How one teacher’s passion saves remote Trang school from closure
Schools in remote areas of Thailand usually have few students and even fewer teachers. And often, when the number of staff and students is low, the Education Ministry closes these schools.
One such school facing closure was Ban Khuan Thani School in Trang’s Kantang district, but teachers fought hard against the order and won.
Among the teachers who fought to keep the school running is Pathomchai Woratanti, 26, whose style and passion for teaching has upped the number of students from 21 to 80. Here we peek in on one of his classes to witness the magic.
Pathomchai Woratanti, a volunteer teacher at Trang’s Ban Khuan Thani School, gets creative in a bid to motivate youngsters to attend class. He has been a volunteer teacher at this school for two years now, even though he holds a degree in hotel management.
However, he said he loves teaching and even though his classes are online now, he is happy to dress in funny costumes to keep the youngsters interested. Pathomchai earns only 2,000 baht a month because he is not a registered teacher.
Voice: Hello, this Chiang Mai girl at heart [he is wearing the traditional attire of northerners] will teach you all about Thai spellings.
Pathomchai said he was the first teacher in Trang to come out as an LGBTQ, adding that he was glad his students’ parents believed in his abilities.
Voice: I am proud of my work. I drew more students to this remote school, which faced closure by the Education Ministry. Also, my entertaining style of teaching has earned the school a name. I am also proud that I can inspire students to dream of a better future. Education brings children, be they rich or poor, one step closer to their dreams.
Pathomchai said he is happy with this job and plans to complete his teaching degree so the school can officially employ him as a teacher.
