At our annual OMF Thailand conference, I - together with two other moms - talked about principles that helped us cope with having our kids in Thai schools. These were mine:
TRUST - Trust God (he loves our kids more than we do) and PRAY. He is with, he guides us, he cares intimately about us and our children.
RESPECT - Remember that we are living in THAILAND, not South Africa, and things are done differently - not necessary worse, but different; remember to appreciate what is good about Thai schools and be appreciative of what they do do well. Because there IS a lot they do do well. Be respectful even when we don't agree or like what they are doing. Be respectful enough to follow their systems as much as possible, to not belittle their school by making them feel as if their system is inferior or substandard.
BE INVOLVED - (1) at the school: Integrate as much as possible at
the school - connect with the teachers and be very respectful of them (especially in front of our children), offer help, go on field trips, attend sports
days, presentations, etc; (2) in the children's overall education:
this means taking a very active part making sure the gaps are filled, doing homeschooling, taking them to extra murals, doing exercise with them, helping with homework, etc. Heh heh, lots of "etc" in this blog; (3) in the kids' progress - I talk to Jonty, Em and Nina after school DAILY and debrief - ask how they are and watch the body language - discuss their progress with the teachers weekly (or more if necessary)
PERSEVERE - there are days I want to give up, and days I cry when I send this one little blond farang boy off to big school in the sea of dark haired kids. Be confident, even when I don't feel it (never let the kids see when I'm wavering). And help the KIDS persevere too. Which leads to the final point:
ENCOURAGE AND PRAISE - let the kids know how well they are doing. Let them know what positive attributes they're developing. Focus on their strengths, encourage them in their weaknesses. Celebrate the victories: school reports, gold medals, trophies. Jonty came third in a handwriting competition and I did a scrapbook page for him - he was so delighted (and realised that he does not have to come first for me to be proud!). Some may think I over do it, but I AM proud of them. What they're doing is jolly hard - I'm not sure I could do it!!!
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