Fill in the Gaps: Realizing Education’s Full Potential
“My school solves the problems that other schools couldn’t: illiteracy, lack of motivation to go to school, inability to have a life goal – things you’ll find to be the gaps in the education system.”
Kreenthinyaphat Thearathanin (Kreen), a cohort 4 alumnus at Teach For Thailand and the founder and CEO of THEKREEN: HomeSchool, told us about the change and impact he has created.
After his two-year Fellowship program, Kreen returned home to Songkhla, where he saw an opportunity to improve his education.
“I started out as a tutor, teaching my younger relatives, but as the demand increased, I decided to open a school.”
THEKREEN is a mix of homeschooling and tutoring, providing instruction and consultation for children aged two to college students. Many became regulars, while others only came for tuition. Kreen also plans to expand the curriculum soon.
“I had planned to open a homeschool in five years; it’s only been a little over four, and the school is up and running,” he told us.
Whether it’s children with learning challenges or university students struggling to find a life goal, THEKREEN provides consultation for all.
“We started accepting students from public schools. People would notice a positive change in them and trace it back to THEKREEN – some public-school teachers also bring their kids to study here and invite me to collaborate with them.”
THEKREEN has also established an MOU with a primary school to create a prototype classroom.
“I also work as a consultant for schools that want to create a friendlier classroom for their students.”
“We’ve also been collaborating with a local hospital to help identify children with a short attention span and autism, and we’ve proved more effective than public schools.”
When asked about Teach For Thailand’s part in his journey towards working in the education field, Kreen concluded that his experience gave him practical skills.
“I had a general goal to become a news anchor, but right now I’m using communication skills every day through teaching, and my audience is my students. Teach For Thailand taught me problem-solving and management skills: how to utilize limited public resources to maximize the benefit of education.”
“If we have the resources and the right education, students will be able to achieve their dreams, become what they want to be, and are free to choose their path. They can learn new things if they want to pursue more goals in the future.”
Kreen’s dream to improve Thai education is still an ongoing project, one he shares with Teach For Thailand: to enable all children to choose their lives and follow their dreams by providing quality education.
