By Colin Croughan
Teaching at a 114 year old school has been such an enriching experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a better training ground to begin my teaching chapter. As I walk these historic halls from class to class everyday, thanks to SINE, I find myself frequently taking in the scenery; the grand marble staircases, the weathered wooden floors and furniture, and the gilded frames decorating the walls of every hallway and room of previous kings, teachers, and students. It is truly a magical place steeped in antiquity with such a reverence for ceremony, which leads me to refer to it often as my own personal Hogwarts.🧙 But this love of ceremony is not without reason, as Wat Suthi is recognized as one of Thailand’s first “Royal Schools” (โรงเรียนในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์) — institutions either established by or historically granted protection by the monarchy.
Even more historic, the Temple of Wat Suthiwararam across the street, and the namesake of the school, was originally built during the Ayutthaya era and was colloquially known as Wat Lao, as this area was the landing place for much of the Lao community that has immigrated to Bangkok. While more than 250+ years old, the temple saw significant restoration during the reign of King Rama V, King Chulalongkorn the Great, the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty. The structure itself is beyond breathtaking, covered in ornate gold decoration and chimes that flutter in the breeze. In front of the temple, sits a 50 ft. tall pearlescent Buddha with its phalanx of smaller statues of various deities, all of them looking towards the school, guarding and presiding over it.
The school itself was founded in 1911, by the order of the same King Rama V, and officially opened 1 year after his death in 1910, and therefore is attributed with being operated by his son, King Rama VI, Vajiravudh. It initially started as a temple school for boys, and by 1917 expanded as a result of Thailand’s (then Siam) entry into WWI and alignment with Allied powers. As a result, all German property within the kingdom was seized — notably the plot directly next to Wat Suthi, Deutsche Schule, a German Christian Missionary School, which was granted to the Ministry of Education, and then to Wat Suthi to expand their campus and capabilities.
While Wat Suthi saw many additional renovations until the present day, I feel the origins and context are so very important to understanding the Wat Suthi teaching experience, the legacy of our students, alumni, teachers, and the hallowed halls that we teach in everyday.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have been invited by the Thai teachers to attend many of the school ceremonies. Even looking back on the first day of classes at Wat Suthi, it was a massive opening ceremony, complete with live band music and flag demonstrations in Wat Suthi colors (pink, white, and green). Wat Suthi is widely recognized throughout Thailand both for its outstanding marching band and for its strong performances in youth soccer tournaments. While I’m not always a huge soccer fan outside of the World Cup, it was so amazing to watch some of my students compete against one of their rival schools!
One of my favorite and most memorable moments so far was being able to witness the 114th Anniversary of Wat Suthi celebration. The school never misses an opportunity to reflect on its heritage and royal patronage.
As I hopped off of my Grab Bike, removed my helmet, and walked into school, I was greeted by droves of students in tents already playing live band music. While walking up to my office to the sound of traditional thai instruments, xylophones, trumpets, and drums, I overhear a monk chanting and blessing the school at a long table of offerings set by students and staff.
Following this was an unforgettable traditional Thai dance performance by 6 of the students. They not only performed for the school, but for several influential alumni, and government officials.
Only a few days later, the school held a celebration for Buddhist Lent Day (วันเข้าพรรษา). It was wonderful to see even more of my students participating in this school wide ceremony. For Buddhist Lent Day, the school organized each Matayom into different teams, and each team was responsible for marching to a nearby temple, carrying an offering to honor the monks in the local community — such as Wat Suthiwararam across the street, Wat Yannawa, and Wat Don. In typical Wat Suthi fashion, more traditional Thai dance, instrumental music, and marching ensued as the students marched off team by team to their destinations.
And one of my favorite roles as a SINE teacher here at Wat Suthi, is assisting with Gate Duty on a bi-weekly basis. Not only does this give me a nice 2 hour block for me to practice my Thai with the other Thai teachers, and for them to practice their English with me, but we get to say goodbye to each student ensuring they leave campus safely. Many of our favorite students come up to us to unpack their day and make conversation, further deepening the bonds between student and teacher — one of the many things about being a teacher with SINE that really fills me up in a way that my previous jobs never could!
