Thai Schools.

       The rules in Thai schools are very different than they are in America. Teachers often leave classrooms unattended by adults for significant periods of time. Students are given workbook assignments and then are left without adult supervision. While the students move around and cluster at various desks the room does not descend into chaos or bedlam. One morning when I arrived to teach fourth grade I was told that the teachers would be going to the temple, schools are on Buddhist temple grounds. As I taught the class I looked out the door and all the teachers were walking to the temple leaving me the only adult in the building. One year a teacher had arranged some athletic competitions with other schools. To transport the students to the other schools they traveled in the open box of a pick-up truck. Students are almost never asked to individually answer a question. Naturally they all look to the brightest student and answer as he/she does. It took some doing on my part to keep the class quiet to hear one's response. Thai students are very respectful but they are not regimented.  The school in which I taught had a mixture of Buddhist and Muslim students. The  Muslim girls were not required to wear headscarves so it was difficult to distinguish between Buddhist and Muslim. I never witnessed any tension between students related to religion.

       Every morning before going to their rooms the entire school assembles. As they are assembled they sing the national anthem and raise the flag. Then they recite a Buddhist recitation followed by a Muslim one. I asked the principal if they would add Hindu or Christian recitations if there were Hindu or Christian students. She said "Yes." Then I asked "What if there was an atheist?"  That lead to a long discussion because she could not comprehend the idea of an atheist. There was nothing in her frame of reference to help her understand atheism, 

      COVID is now rampant in Thailand so I worry about teachers and students.

Takk for alt,

Al

                      Students assembled before classes.