Thailand: Where Teachers Aren’t Just Appreciated, They’re Revered

Teacher Appreciation = Facebook Shrines

Now, “Wai Khru” is one of the more important holidays, so I knew it was coming at some point. As a new teacher, I was vaguely aware of it and its importance, but I had no idea what to actually expect from it.

One day, I went to my first after-lunch class and found my students constructing a giant Facebook logo entirely out of flowers and bamboo leaves. Like any situation where the confusion seems too great to be overcome with some Jim Carrey pantomiming, I left to find answers in the English office. They told me that tomorrow was a teacher celebration day and students had the afternoon to prepare for the ceremony. I still have no idea where the students acquired the rainbow of flora or the skills to turn it into professional looking arrangements, but bless them for giving me the afternoon off.

Ryan Farley / Own Work

Ryan Farley / Own Work

The next day I had to do some hunting to find where my students and fellow teachers were hiding. I eventually found the entire school in the gym (that I had never actually seen used for anything before). All 1,400 students were lined up straight-backed and sans their usual, unstoppable smiles, by grades and levels with their flower arrangements proudly displayed at the head of the room.

Every one of my government-uniform-wearing fellow teachers and administrators were already sitting on the stage and I made my way to join them—still entirely unaware as to what the day held for me. As per just about any school wide activity, the principal prayed to the Buddha shrine at the front of the room and students followed along with traditional chanting.

Ryan Farley / Own Work

Ryan Farley / Own Work

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