April 4, 2000
Suthinan Pratchayapruek ... Home school is but one way to pressure the educational system to change. Home truths EDUCATION: When Suthinan Pratchayapruek decided to teach his kids at home for half the week it became obvious to him-and his community-that there was more to education than learning by rote Atiya Achakulwisut In terms of physical growth, Satuek district in the northeastern province of Buri Ram is way behind Bangkok-it has more buffaloes than cars and there's not a karaoke bar in sight along the rough laterite roads. But in terms of educational development, it has in many ways progressed far ahead of many places in Thailand. Indigenous advancement towards educational reform takes a lot of time and commitment from everybody involved. But like with most successful reforms, it begins with the love and wish to give one's children the best one can. "Schools in the system teach kids to fit in with available jobs. I teach my kids to be happy," Suthinan Pratchayapruek said. A leader in an indigenous movement towards self-sufficiency for Isan farmers, Mr Suthinan is well-respected in the community. Villagers around the area call him a Khru Ba, a northeastern term meaning local leader. He and his wife, Chawee, are also the first parents in Buri Ram to home school their children. Sickly as a child, Mr Suthinan did not receive as high an education as his siblings. The physical weakness, he recalled, was a blessing in disguise as he had to work on the land left to him by his father, a farmer, who had passed away. Through the years, by trial and error, Mr Suthinan, 52 was able to develop an extensive eucalyptus plantation, grown along with other plants and trees in a type of forest. Education, he believes, must evolve with people's real life. It is ineffective if designed by somebody outside who has no idea about what is going on in the community. "We gave the task of educating our young people to the government for a long time. And it became increasingly obvious the government was ineffective in shouldering this heavy burden. "Look at the entrance system. It has caused a great deal of misery to everybody involved," Mr Suthinan said, referring to the intensely competitive exams needed to get a university place. "Rural children are the poorest victims in this case," Mr Suthinan added. "Unable to compete with their city peers, only about 10 percent of them pass and get into higher education in the capital. "What about the other 90 percent? Formal schools teach them things they need to know if they are in a city. But they are not. They become lost because they do not learn anything about their own rural lifestyle. "And then they simply don't appreciate it," Mr Suthinan said. The economic crisis brought the problem home. Laid-off workers and new graduates who could not find a job returned to their provinces, to find they could do nothing to earn a living there. "Poor, rural villagers work hard to send their children to schools. When they come back, unemployed, we are again burdened to help them out. The formal education gives nothing to us," he observed. Realising the shortfall, Mr Suthinan embarked on an educational reform in his family. He decided it was best to teach his children-the sons and daughters of his younger sister whom he adopted when they were young-by himself. He started negotiating with his children's school two years ago, explaining his philosophy of broadening the scope of education so it embraces the concept of sustainable living. He started negotiating for a 50-50 split between formal education and home schooling. Education must relate to what people do in real life, says Mr Suthinan, pictured here talking to children about how nature works. The school agreed to adjust the curriculum to accommodate the experiment. The children, Jariya, 12, (Pathom 6), Withaya, 10, (Pathom 3) and Nitchada, six, (Pathom 1), attended school from Monday to Wednesday to study classes such as Thai language, maths, and English. From Thursday to Sunday they studied at home, learning about farming, keeping livestock and trading. The children kept a journal as a record of their home school activities. They are still appraised by the formal examinations like the peers. With help from teachers and academics interested in his philosophy, Mr Suthinan, who graduated in Fine Arts from the Rajabhat Institute in Buri Ram, designed the home schooling curriculum according to each child's personality and special interest. Jariya, for example, likes to grow plants. She is a planner by nature and likes to buy and sell things. Accordingly, her activities at home included researching and growing loofah to sell along with other fresh and dried products. "My way of teaching was to arouse the children's interest in things around them and let them experience things. If they wonder what is it like to keep chicken, I let them raise some. I let them solve the problems by themselves because that is the best way for them to learn," Mr Suthinan said. When Withaya expressed a wish to keep ornamental fish, Mr Suthinan took him to Chatuchak Market. He explained that some kinds of ornamental fish such as Japanese carp can cost several thousand baht each and he could make a living if he was truly interested in it. After that, he built the boy a fish pond. "I really liked it when I could go to school for three days and stay home the rest of the time," said Withaya, or Num, adding he had been lazy and disliked school before. "My friends would like to study at home too," he said. The children also learn about how to make use of plants and animals in the area. In winter, for example, they collect the flowers of the neem trees. Fresh ones are kept for consumption while dry ones are soaked in water to make insecticide. "That I teach my kids about farming does not mean I intend to keep them here forever. They are free to go wherever they want and do whatever they wish for a career. But as farming kids, they need to know these things. If they become disappointed with the world, they can always come back here and lead a happy life," Mr Suthinan said. Since Mr Suthinan's plantation is frequented by academics and students, the children have a chance to exchange ideas with these visitors too. Mr Suthinan admitted for a home school to work, parents have to be alert and ready to learn along with the children. "There is timing involved in teaching kids. Sometimes, they are ready, other times they are not. We have to give them some time to play. Although the basic idea in home school is the same, that is to participate actively in your children's education, the methods vary. " There is no ready-made formula. You have to find a format that suits you and your children by yourself," Mr Suthinan said. After one year of implementation, Mr Suthinan's attempt at home school was hailed by academics and teachers for its progressive philosophy. The appreciation, however, ended there because of resistance from the school. While some teachers felt the parent's participation in their children's education was a good move towards much-needed reform as stipulated in the new National Education Act 1999, other teachers remained uncomfortable about the idea. Also, squeezing the main courses into the first three days of the week so the three home school children would not miss out proved too intense for other students, some of whom became bored and disruptive. Mr Suthinan's home school project was therefore ended when Jariya finished Pathom 6 last year. She is now studying in a Mathayom 1 level in a formal school. Fortunately, though his progressive idea is not all lost. Learning outside the class in smaller groups can often better meet children's individual needs. A group of local teachers believed Mr Suthinan's home school curriculum was just what they needed to transform the school into a more child-centred learning institute. They began to take their students out to learn about real life-growing vegetables, raising pigs or making bricks-at Mr Suthinan's farm house. They also adapted his home school curriculum for teaching in the class. According to Jaroen Kruawaengmon, a teacher at Ban Kung Mue school who is a member of the small but growing teachers' network for reform, such visits help bridge the gap between the young and old. "These farms are then seen as a learning institute. After the visit, children appreciate the local wisdom. They also respect the elders more," Mr Jaroen said. Both Mr Jaroen and Mr Suthinan agreed that unless serious attempts are made at grassroots levels, educational reform remains little more than a buzzword. "The present educational system has brought so much suffering to both children and parents," Mr Suthinan said, citing as an example news about educational pressures leading some students to commit suicide. He said parents should take an active role and initiate reform. By participating directly in their children's education, they will make formal schools more alert and responsive to their youngster's needs. "We can't wait for the government to solve the problems for us because it will take forever to make even a slight change in the stiff structure," he said. Home school, he said, is but one means to pressure the system to change. "There is no reason to wait. If you love your children, you have to be a part of their education. It is not easy, but it is a must. "With the pressure from our participation, schools will have to change their way of teaching. When that happens, they will realise the purpose of education. And there will be no need for parents to home school their children," Mr Suthinan said. Learning from the world around them Jaroen Kruawaengmon Acharn Jaroen Kruawaengmon, a primary school teacher from Ban Kung Mue school, is a member of the teachers' reform network. It began with a little surprise he had in his career. Every year, he was given an outstanding teacher award. But, how come nothing was better for his students? Year in, year out, most of his students did not contribute anything useful to the community. They simply roamed around the village after finishing school. Curious, Mr Jaroen conducted a survey among the parents of his students asking them how far would they support their children's education? Most said they would stop after primary school because they needed the children to help earn a living. "But the truth was these children would not be of any help. They would simply go around on their motorcycles day after day. They know nothing about farming because they went to school," Mr Jaroen said. And so it became clear to him what was wrong with the educational system he has been working in for more than a decade. "I began to understand what we taught had little to do with our life. And that if we continued this way, nothing would get better especially for poor villagers in the rural sector," Mr Jaroen said. A plant enthusiast, Mr Jaroen met Mr Suthinan, who produces seedlings for sale. Through their discussions, their philosophy about a new type of education, which goes beyond classroom preaching and memorisation emerged. Mr Jaroen learned about Mr Suthinan's attempt to draft a home school curriculum for his children. Believing that out-of-classroom knowledge and experience was an answer to the problem, Mr Jaroen began to lead his students on field trips to Mr Suthinan's plantation. Mr Jaroen is also a founding member of a network of teachers in Buri Ram, called the Three-Stone Network, signifying the age-old stone base in which people light fire. The network was established last year to support a transformation towards a child-centred system of education demanded by the new National Education Act 1999. Although the network has attracted quite a few teachers from schools in the province and students who seem to be happy and enthusiastic about outdoor learning, Mr Jaroen admits they are still far from achieving full reform. "There is still resistance from the system. For example, it remains problematic to bring students to study outside the classroom. Most teachers, I believe, would like to provide child-centred education. But right now, the system does not allow that to happen. Therefore, it depends on an individual having the guts to initiate the process and find his or her own way to achieve it," Mr Jaroen said.		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