Make the Wish Come True
"If it weren't for Kru Pao, Amphon might have quit school,"
Napa Alsi, Amphon’s mother, told us. Amphon is a student of Nopardol Bootsatorn (Pao), a Teach For Thailand (TFT) Fellow (cohort 5), and her transformation reflects Pao’s impact beyond the classroom on the life of a student.
Amphon met Kru Pao at Mae Win Samakkee School, in Maewang Municipality, Chiang Mai, when he started working as a TFT Fellow and grew closer to Amphon and other students’ families.
“They first met when she was in 10th grade at Mae Wang,” recalled the mother. “I was struggling financially and couldn’t afford her tuition fees.”
“When I first met Kru Pao, I didn’t dare to approach him. They said TFT teachers are strict,” Amphon told us about their first encounter. “But there was something I needed to discuss with him, so I decided to talk to him.”
Napa wanted her daughter to continue her education and not have to work in labor-intensive jobs due to Amphon’s physical conditions. However, as the family didn’t have enough funds, Kru Pao decided to fundraise for Amphon’s vocational education fees.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Amphon’s mother. “But after that, Kru Pao came and said, ‘Amphon now has the funding, so you don’t need to worry anymore.’ I was thrilled that she could continue to study”
Currently, Amphon is studying Accounting at Muban Kru Technological College, Lamphun.
“I hope Amphon can work in a bank so she doesn’t have to work outdoors,” her mother said.
Another student who became close to Pao was Tawan, who is currently working as the army’s photographer in the Division of Civil Affairs at Sattahip Naval Base. He gained photographic skills from Pao and built them into his career. It all started with Kru Pao’s photography club.
“When Kru Pao first visited us, he had such a good attitude and could speak in the Northern dialect as well,” Amaree, Tawan’s aunt, recalled their first encounter.
“I asked if he could teach Tawan, especially as he had to move all the way from Chaiyaphum province to study in Chiang-Mai.”
“After Kru Pao came here, Tawan improved in everything: academics, and also activities – he participated in any competition Kru Pao organized.”
Kru Pao became closer to Tawan through playing ROV together. Tawan also participated in an ROV competition.
“It felt great that, once in a lifetime, my school held an ROV competition and I won,” Tawan smiled.
“We saw that many other schools were doing it, and from our visit to Rajabhat University, we thought the competition was possible.”
“Back in Chaiyaphum, Tawan used to skip school. He messaged me on Facebook and moved to live here in Chiang Mai,” recalled his aunt. “Here, he improved.”
Apart from school activities, Kru Pao and Tawan did many activities together in their free time.
“During weekends, Tawan takes care of Kru Pao’s cat for him,” Amaree told us. “His grades and attitude improved, and he learned from many good people.”
“Without Kru Pao, Tawan would have been lonely. With him, he has someone to rely on during the weekends,” concluded his aunt.
All students have their dreams and wishes, just need the push in the right direction to be ready to surpass anyone’s expectations. Kru Pao’s story reminds us that possibility is everywhere, no matter how impossible it might seem. Pao’s actions were crucial changes in his students’ lives, enabling them to shape a meaningful future for themselves and their families as well as to become justice-oriented citizens within their communities.
