Teacher recalls life-changing royal lessons

AFTER PROVIDING start-up funding for the Distance Learning Foundation, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej also served as one of its teachers on several occasions.
“His Majesty was a kind and exemplary teacher,” Thippawan Suppakittaworn, now 29, recalled fondly about her special classes when she was a Mathayom 2 student.
As a young student at Wang Klai Kang Won School, she was fortunate to have the opportunity to be one of those taught by His Majesty. 
“All the children were excited. We had prepared ourselves a lot in terms of manners and words of reverence. We wanted to make sure we spoke to His Majesty properly,” she said. But she found out later that such preparations were probably unnecessary as the King proved to be more of a father-like figure. 
Thippawan admitted she was initially quite afraid of her Royal teacher and did not dare to look at the King’s face. “But as soon as he started speaking, his simple style, sense of humour and kindness removed all the fear,” she said. 
Thippawan said sitting in his class made her and her friends feel like they were learning from their father. “He taught us not just about academic subjects, but also about life,” she said. 
“He instilled in us a love for nature and culture.”
Moreover, Thippawan found that His Majesty conducted his classes in easy-to-understand language and with an interesting manner. 
“One day, he brought a goldfish in water to his class. The goldfish was chosen as a teaching material because it was sensitive to water conditions. But as he was teaching, he noticed that the goldfish seemed to be suffering from symptoms of distress. So he quickly called in a team to save the goldfish,” Tippawan said. “His reactions made a lot of us laugh.” 
She said she never got bored in the King’s class and could understand the subjects he highlighted. 
Now a teacher herself, Thippawan said she sometimes wondered how His Majesty had conducted his class so well despite not having been a teacher by training. 
With her vivid memory of the King, Thippawan said she had cried hard at the passing of the late Monarch. His Majesty passed away peacefully in his 89th year on October 13, plunging the nation into deep grief. 
Thippawan said it had been impossible to hold back tears even though she was aware that death was unavoidable. “I believe all Thai people feel the same way,” she said. 
Inspired by the great King, Thippawan has pledged to follow in his footsteps. 
“I will follow his model as a teacher. As a teacher, I will teach my students to be good members of Thai society. I will teach them about sacrifice, love and unity,” she said. 
“Of the many songs composed by His Majesty, I love ‘Can’t You Ever See’ the most, because it’s a beautiful jazz number,” Thappawan said. 
She said that while teaching her students at Ratchata Wittayakom School in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Pran Buri district, she also tells them about the songs composed by the late King and the time when she was his student. Thippawan also had the opportunity to learn under His Majesty as part of the Distance Learning Television project on four occasions.