The Thai Experience

While at Raquette Lake, we were lucky enough to have several Thai teachers join us on our three day trip. Most of them come from different parts of Thailand, and teach a range of different subjects. Many of them were science teachers. I have to say that meeting them was a unique and very rewarding experience. They came to Raquette Lake with an open mind and friendly attitudes. After sharing every meal with them for three days, and getting the chance to do challenging activities, our block (Block 1), became very close with them. They are truly some of the most genuine people I've had the opportunity to meet. They were able to make connections with us, even though at times the language barrier made it difficult for us to communicate. They shared much of their culture with us, just as we shared ours with them. I loved watching them do their song and dance at Raquette Lake. It showed myself and the other students that even though something may seem foreign to us, by embracing differences we can make it personable. I believe this is something I will take into my teaching with me. Although children may have different backgrounds and beliefs as teachers we need to be able to incorporate different styles of learning, and be able to differentiate our lessons to meet the needs of all students. Today was our last day with the Thai teachers. They came to our math class and gave us presents from Thailand. They were pencils that had all different animals and designs on top. It was really sweet of them to leave us with one last thought to take with us. I would love to be able to visit Thailand someday and visit the teachers. They made Raquette Lake an even more memorable experience, and their presence in my classroom and Cortland will be missed by all.