Aphone call I made to the UK a couple of weeks ago:
‘Hi Dad, so…is it that time of year again?’ ‘Hi Grant, do you mean the clocks going back in Britain? Yeah, your mum hates it; means we’re seven hours apart again.’
‘No, I didn't mean that. I meant the time of year when you have a go at one of the IB Theory of Knowledge prescribed questions?’ (me, trying not to giggle down the phone). Cue a list of expressions delivered in gruff Glaswegian, finally ending with ‘Aye, okay son, I hope my old brain is up to it, but quite frankly they seem to get harder every year! Are you ab solutely sure they aren't Oxford University philosophy interview questions?’
This exchange, or one similar, has been going on since 2008 when my dad interrogated me about whether stand ards were falling in 21st century education. I was able to as sert with absolute certainty that they were as high as ever in the IB Diploma Programme! I directed him towards that year’s TOK essay questions and pointed out that all IB Diploma stu dents in Year 13 must choose one of the six questions and produce a 1,600-word essay.
•Do you agree that it is “astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power” (Bertrand Russell)? Discuss with refer ence to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge. •Are visual representations always helpful in the communication of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics.
•To what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use? Discuss with reference to history and one other area of knowledge.
TOK is the keystone of the IB Diploma and this type of inter disciplinary study will prove invaluable to the students when they enter higher education; the level of challenge is exactly what is expected on a rigorous university course. As under graduates, our students will find themselves at a distinct ad vantage over students who have studied other pre-university courses and, indeed, alumni will often say ‘I found TOK hard at the time, but I am SO glad we did it.’
12 years on and the questions are as challenging as ever. Students receive guidance and support from their TOK teach ers and the photographs in this article show staff ‘unpacking the questions’ for the students, but ultimately, this level of ac ademic challenge is the culmination of four terms of intense, fulfilling and (hopefully) inspirational TOK study.
Here are some examples – feel free to identify which one you would most ‘enjoy’ tackling!
•Is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge? Dis cuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
•For artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained? Discuss with reference to the arts and the natural sciences.
•Does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in “bubbles” where some information and voices are excluded? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK demands that instead of just exploring subjects like history, physics or economics, students must consider the knowledge challenges faced by the actual historian, physicist or economist in the real world. This gives them a remarkable insight into the world of true academia. One could argue that TOK, combined with the Extended Essay (EE), are intro ductions to the world of not only graduate study, but indeed post-graduate research.
I asked some students and TOK staff for their reflections on the subject:
“TOK is not merely a subject, it is the intellectual mindset of exploring the unknowns and the unconventional. Confronting life’s fundamental questions (and the questions that arise from those questions), has allowed me to recognise that not all in tellectual tensions yield ribbon-wrapped resolutions. In TOK lessons, peer discourse is intended to leave students without definite answers, but it is within this intellectual and emotional dissatisfaction where my desire to validate, question, chal lenge, and learn from the diverse spectrum of perspectives held by my classmates truly thrives. The ‘yes, and..’ or ‘yes, but…’ approach to class discussions fosters a collaborative
learning environment that empowers me to transcend the confines of traditional academic disciplines and adopt an in terdisciplinary and synoptic approach to my thinking.” Rada (Sammy) Anuras, 13W
“TOK provides students with the opportunity to reflect on their knowledge, take a step back and consider what consti tutes knowledge and to develop their critical and analytical thinking. These are life-long skills. It gives them the opportunity to reflect on who they are and how what makes them who they are (background, education, languages) plays a part in how they view the world around them. Students are often surprised to see that maths and art (the golden ratio) have a lot in common and how the IB curriculum is so incredibly in terconnected.”
“As we progress through our day-to-day academic lives, it is easy to inadvertently become accustomed to ‘question-an swer’ patterns of learning. We may comfortably operate with in a subject's syllabus and gain a sense of satisfaction (and success) from knowing the answers to test questions. TOK challenges these notions. It can be equal parts daunting and challenging to be faced with questions that may never have a definite answer - but ultimately, TOK is an avenue to intel lectual discussion that promotes interdisciplinary and abstract thinking.” Luanne Poh, 13R
“TOK is a subject of great importance to all aspects of a student's academic career. It enables us to develop our cog nitive abilities as we are encouraged to be aware of not only what we learn but also how we know. We also explore the origins and sources of the knowledge that we encounter. We perceive knowledge from multiple perspectives, so TOK helps us explore the claims of ‘truth’ in other areas of our schoolwork and in life; we can then determine the strengths and possible flaws in all knowledge claims.” Yunha Park, 13P
“For our Fine Art students, or any who choose to study Fine Art or Design in the future, Theory of Knowledge provides the analytical skills to understand the motivations behind the artwork they encounter in their studies, but also how it might be received by others. In a progressively globalised world, it is so important to understand who people are as creators of our culture and how we can share information and enjoy our differences ethically. Theory of Knowledge also provides students with a platform where they can explore the concept of tradition in creative practices and develop their own stance on what the role of an artist really is.” Marie-Claire Redman, Art and TOK Teacher, Tutor (11R)
Languages, Curriculum Leader: French, TOK teacher, Support Tutor (10K)
Celine Courenq, Head of
“From my 10 years teaching TOK, I would say that this course is essential to the IB (and by extension our) mission of creating intercultural understanding and respect, by teaching students how to begin to consider the perspectives of others (and pro viding time and space to do so). It does so by creating links between the discrete subject areas that students study, and how this academic knowledge might manifest in real world, contemporary situations. Just rereading that it sounds like I swallowed the subject guide! I find that some of my most en during and rewarding teaching moments have been in TOK, where students have engaged with the topic under debate, taken the reigns of the lesson and explored ideas that take them well beyond the curriculum content of our more tradi tional disciplines. This empowerment or emancipation takes us to the roots of educational ethos and echoes the intent of moving students from pedagogy to andragogy. Beyond all of that, it allows me to engage with students on an academ ic level, without huge curriculum pressure, and by so doing promotes explorations that students can have very developed involvement in and ownership of.” Andy Roff, Senior Teacher, IB Coordinator, Physics Teacher, TOK teacher
On Tuesday 15th November, we will celebrate International Day at Bangkok Patana School. Our com munity is proud of their international heritage and this is a highlight of our calendar. On this special day, students, staff and parents are invited to either wear their country colours or national dress. Throughout the day, our students will be involved in the following activities and parents are welcome to join us!
7.50AM: PARADE
Students must go to their classrooms/Tutor bases for registration and then proceed to the Primary Back Field. Students, staff and participating parents will gather in allocated areas (by country groups) by 7.50am to com mence the parade of nations. The parade will go to the Sports Hall.
8.55AM:
Country groups will enter the Sports Hall and follow the directions of the staff who will allocate a seating area. Parents are requested to move to the balcony upstairs or alternatively watch a live feed of the show from the Primary Hall. We ask that you follow instructions carefully. After the Cultural Show, students will return to their regularly scheduled classes.
Students will visit the Food Hall with their classes throughout the morning. Parents who are in school may visit the Food Hall from 1.00pm – 1.30pm.
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Country Reps. Here is a link to the contact and names of the PTG country reps.
A big thank you to the International Day PTG Team led by Bharati Lachmandas (ptgintlday@patana.ac.th). Below is a video from our 2018 International Day to give you an idea of what to expect:
This week we meet the TLC looking into Positive Edu cation. Positive Education is the application of Pos itive Psychology in an academic setting. This TLC aims to build on the work begun by last year’s Discovering Positive Education TLC by applying specific strategies to students in Key Stage 4 and Senior Studies who are on academic support plans. Starting from the cornerstone
of Positive Education, that happy children perform better academically, we aim to try and identify ways that we can help students enjoy the challenge of achieving their potential. This TLC will also draw on elements of GRIT and Building Academic Resilience and Mental Tough ness trainings at school this year as we develop Bangkok Patana towards becoming a Positive Education school.
The Books and Biscuits Book Club is back! It was established as a way for our school community to share their favourite stories from their home countries, cul tures and languages. Usually, we do this by bringing our favourite stories in, coming together over a cup of tea or coffee, some fruit and a few lovely biscuits, and sharing books that our children (of all ages) have loved to read.
These can be picture books, non-fiction books, graphic novels, or stories … anything that has enthralled and en tertained our children in their home language. Not only have our parents loved sharing their favourite stories, but the opportunity also provides Mr M and the library staff the chance to see the books, grab important details such as ISBN numbers and author names, and then buy the books to help grow the Home Languages section of the Primary and Secondary libraries with books that are relevant, popular and recommended by our community members.
We have enjoyed hosting a wonderful group of par ents in the past, who came along and have helped us to
develop our Home Lan guage resources mean ingfully, and now we’d love to invite you back. If you’d like to share any Home Language read ing recommendations for our library and larg er community, please put Wednesday 30th November at 08:00 in your calendars and come along to LIB 207 (the Library Green Room) for our next ‘Books and Biscuit’ Club meeting. If you are plan ning on coming along, then please complete your details in this Google Form so we can cater accordingly. Many thanks and see you there!
During Primary Science Week, Year 2 students were given a challenge to conduct a scientific ex periment or project at home. With unlimited possibilities, students based their science projects on their personal interests and curiosities. Pacchara (Victor) Laosirichon decided to create a solar powered car, completely by himself! Watch the video on the right to see it in action.
“I had to take the different pieces of the car and screw them together. After that, I had to put the wheels on. I made the solar panel separately and then stuck it on the car to connect it. This was my second time trying because the first one didn’t work. I enjoyed making it for Primary Science Week because I like learning about solar power.”
-Pacchara (Victor) Laosirichon, 2P
The course is designed for non Thai speakers who have absolutely no previous experience in the Thai language. Students will get the opportunity to learn how to greet and introduce themselves, basic vocabulary for social contexts including food, drinks, shopping, asking for directions ,the date, the time and engagement with Thai culture.
This course suits for Japanese, we will learn the fundamental features of Thai for daily communication on a variety of topics and modern Thai culture. このコースは初心者レベルに適しています。
This course suits for expats, aimed to enhance intercommunication skills including business correspondence We robust the most common topic uses in the workplace to better understand spoken language commonly uses in everyday life Let's take this course to sharpen up your skills you need to succeed in the world of work
Day: Wednesdays, 8:00 10:00 A.M. Period: Jan 19 Mar 23, 2023 (9 sessions) Cost: THB 6,300 Places : 7 Seats Teacher: Khun Nittaya Vigaranan Venue: LIB 203 (Secondary Library 2nd fl.)
Day: Tuesdays, 8:00 10:00 A.M. Period: Jan 10 Mar 28, 2023 (11 sessions)
Cost: THB 8,250 Places : 7 Seats Teacher: 綿貫 ルイス Venue: LIB 203 (Secondary Library 2nd fl.)
Day: Mondays, 8:00 10:00 A.M. Period: Jan 9 Mar 27, 2023 (11 sessions)
Cost: THB 8,250
Places : 7 Seats
Teacher: Khun Louis Watanuki
Venue: LIB 203 (Secondary Library 2nd fl.)
The Varsity Volleyball Girls’ team was in a rebuilding phase this year after winning the last SEASAC held in 2019 with a team boasting six Year 13s and then navigating COVID. After a tough BMAC Season, which saw the team coming tanta lisingly close to victory, but not quite getting over the line in most of their fixtures (22-25 was the set score haunting us), we were excited to head to SEASAC to test our skills and learn more about the game. The girls really enjoyed the travel experience, with not one member of the team having travelled overseas in a SEASAC Volleyball tournament in the past.
On Day 1 we had a tough pool with UWC Dover, RIS and Stamford American School. Our first game was against local rivals RIS who we went down to 2-0 in scores of… yes you guessed it… 22-25, 22-25. The girls had kept RIS honest and were proud of their receiving and communication on court. Up next was UWC East who were a classy team with lots of tall hitters, we had a thrilling match again, going down 2-0 with scores of 22-25 and 23-25. Our serving was excellent in this game and we were excited for our final pool match. In one of the best games of our tournament, the team beat Stamford American School 2-1 to place 3rd in the pool and set-up a quarter-final against eventual tournament winners UWC Dover.
Day 2 dawned and our first match of the day was a tough encounter - UWC Dover were an experienced team with a clear height advantage, but our girls hustled well and showed excellent communication and grit, going down 2-0 fight ing. This result put us into the Plate Semi-final, which we won against Harrow in our best performance of the tournament. The communication on court was positive and constant and the dig, set, spike connections really came together.
On the final day we played for 5th/6th against friends and rivals NIST Falcons. Both teams battled hard, but it was NIST’s day. We finished 6th, very proud of how we had developed across the season and indeed during the tournament. Well done to our MVP Keira and farewell to our graduating Sen iors: Pang, Sharlene and Tatiana.
The Boys’ season has been a topsy turvy one, with multi ple five-set matches and a real struggle for consistency. There were great moments sprinkled in (particularly a silver at BMAC) which showed just how talented the team are, and how successful they can be in the future. Sadly, the loss of a few key players to injury meant a late call up for JV standouts Andy, Tuna and Rylan to join the team for a first taste of Varsity action. Nevertheless, the team travelled to SEASAC in high spirits, ready to challenge themselves against the very best from the region.
Facing a tough assignment at UWC-East, the boys took on powerhouse rivals UWC-Dover and TTS, as well as Harrow Bangkok in the group stage. Following a narrow loss to Do ver, the boys regrouped well to defeat a tricky Harrow team who pushed them all the way in three tough sets. As a result, the boys faced a final group assignment against TTS where the winner guaranteed themselves second place in the group.
Nerves told in set one as mistakes piled up and handed TTS the first set and the ascendency in set two, as the score ran to 14:4. The boys, however, following a strong team talk from Coach X, found their A game and managed to bring the set back to 20:20 before taking it 26:24 to level the scores. Sud denly, with their tails up, the boys were playing some fantastic volleyball with Alan Chen dominant on service and at the net. The boys pulled through with a 15:12 final set to qualify for the quarter finals as a seeded team.
Day 2 meant a match up with hosts UWC-East who were 3rd in the opposite pool. After the high of the previous match, the boys couldn’t quite find their range and struggled to take the chances that came their way. As a team with plenty of long match experience, the boys never gave up but eventually lost in four sets to disappointingly fall out of the cup competition. Whilst frustrated, the boys only had a few hours to lift them selves to play Harrow again and ensure a 5th/6th place play off.
In another fiercely contested match, the boys won the first set to take control of proceedings. Unfortunately, Harrow came out strongly in Set 2 and sent down a run of excellent serving to pull away for the win and leave Bangkok Patana needing to wrestle back control in Set 3. Following some long rallies, the boys managed to take the third set and seal a meeting with RIS on Sunday.
Sadly, Day 3 started off with a bout of sickness for tourna ment MVP Alan, which meant a depleted squad arrived at UWC. The boys fought valiantly but the run of long matches caught up with them as they went down in straight sets.
A sixth-place finish is not the result the boys wanted, but it was nevertheless a result full of determination and heart from
a squad missing a number of usual starters. The team will learn and grow from this tournament and it’s exciting to see a large core returning next year to push into the medal positions! Well done to tournament MVP Alan and a big thank you to the leadership and mentoring from our graduating Year 13s, Louie, Niko, Milo and Kai, who have been excellent all year.
SEASAC 2022 served up lots of tension, drama and excite ment for our Varsity Girls’ squad. Despite some early nerves, they confidently navigated their way to the semi-finals with 3-1, 4-1 and 4-0 victories over Dover, Shrewsbury and East respectively.
One of the more pleasing moments was how the boys re acted to a setback in our fixture with Mont Kiara. We went down to 10 players just before half time, but the players were so brave in possession usually have to beat their immediate opponent when receiving the ball, it cements our philosophy where we want players who are competent on the ball before working on passing lower down the school. Playing with 10 is difficult, but the players ran out deserved winners.
At the semi-final stage, NIST provided the opposition. De spite Bangkok Patana scoring first, NIST showed real de termination and spirit to equalise and take the game to a nerve-wracking 15 minute ‘golden goal’ extra time period. Fortunately, our girls kept their cool and slotted home a penal ty to win the game 2-1.
This set up an entertaining final with Tanglin where the girls played their way back from 2-0 down to take the game to extra time. Unfortunately on this occasion, Tanglin scored the golden goal with an excellent shot into the top right corner.
Importantly, both on and off the pitch, the girls displayed to getherness, team spirit and maturity and behaved respectfully towards the match officials, opposition coaches, their team mates and opponents.
We took a very young but talented squad to Varsity SEASAC and they were very impressive across the weekend.
We were drawn into a very difficult group competing against both UWC East and Dover, but the boys acquitted themselves well in those fixtures against some strong Under 19 powerhouses. We were resilient and extremely hard-working losing out narrowly. Nico scored one of the goals of the tour nament against Dover, beating four players before slotting the ball home with style.
In our playoff game with Garden International School, the boys played some excellent fluid football, playing through the thirds and looking for opportunities to be creative. Nico again scored a wonder goal with Att atoning for a missed penalty.
Our final fixture against Stamford was a step too far for our weary team with some tired legs and physical opposi tion, however the boys grafted right to the last minute…. Then literally ran to the bus to get across town to support our girls in their final!
In summary, the boys did the school proud and with only one player being 17, the future is definitely bright and it is defi nitely orange!
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the other bits that all our players did well with, the soft skills that nobody sees, especially from grumpy teenagers. Across the weekend, we tried to instil the value of setting our own stand ards, doing things properly, whether it be thanking the bus driver, holding doors, tidying up after themselves (and others if there is still mess), being classy in victory or defeat, making eye contact when communicating or shaking hands, looking after the younger members of squads and making sure no body felt isolated, ensuring that they had no regrets about their conduct and the way they were representing Bangkok Patana School.
I have to say that our student athletes were excellent with nu merous comments from other schools about their behaviour and sportsmanship. I am extremely proud of their character, sense of humour and conduct - This is the #PatanaWay
Bangkok Patana celebrated the annual Kathin Festival at Wat Pongploy Wiriyaram
Bangkok Patana Transport will be running as normal during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum (16th – 18th November 2022).
The APEC forum will be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Khlong Toei. As such, Ratchadapisek Road (from the Asoke Intersection to the Khlong Toei Intersection) will be closed to the public from 14th until 19th November 2022.
Accordingly, we have rerouted some buses that will be impacted by the road closure. For routes that cannot avoid the closure, we have already received the necessary approval to allow our buses to pass through.
For any further questions, please contact the Transport Department directly at: transport @patana.ac.th or by phone at 02-785-2470.
As of Friday 11th November, school will remain open on 16th, 17th and 18th November. This is subject to Government Mandates. We will notify parents by email and other regular school channels if school must close.
The Bangkok Patana Primary Robotics team recently competed in the first VEXIQ 2022 event at St Andrew’s High School, accompa nied by their ECA teachers Mr Max and Mr Jeck. The teams and their respective rankings were as follows:
Team number - 67282A - Placed Joint 1st Overall – Edward 8U, Theo 8S, Remy 8J, Poon 8D
Team number - 67282B - Placed Joint 7th Overall – Arthur 7Y, Ishi 7Y, Reef 7Y, Risith 7B, Aki 7S
Team number – 67282C - Enjoyed a great day, but didn’t make the cut (Top 16) this time - Brando 6L, Eden 6L, Khoon 6J, Hrehan 6P
Welcome to your monthly round up of reading recommendations. This month’s theme…Monsters!
1. What is one of your fondest or most favourite reading memories?
Probably going to a friend’s house and eating chocolate coins while talking about a book we both really loved.
2. Which fictional character would most like/least like to meet in real life and why?
Honestly I’d really like to meet one of the Brim Hats from Witch Hat Atelier. They’re just really interesting characters that rarely show up, only to lore dump, so a long conversation with one would be really interesting. Or just Hunter from The Owl House. I feel like he really needs a hug right now.
3. What does Monsters mean to you in Literature? Do you have any book suggestions for this theme?
Monsters can mean a lot of things. They can be giant crea tures of incomprehensible horror or they can be a small child. But there is a “big three” of literary monsters to me. Those are Frankenstien, Dracula, and The Curious Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Each of them have a different kind of monster. Frankenstien shows the monsters that we can create, Dracula shows the monsters that already exist, and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde show the monsters inside us. They’re all amazing books and I highly recommend each of them.
Mrs Corker, Secondary English Teacher
S1, FS2: Don't Call Me Sweet by Smriti Prasadam-Halls. This cute little monster is determined to be fierce, moody and tough; definitely not SWEET! However, when he meets a bigger, much scarier creature than himself, he realises that being sweet might not be quite so bad after all...
FS2, Year 1: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. A real clas sic and for very good reason. As we travel through the big, bad wood with the mouse, we meet lots of scary creatures along the way, but none so terrifying as the Gruffalo him self. We are left wondering until the very last page; will the mouse ever get to eat his nut in peace?
Year 1, Year 2: My Teacher Is A Monster by Peter Brown. Bobby's teacher, Ms. Kirby, is a green, fanged monster. She
does not like loud children and she certainly doesn't like paper aeroplanes zooming around her classroom. But, is she really a monster? Join Bobby on his journey to discover more about his teacher and share in his wonder, when he realises that even teachers have a human side.
Mr Murgatroyd, Librarian
Star Fish by Lisa Fipps: A story about body shaming, deal ing with bullies and the importance of friends. The monster in this story (to the main character) is her mother.
When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle: A boy was sent back to London during the blitz in the Second World War to live with someone he did not know. The initial monster was the lady he was sent to live with, but ultimately the monster was the war and the choice he was forced to make.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A young boy has escaped from a murderous assassin and is living in a graveyard. The monsters are all around in numerous places
throughout the books, but one of the most dangerous is the man named Jack who is still looking for him … Or for the younger KS2 readers…There's a Pharaoh on Our Bath! by Jeremy Strong: A long dead Pharaoh has come back to life and is being chased by two grave rob bers. You'll need to read the book to find out whether it is the grave robbers or the 'Mummy' who is the monster!
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott: Lots of monsters exploring evil and good.
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier: A graphic novel about a fam ily ‘monster’ as one sister has her own opinion about how the family should be run.
All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey: The story of an orphan who wants to live with her mother. The monster here is the social services.
Texas-Mexican border - No Country For Old Men is a tale of the disparity of generations in a seemingly ever-changing world, and is symbolic of the binary and timeless war of Good vs. Evil. Chigurh is the monster of this tale: an uncan ny embodiment of violence and evil, and is representative of the illusory and fruitless chase of justice by the forces of good, in a world that seems to be morphing into something unimaginably monstrous.
The Secret History - Donna Tartt. When undergraduate Richard Papen is initiated into an exclusive class of students studying at an elite New England college, they delve into the tradi tions of the Ancient Greeks under the guidance of their enigmatic professor, spiralling into obsession and culminating finally in an irre deemable act against one of their own. Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History” is a scathing ridicule of ivory-tower academic institutions, and a warning on the dangers of blind romanticisation and the hive-mind, cultivated by, to quote Tartt, a “morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs”. It touches on the monster that resides in the hearts of men, the crimes we are all individually capable of as mor al agents, and how such vicious collective mentalities are cultured.
Capitalist Realism:
Is There No Alternative? - Mark Fisher. The monster here is capitalism.
When we think of monsters, the image typically evoked is one of abnormality, or the supernatural. However, what we deem monsters often lurks in the familiar - many in the ex act replica of man, but exaggerated in all its grotesque as pects and capabilities. With that said, here are three mon ster-themed books to prolong the Halloween spirit!
No Country For Old Men - Cormac Mc Carthy. Following the stories of Sheriff Bell, Carson Wells, elusive hitman Anton Chig urh, and Vietnam War Veteran Llewelyn Moss - whose accidental discovery of a briefcase containing millions of dollars leads to a wild scavenge spanning the
Stay tuned in future Patana News issues for more Patana Page-Turners, as recommended by our staff and students.
Curious if we have any of these books available in our libraries? Search online here, or contact our library staff here.
Happy reading!
Iwalked many days and many miles, and soon enough, I was farther from my village than before! My shoulders sagged a bit at this, but then I saw I had reached a serene village! Grassy slopes rolled down from two lone red-brick cottages to a beautiful wilderness full of flora. Instantly, I was envious of the residents of this village; my village was no more than a pile of stones and shattered walls! I was tired and exhausted, but this village gave me hope! I scur ried up one of the flower covered hills and reached one of the tiny, neat cottages and cautiously rang the doorbell.
“Ahhh!” exclaimed a little voice. I looked down to see a terrified looking rabbit peering up at me.
“Hello. My name is Remi and I have come from a broken village far away, not anything like this calm, peaceful one. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to shelter me until I find a home?” I asked, trying to sound polite.
The rabbit backed away, “Oh, if you haven’t noticed, you are twice my size, have sharp teeth, and are a complete stranger! How would I know that you wouldn’t eat me? The last time I let someone into my house, they tried to gobble me up! They’ve eaten everyone else, and now me and a lazy panda are the only ones left in this place! So forgive me if I don’t want it to happen again!” And just like that, the tiny rabbit slammed the door.
I was trembling, and my expression had faltered as my chin started to wobble. That rabbit had been horrible to me, and now my only other option was to visit a lazy pan da? My vision blurred as I thought about my future, which looked very bleak…I was light-headed with exhaustion, but I trudged towards this ‘lazy’ panda’s home. I had made my choice, paved my path, and now I had to follow it.
I didn’t think he could go any further. My legs felt like pieces of wood – heavy and stiff, but I tapped lightly on this ‘lazy’ panda’s door. I waited for about five minutes, ready to pass out, but I held onto the hope that this panda, howev er ‘lazy’, was kind-hearted. Soon, a giant frame lumbered into the doorway, and spoke, “Hello. I am Panda. Why are you here?”
I gasped for breath; and when I eventually spoke, it was a painful wheeze, “Hello Panda. I’m Remi. I’m in need of shelter and food. Can you shelter me until I find a home for myself? Please!”
Panda shook his large round head, “I haven’t collected any food today, so I’m dreadfully hungry! Also, you are an omnivore, while I am a herbivore! How am I supposed to find meat for you, when I have no experience getting it?” As Panda closed his door, I thought about his words for a while. If Panda didn’t know, omnivores ate vegetables too, so I could eat whatever Panda collected. Also, although I was tired, I had always been a good cleaner, efficient in collecting food, and did it all in a minimal amount of time! Maybe I could help Panda, and Panda could help me.
I knocked on Panda’s door once again, “Panda! I have an offer for you…” I told Panda my idea, and Panda stroked his chin thoughtfully. He agreed, but only for one day. Slowly, the rapid beat of my heart became calmer and I smiled as the tension in my body eased. Immediately, I set out doing the chores for Panda, and when I was done, Panda gave me a room at the back of his house. When I lay down on my temporary bed, I relaxed and smiled. I had a comfortable place to rest for a night.
To be continued…
This month, to coincide with our Indian music topic in Year 3, our musician of the month is Allah Rakha Rah man, known as A R Rahman. An Indian composer, sing er-songwriter, music producer, musician, multi-instrumen talist and philanthropist, his vast music output has single handedly put Indian cinematic soundtracks on the internation al stage. His range of work for film and the stage has earned him the nickname "the Mozart of Madras".
A R Rahman was born in 1967 in the capital city of Tamil Nadu, formerly known as Madras and now called Chen
nai. His father was a film composer and conductor for Tamil films. Rahman began playing the piano at the age of 4, and after scoring music for documentaries and adverts he had his first success with the Tamil film Roja in 1992. Today he is one of the leading international film composers with a string of awards including a Golden Globe and two Grammys.
Rahman is also a humanitarian and philanthropist, do nating and raising money for a number of causes and charities. He founded the Sunshine Orchestra in 2009, for children who ordinarily wouldn't be able to afford a music education in Chennai. Click here to enjoy one of his greatest hits Jai Ho from the movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
Aarushi Zariye and Ying Ying Han, 6B
PrImary musICIan of The monThPrImary musICIan of The monTh
Join us for an introductory workshop on DEIJ hosted by the PTG and Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Principal, Continued Professional Learning.
This workshop will aim to share the start of our journey as a school to ensure that every community member (regardless of race, gender, nationality, body type, or sexuality) feels protected, safe and secure, as well as a sense of belonging. Please RSVP here!
For
daily
643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND
