Be Like Chris: Celebrate the 2025–2026 School Year with the BFITS Program at Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – ancient Chinese proverb.

And now, the end is near. And so I face the final curtain… ok, while not exactly so dramatic, the end of this school year is finally upon us, as up and down Thailand, students file out of classrooms one last time, and overworked and tired teachers fill in one final grade sheet, bid adieu to students who will move on to new chapters in their lives, and say see you later to other students who will return in many weeks.

We have survived! School Year 2025/26 is now ripe for the history books.

So how was it for you, my fellow educator? It is a strange time of year—one that leaves me with a mix of emotions. Joy and excitement for the holiday about to come, but also nostalgia for the year that has just passed, and a tint of sadness for students whom I will no longer teach. As I cleaned my classroom one last time, it was funny that it was no longer the scene of chatter and (sometimes) chaos anymore, but had become a somewhat sentimental space.

Still, this is not a time to lament. It is a time to celebrate. For those of us teaching in Thailand with the BFITS Program, a school year is never just about lessons and exams. It is about people, routines, ceremonies, challenges, laughter, projects, competitions, and the little moments that make a school community feel alive.

So, rather than dwell on the final curtain, I want to look back on another highly successful school year here at Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School and celebrate everything that made 2025–2026 one to remember.

A Year Begins with Preparation

Our school year began in April when we convened for our annual preparation week in the English Program (EP) with BFITS. It is really an introduction week that gives teachers an opportunity to get their house in order before school proper returns in May, but it is also a great chance to meet new and returning staff, welcome back returning students, and meet our M1s (Grade 7) for the first time as a class.

One of the best things about preparation week is the atmosphere. It gives students, especially M1 students who may already be anxious or nervous about starting high school, a chance to meet their teachers in a generally more relaxed environment.

Only a few short weeks later, the whole school will open, and the madness will begin, so this really is a soft opening for our students. It is a week I have always enjoyed.

May Brings the School Back to Life

The real fun begins in May when school fully reopens, and all students, teachers, and support staff return for another year. There is always great excitement in the air as everybody comes back feeling refreshed and ready to kick on. I have always liked the energy that accompanies the school reopening.

That opening stretch also reminds you what it means to be a teacher in Thailand. There is classroom time, of course, but there is also gate duty, helping students get settled, and guiding them through those first few days back. In my case, that included helping my M1 students with things like Google Classroom as they adjusted to the new term.

At the end of the month, on Friday, May 30th, we celebrated Her Majesty The Queen’s birthday at the school assembly. This was the only ceremony we honoured during the month of May, but it set the tone for how closely school life and Thai cultural observances are woven together.

Warmth, Respect, and Recognition

June brought Wai Kru, or Teacher Appreciation Day, which is always one of the most heartwarming occasions on the school calendar. Students honour their teachers by presenting them with carefully prepared offerings, and I really enjoyed the morning assembly this year, especially seeing all the effort the students had put into their arrangements. Moments like this are a wonderful reflection of the warmth of Thai students.

That warmth carried into July, though July arrived with a much busier pace. Many students and teachers in the English Program were presented with certificates of achievement for their sterling work at the North-Eastern Thailand Open House Competition. It was a real boost to see those efforts recognised. It was very well done by all involved.

Of course, July is also the month of His Majesty The King’s birthday, which was honoured and celebrated with due respect in late July. And somewhere in the middle of all the official duties and school routines, there was also space for life outside the classroom.

A big shout-out to my colleague, Teacher Jacqui, who hosted a barbecue on a mid-July Saturday evening. It was one of those simple but important reminders that while teaching abroad can be busy, it is equally important to pause, unwind, and appreciate where you live.

Math Class Carries the Year Forward

While ceremonies and school events shaped the rhythm of the year, my Math classes continued steadily throughout it all. As with any school year, there were some small hiccups along the way, but in general, things progressed nicely.

I always try to place some emphasis on projects in class because I believe it is important for students to collaborate, work together, and experience how a team dynamic functions. Project work can also benefit students who may be more shy than others. Hands-on work is where many students shine, and I have always found that some of the quietest students become the most engaged once they are building, discussing, and solving something together.

From May through July, project work remained a regular part of class life. I try to do two classes of project work a week at each level, and those sessions often become some of the most memorable parts of teaching in Thailand because they allow students to interact, create, and grow in different ways.

August Belongs to Sports Week

In early August, we honoured H.M. The Queen Mother’s birthday, and we all wore blue for the occasion. But if one thing truly dominated that month at BP School, it was sport, sport, sport.

Our annual Sports Week took place in August and proved once again to be a wild success. The school grounds were filled with colour as students divided into different teams. There were so many games to attend, so much talent on display, and so much energy everywhere you turned. Football, basketball, cheerleading, track and field, volleyball, petanque — you name it, we had it.

Each year, it seems to grow more spectacular, and it has now really become a mini-Olympics right on our school grounds. The classroom can be stressful for some students, so seeing all the smiles and happy faces this week really drives home the importance of sport in our lives, not only for the obvious physical health benefits but also for community, confidence, and joy.

It is truly one of my favourite weeks in the school year.

September Ends Term One with Reflection

As we entered September, the dreaded final exams began to loom. After a successful mid-term exam week in July, I was confident that my students could handle what was ahead, but even so, preparations ramped up as I tried to drive home everything we had covered in the year up to that point.

Before the final push, though, we had the chance to step away from the classroom for a day and visit Play La Ploen Floral Park, located about 40 minutes outside the city of Buriram. It was a good learning opportunity in pleasant surroundings, and with activities provided by the friendly staff, a good day was had by all.

Then, just before our final exam week, we were informed that our school director would be retiring. It would be remiss of me not to mention that, because it gave the end of term one a bittersweet tone. There was gratitude, there was reflection, and there was the sense that another chapter at the school was closing.

Once final exam week was completed, term one was wrapped up. Like so much of my time here, it had flown by quickly, and after a short rest in October, we would soon be back for term two.

A New Term Begins in a Different Mood

Term two began in a sombre tone with the passing of H.M. The Queen Mother, confirmed just a few days before we returned to classes. As a mark of respect, and in keeping with the official period of mourning, teachers wore mostly dark colours in many of the term two photos. May she rest in peace.

We returned on October 31st for a special Halloween activity day in the English Program department. It is not a day I remember celebrating here before, but this year there were lots of spooky goings-on and a few questionable costumes on display. It was a soft opening to term two and a fun way to ease students back into school life through Halloween-themed games and activities.

Then, once term two began in November, we had visitors from a school in Sisaket who came to see our English Program in action. They were warmly greeted, and it was a pleasure to see such enthusiasm among the visiting students.

November also brought one of those smaller moments that stay with you. In the EP department, we do like to celebrate each other’s birthdays, and my own falls in November.

My colleagues and my M3 (Grade 9) students were kind enough to remember and present me with cakes. It is always lovely to feel appreciated on those ordinary school days that suddenly become a little more special.

December Brings Camp, Creativity, and Celebration

By the time December arrived, Math class continued as normal, but this was always going to be a memorable month because of the annual events that come with it.

This is when we had our annual English Camp trip away. This year, we ventured to Khao Yai and the wonderfully named Kensington English Garden Resort. In those surroundings, we had a memorable couple of days, mixing with our students in a more relaxed atmosphere while encouraging their English speaking and listening skills through a variety of activities. English Camp is always one of the highlights of the school year, and this year proved no different.

Back in the classroom, project work continued to produce some excellent moments too. My M3 students worked on bridge-building in Math class, while my M2 (Grade 8) students designed and built a 3D city. These projects are exactly why I value hands-on learning so much.

Then, as Christmas approached, BP School hosted various competitions for students to participate in. It is a good way for students to express themselves outside the traditional classroom environment and serves as a confidence builder. This year, I was one of the judges of our junior high school singing competition, and all participants deserve credit for their brave performances.

To round out the calendar year, we were treated to a special New Year’s lunch in our main school hall. It was a lovely way to finish the festivities and a fitting end to a busy and colourful month.

The New Year Begins at Full Speed

In early January, we presented our new school director and deputy directors with gifts for the new year on behalf of BFITS. It was a nice gesture and a reminder that the collaboration between BFITS Thailand and the school remains strong.

January itself proved to be an extremely busy but rewarding month. First came our term two mid-term exams. Those exams delayed preparation for the North-Eastern Thailand inter-school competitions, so once they were over, everything moved very quickly.

There is a vast array of competition categories, from Math and Science projects to spelling bees and singing, and, as ever, our students embraced the challenge. I was especially proud of my own mathematicians for their dedication and hard work.

In the end, we decided to work on Sierpinski Triangles, the famous self-similar fractal pattern that teaches students about recursion and self-similarity. That became our Math project entry, and I am delighted to say that the students did themselves and the school proud by winning a gold medal. I was genuinely proud of all their effort.

As if January had not been busy enough, February quickly followed with more classwork, including graphs and statistics in M1 Math, and the sense that the end of the school year was drawing near.

February Closes the Year with Pride

Even as the final stretch approached, there was still plenty to celebrate. Chinese New Year landed in mid-February, and the Year of the Horse was welcomed with great colour and enthusiasm at the school assembly—新 年快乐.

Before final exams, we also held our yearly school Open House on February 17th. It was an opportunity to showcase the school’s various programmes to prospective students and their guardians, and it was another reminder of how much life, energy, and pride exist within the BP School community.

Then, towards the end of the month, graduation week arrived, and there was very definitely an air of excitement as students celebrated the end of a momentous chapter in their lives. Many congratulations were exchanged, along with hugs and tears, but as always, it was not really goodbye. It was see you later.

And there you have it. Exams complete, school year 2025–2026 done. I suppose the end of the school year is always a time to reflect on everything that has been experienced. There have been challenges and tears, yes, but also many achievements and much laughter. I hope we stand at the end of this year a little stronger, a lot wiser, and much more confident in what we do here.

Many thanks for following many of my blogs this year, and remember: it is not goodbye; it is see you later, especially when you finally decide to teach in Thailand.

Chris Whearty
Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School