Share for Change.

Not for the faint hearted, the epic journey is in full swing, and the countdown till the 6^th March is rolling around fast. Individual rides and smaller sessions on the bike have been a feature for all riders for many months. Our first group ride on Friday 3^rd February was a lot of fun and the first time the riders have come together as one.

Meticulous planning for the event is being spearheaded by founders Sam and Rebecca Frith. Accommodation, support vehicles, movement of bikes and team members are all locked in, and now more intricate details are to be fine tuned. "The team is super excited," said Sam, "and things are progressing well".

The after party will be held at Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resorts, tickets are now available, so come and meet the crew and have a quiet beverage in celebration. Donations for silent auctions and raffles can be made through our facebook page. 

For more information and to make a donation to the event please visit the website www.ride4kids.co!

Teaching Abroad; My year+ working in Phuket - by Yulya Sorokina

I have come to Thailand from Russia. I grew up in a small city in South Ural. I studied linguistics at the Russian Academy of Education. It took me almost six years to finish my education. In the middle of my studies, I decided to go abroad to practice my language skills. I signed up for English courses in the US and successfully completed them. With my degree in Linguistics and with five years of teaching experience I decided to teach abroad. The events that led me to teach in Thailand began when I was on holiday in Phuket. I deeply enjoyed my visit and felt very comfortable with the Thai people and culture. Teaching in Thailand was an extraordinary opportunity to challenge myself and to help other people. I was confident that I could bring something new and interesting to the teaching process and help children to improve their language skills.

I signed up for an accredited TEFL course that was partially online and partially in person in Thailand. As I completed this course, the coordinator of my group introduced me to Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation. After meeting with some of the teachers, volunteers, office staff and of course our lovely director of operations, I was surprisingly overwhelmed with what they had done for underprivileged children. Without any doubt, I agreed to volunteer with PHBGTU foundation and I have never regretted the decision. A few months later I was offered a paid position from Phuket Has Been Good To Us and gladly accepted! I am lucky enough to be sponsored by Phuket Condos & Homes which allows PHBGTU to pay my salary and cover my visa and work permit costs.

November marked one year since I began teaching at Kamala school. I am currently teaching nine different age groups ranging from nine years old to sixteen years old. Teaching has always been challenging and exciting to me; it gives me the energy to work harder and to achieve my goals in the classroom. In Kamala school students come from different backgrounds and with different levels of English. This makes teaching quite challenging, but also brings the teachers together as a team. My fellow teachers and I work together on planning our lessons and try to come up with the best possible ways to adapt the plan for our students with different learning styles. Our team is from all over the world and each teacher has their own individual experiences and teaching styles. I have learned so much from working with them. Every day I improve as a teacher; I learn to adapt, experiment and improvise.

Another great part of being a teacher here at Kamala school is our afterschool program, Coconut club, which I help to coordinate. Monday through Thursday, the Foundation’s teachers and volunteers spend an extra hour at the end of the school day with the residential students. Every week we plan different activities that will be both educational and fun. We also have regular sessions which we run every week such as rugby club, bingo and guitar club.

Mondays is usually our Lego day, which all of the students really enjoy. I love art and try to incorporate it into Coconut Club when I can to help the students use their creativity and imagination. I truly enjoy doing all the art projects and teaching children new skills such as paper mache, painting different materials, or making their own dream catchers.

I have lived the most memorable year of my life here in Phuket helping children to improve their language skill and adding a bit of excitement and happiness to the lives of underprivileged students. I look forward to more continuing to grow as a teacher here in Phuket!

http://www.phuket-condos-homes.com/

https://www.facebook.com/phuketcondos/

Reflections on Volunteering Abroad by Ruth Hall

When I arrived in Phuket to start my 6 months volunteering with Phuket Has Been Good To Us I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but it wasn’t that I would spend over a year here working with the Foundation. What started out as 6 months quickly turned into the best year of my life. I have met some amazing people who will be friends for life, had the chance to explore new places and gained new experiences. Most importantly I have loved getting to know the children and working towards giving them a better education to benefit their future.  

During my time with PHBGTU, the majority of my responsibilities as an Office Fellow included marketing and social media, volunteer recruitment and looking after visitors to the Foundation. During the last few months I got involved with running our fundraising events, specifically planning A Night at the Opera 2016. All of this was new to me when I arrived, but my experience here has taught me so much about life behind the scenes in an NGO and all the hard work that goes into running a charity. I learned so much from everyone at PHBGTU that I know I can take with me to my future.

Every afternoon I would try to make it to the school to join in Coconut Club activities. This is always the best part of the day for anyone working or volunteering with the Foundation. After a tough day in the office, there is nothing better than heading down to school to see your all your favourite students. We spend the afternoon playing games, painting pictures and having fun. At the end of the hour, you find yourself with paint on your face, glitter on your arms, feathers in your hair and a million selfies on your phone. It’s hard to put into words how much I will miss all the children at school and the crazy afternoons at Coconut Club.

As much as I loved Coconut Club, Saturday swimming was always the highlight of my week. Every Saturday afternoon you can find a group of residential students, teachers and volunteers marching down to Kamala beach or one of the local hotel pools. There are always a group of students waiting at the teachers’ office hoping to go. This gives them the chance to leave school for an afternoon and have some fun while learning to swim. The children are so excited to be playing in the water and the sand, throwing Frisbees and doing handstands. Thanks to Kamala Green Club who donated gloves and bags, during this time we also get the kids to do a beach clean on their way. It’s fun to see how pleased they are when they manage to find the biggest piece of rubbish. It is also a great way to expose them to some extra English without them noticing they are learning!

During my time in Thailand, I have been lucky enough to travel and learn about Thai culture. From weekends being a tourist in Bangkok, beach days and rock climbing in Krabi, scuba diving in Koh Phi Phi, getting to know elephants at an elephant sanctuary, and exploring tea plantations and cities in Malaysia I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity to see some of the incredible places in and around Thailand. As amazing as all of this has been, most of all I have loved working with the team and getting to know some amazing people and kids. I am sure that I will be back to visit my PHBGTU family in the future, but for now, I feel lucky to have been able to call this beautiful country my home.

From Student to Teacher - Thoughts and Advice from Mr Jakkrawut Monkong

As teachers (or staff supporting teachers) it is always wonderful to see your old students doing well. We were thrilled to catch up with Mr Jakkrawut Monkong who was a student at Kamala school, went to University and is now teaching at Kamala school. He kindly agreed to let us follow up with a few questions to get his take on our Foundation, education, his career path, and his advice to current students.

What is your first memory of Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation, Coconut Club, and English teachers at Kamala School?

My first memory is the teachers’ sacrifice; spending their time helping the underprivileged children and working hard for them. Thanks to the Foundation for being with us for 8-9 years. Also Coconut Club has so many activities for the children and allows them to be together with friends and teachers.

What motivated you to go to University?

I had a terrible life before, and I was scared of that, so I thought I should have a secure life by working with the government. As a government servant, my parents will get the social welfare from the government. That is what I can give back to my parents for looking after me when I was young.

Another inspiration I had was through reading the story of the King. The King had the idea that the colour of government servants’ uniforms should be ‘light brown” - the colour of the soil. This was in keeping with Thailand’s character as an agricultural, farming and ploughing nation. The “light brown” coloured uniform is the colour of the soil, so when the government servants go out to work with the people, they don’t need to worry about the stain on their uniform. On the other hand, the strategy of soil colour uniform is because government servants should keep a low profile when listening to the peoples’ problems. The government servant is the representative of the King whose name “Phumipol” means “power of the land”. This inspired me to work as the King’s servant for our country.

Another inspiration was my Thai subject teacher. I realised she is a good person and apart from teaching in class she taught me other good things about life. She worried about the Thai language which is the heritage for the younger people and should be preserved. As a Thai, I think I should teach the correct Thai language and retain Thai culture the same as my Thai teacher did before. This motivated me to study my Thai subject.

How do you think having English lessons has helped you in your education or life?

I feel ashamed I didn’t pay attention when studying English subject in high school. When I grew up I realised that English is quite important and is a part of life. Many people around me use English for communication as an international language. I think speaking English would help me to be able to study at a higher level or I could get a scholarship to study abroad. It will help me follow my dreams in the future.

What do you teach? What age?

I teach Thai subject and Thai literature for Mathayom (Senior) 4 and 5. I am also a home room teacher of Prathom (Primary) 2/2.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

As I said before, I have 3 reasons for becoming a teacher. First, I want to be a government servant. Second, I want to do good things to give back to my motherland and third I want to continue the idea and lessons of my teachers.

To be a good teacher is not only teaching for knowledge but teaching students about the morals and ethics to make them good people. Then they can give the knowledge to the next generation to develop Thailand to be great. If you decide to be a teacher it means you have to be a teacher for life, not only from 8 am to 4 pm. Teachers have to be a good model for their students and I was sure I could be a good model to my students.

Why did you come back to Kamala to teach?

8 years ago, the tsunami destroyed Kamala school. The King gave us a new school funded by the King’s Foundation. I got an opportunity to get free food and accommodation for 5 years. There were many other underprivileged students who came to study at this school. I realised I got a good chance to study at this school and I decided I should come back as a teacher to give back to the school that helped me. This is the reason why I came back to teach here.

What advice do you have for our students who want to go to University?

I want to advise to the students who are going to study at University to realise that passing the exam to study in the University; it is not the end but just the beginning of the University life. If they pay attention and study they will finish their education in 4 years. They should select good friends; bad friends will take them away from studying. They have to look after themselves and take more responsibility for studying in the University. If they play hard outside the class they have to study hard in the class. They should have limits for their life.

If they have some problems they cannot solve by themselves they should ask for advice from their adviser or their parents. Do not let it go until it is too late. The best help is from family.   

What could Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation do better to help our students?

Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation has given us too much so I cannot think of the words to say. No one ever gave us more opportunities than the PHBGTU foundation did. Not only by teaching English to us in the school without any payment from school but taking the students to do special activities on Saturday that allow the students to get some experience and not feel alone. The students know they have someone around to support them. I think to support the children and teach them English will lead them to the good future.

What effect is the foundation having on students’ lives?

Many things; first, we are more comfortable to speak English to the tourists. Second, we have more confidence to speak English in general. Third, we have more basic English to study at the higher level and fourth, we can get a good job.

Mr. Jakkrawut Monkong

Reflections of Teacher Hossain

Coming up to the end of my year teaching with Phuket Has Been Good To Us, there are many things that I would like to share with you. Teaching has always been challenging and exciting to me, and this challenge keeps on driving me forward. People often say teachers never reach the end of the learning continuum as there is no end to learning. I believe anyone will certainly experience this if they happen to teach in Asian countries, especially in Thailand, where every student brings a new world into the classroom. Every day I experience new things, learn to adapt, experiment and improvise, and ultimately I improved as a teacher throughout my time here. I am glad that I was given this golden opportunity to work for a charity teaching organization, Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation in Thailand. Teaching is always exciting, but working with underprivileged children makes it all the more unpredictable.  

It’s really a mammoth task to put a years teaching and learning experience into a handful of words. But let me try.

Teaching in a Thai government school is both challenging and exciting at the same time. We, my fellow Foundation teachers and myself, teach with very limited resources, our students come to class from different backgrounds and with different English proficiency. This makes teaching itself quite challenging, but this also brings us together as a team. We plan our lessons together, talk through the lessons, and try to come up with best possible ways to adapt the plan to cater for different learners and learning styles. This has helped us to work together as a team, collaborate with other teachers, and plan lessons to meet the needs of all different types of learners.

While working with Phuket Has Been Good To Us I taught students between the ages of 12 and 18 years old. Before I began teaching at the school I reviewed the Thai exams that the students are required to take. The Thai exam system demands a higher reading proficiency from the students. Therefore, I started to focus on improving the reading skills of all my students.

I began with reading simple texts and doing basic reading exercises to improve reading skills. Gradually my students moved on to working with long reading passages and complex linguistic structures. They have also worked on reading sub-skills like scanning and skimming. They have begun to master these skills and I am sure that they will continue to improve in the future.

I would love to have had more teaching hours with my students and more time to see them grow.

Coconut Club has been an exciting part of my job at the school. This gave me the opportunity to build a good relationship with the students outside of the classroom, experiment with different engaging and communicative activities, and work outside of the box. I truly enjoyed all the games we played with the children at Coconut Club, but my favorite was the running Olympics, students run to the end of the line, change their costumes and run back to teammates like a relay.  Moreover, I have learned new skills at Coconut Club, especially arts and crafts, which will help me with teaching in the future.

Every Saturday morning we take students swimming which has been quite fun for me. My weekend could not have a better start than this. The naïve smiles on your students’ faces make you forget it is hard work. I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life.

Once every two months we celebrate a birthday party for students, and this is the best part of the job! Nothing can be as enjoyable as celebrating such an important event with students, their smiles, laughter, and happy faces are the things worth treasuring. We pack gifts for students depending on their ages and try to think of what each individual student would like to receive. I do not have the language to express how I feel when I see the happy faces of my students on this day. I was lucky to have attended 3 birthday parties during my time here and I am going to cherish the happy memories of those days for the rest of my life. 

To conclude, I would say, I have lived the most memorable year of my life here in Phuket. I am definitely going to miss my wise colleagues, my passionate students, my welcoming Thai friends, and this beautiful Kamala beach.