“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
And so here we are. 2025 kind of crept up on me there a little bit. I started back for the new school year at Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School in April; I was diligently doing my duty as always in July, attending Loy Krathong festivities in November, celebrating my own birthday at a later date in November, and then BOOM! It was Christmas, it was New Year’s, and all of a sudden, 2024 was consigned to the history books, and we had started a brand new chapter, that is titled 2025.
Here in Buriram, we have just finished what can only be described as possibly my busiest month since I arrived in Thailand almost 4 years ago. We had an English camp away, we had parents’ meetings, and, of course, we had the madness that Christmas and New Year activities entail. But we made it through, as we always do, with a cooperative spirit and dedication to doing things correctly, both for ourselves and our students.
January: A Time for New Beginnings and Reflections
A quick trivia, January is named after ‘Janus,’ the Roman god of new beginnings and transitions. In this mythology, he represents the middle ground between two distinct dualities, such as life and death, young and old, and indeed, beginning and end. A lot of us may have similar feelings as we hurtle ever quicker towards the denouement of this school year, which in just a matter of weeks will be with us as quickly and as enthusiastically in some instances as the spring.
I myself have made some pretty seismic personal changes over the past number of weeks, which I will discuss in more detail in future blogs. Still, regarding my professional aspirations this year, I intend to remain here with BFITS in Thailand, a place I have come to regard as a second home. And there is quite a lot to look forward to in the year ahead, both within the organisation as a whole and in individual partner schools. Although I can only relay my experiences at Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School to you, I am sure my fellow bloggers at sister schools will share with you more about their experiences.
Building Efficiency: Organization and Time Management
So what’s in store for these final couple of months of the school year, and how do I best approach my classes and my workload as the end draws ever closer? Speaking on a personal level, I do believe that time management has now become a critical skill that I must utilize in my role here as the BFITS English Program’s Math teacher.
Organization is vital, as it helps me to maintain a clear idea of what I am doing, the timeframe in which I have to do it, and the reason I am doing it. Something I started doing this year, which I had not done previously, was to keep an exact diary of each class. For each topic I teach with each class, I have created a Google Sheet to enter information into each day (the date, whether it is a core or supplemental class, classwork I assign, and how many questions). This allows me to keep track of all my students and is particularly useful when following up with students who are a bit more carefree than they should be when it comes to submitting assignments. I also found it useful on Parents Day when speaking to individual parents.
Effective organization helps with time management, and I am one of those people who has to have an almost empty inbox tray in my email. I have seen inboxes with 250+ unchecked emails in my life, and I am sorry, but to me, that is a horror story. DELETE DELETE DELETE!
Preparing for Exams and Buriram’s Community Events
Now that the madness of December has passed, I am laser-eyed in my focus on the final exams which are but a couple of short months away. May I also add it was indeed a good madness in December, a healthy one that we all need as we navigate the school year.
January outside of school is also very busy here in Buriram, as organisers of the annual Buriram Marathon feel the heat with the race scheduled to take place on January 25th of this year. Again, the city will be filled with tourists for this highly anticipated race, and the best thing is that anybody can enter, regardless of their standards. Life here in what’s generally thought to be sleepy Isaan is nothing of the like with events such as this.
Reflecting Through Quarterly Reports
Something else I have been doing this year regarding my classes is writing quarterly reports for each class. In these, I list the students who have excelled, those who have struggled, those who come late regularly, and those who have answered most and shown the most enthusiasm. I write down what has gone well, what has not, and things that could be better. I do not share this with the students, it is for my own use and again gives me clarity on what has been achieved and areas that can be worked on.
As the school year progresses and moves towards its climax, my students are not the only ones who should have learned something. I myself should also be in that same boat.
Embracing Life and Teaching in Thailand in 2025
Assuming that all of us teachers in Thailand share roughly the same school calendar (subject to a school’s own whimsies), we will shortly be moving into what I would dub quarter 4. Before we know it, poofs, the school will be done for another year. The title of this blog mentions shaping a brighter 2025 as a BFITS teacher living in Buriram. I meant that with regard to the calendar year and the school year in Thailand.
As one school year ends another will follow shortly after it. And so the world turns. I intend to stay in position and whatever some of my colleagues here in other schools choose to do is their decision to make. If new people arrive, all I can say is that here in our little corner of this wonderful country, there is a myriad of things to do. From the annual marathon and crazy weekends of the Moto GP to the live football featuring Thailand’s premier club side (Buriram United), you will never be bored here.
I have seen how much of an impact one can have when one volunteers in Thailand, and it’s incredibly rewarding to combine this with the joys of teaching in Thailand. Whether you’re exploring new cultural experiences or refining your professional skills, teaching English in Thailand offers a fulfilling path.
As I look forward to the year in store, I have a couple of feelings. In one sense I wish for more of the same in what was largely a very successful and rewarding year professionally. But I also want to make some changes, which I will elaborate on in further writing. I wish to grow both as a person and as a teacher. And I know I have a good community here that can help me achieve both of these things. 2025, let’s do it!
On a side note, I want to congratulate all the winners of the big BFITS Annual Holiday Raffle Draw in December. Very well done. And sincere best wishes to all employees of BFITS for 2025.
Yours truly,
Chris Whearty, BFITS Math Teacher
Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School, Thailand
