Children of Takuapa

My mother-in-law is a teacher, and as such she had a strong desire to hear more about how kids learn here in Thailand. So, this is a short entry about the children of Takuapa that we are helping.

Step Ahead Khao Lak helps four child development centers in the area, and the Tapdawan Preschool is one of the farthest from our home base. Anne and I would take a motorcycle out there several times a week. It's a half and hour out, but the kids are always so happy to see you - the drive is more than worth it. They always point at me and say "Cheu Dao!" which means, "your name is Star"...they are always careful to reaffirm to themselves which of us is Dao and which is Fa (Sky). We each join different groups, each with about 12 children, that are led by two teachers each.

They sing songs and do crafts. We learn to count and I review the English words for fruits and animals with them. This helps the teachers, too, because their pronunciation needs some polishing. This is especially important when they are teaching the English words to kids, who will remember the word as it is said, right or wrong. They have very hyper Thai songs with movements, which the teachers lead with more enthusiasm than I could ever manage. They are getting very good at their ABC's (always with a rush through the "LMNOP" part, just as kids in the US sing it) and they love to watch themselves on video and on a camera screen.

The kids have "uniforms" which don't seem very strictly enforced. Most of the kids wear a light purple button-up shirt and red shorts or skirts. They also sometimes wear a dark purple cover over it, the purpose of which is a bit lost on me. One day, they were wearing what looked like blue soccer shirts, shown above. The younger kids don't seem to follow the dress code and show up in all kinds of outfits, many of which have English words on them that their parents probably don't even understand. However, Micky Mouse is a universal symbol, and there's no need to understand the language with something so very recognizable.

We have been told that these children come from families with very little, but at the center, they are treated with respect and loving kindness. The teachers are bright, wonderful, God-fearing women who clearly enjoy their jobs. They are creative, letting the kids show the fruits of their imaginations all day long. In turn, they teach me patience (regardless of their adorable faces, they are still 3 and 4) and a little bit of Thai. Anne once said that the best way to learn a language is to work with a child, since no matter how many times you ask them to repeat it, they will, and gladly.

After playtime, English lessons and songs, the kids have a snack and are showered outside. They are very funny, running around naked two or three at a time, but because I thought it inappropriate to capture those moments, there are no pictures of such events. Then, they lie down for nap time, and that's when we scoot off. You can view more pictures of the kids on our Shutterfly site, the link to which can be found to the right of this post!