Teacher retires to help Thai pupils

Dan McMullan

January 05, 2006

EFFORT: Ken Hyde.

A KIND-HEARTED college lecturer is setting off to start a new life helping to rebuild a community shattered by 2004's devastating tsunami.

Ken Hyde, 59, has taken early retirement and is off to Thailand with just a backpack of belongings and a pocketwatch to teach children how to speak English.

Ken, from Kinross Close, Warrington, has even sold his house. And while he intends to return to Britain for holidays, Thailand will become his new home.

The adventurous lecturer will be moving out to the village of Khao Lak, on Thailand's Andaman coast, to help rebuild the village which saw half its population killed by the Boxing Day tidal wave.

Ken spent four weeks in Thailand last summer after seeing a picture of a devastated village in a gift shop.

He said: "I had to go after I saw a picture in a shop selling Thai silk, it was of a village which had been devastated by the wave and it simply said `the village no one is helping'.

Creative

"I thought `that's it - I have to get out there and do something'.

"So I went out there expecting to be mixing concrete and building and I ended up working in a school where 200 pupils had died.

"We only had one blackboard and some chalk so we had to be creative in the way we tried to teach."

Since his return Ken has now decided to leave his job teaching Warrington Collegiate students with learning difficulties to return to Khao Lak school as a volunteer teacher.

Colleagues at the Collegiate raised £300, which he is putting towards a video camera and projector to help him with his lessons.

Ken now plans to have left the country by January 14 and will be shipping his trusty Land Rover over to Thailand to get him about.

He said: "There's an urgent need for these children to speak English.

"Rebuilding these communities and the lives of the survivors is going to take years, but it's something I need to be involved in.

"It's not a bad way to retire."

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Ace Riley, manchester (05/01/2006 at 13:47)

There's an urgent need for these children to speak English "WHY".Why would thai people want to speak english? I know quite a lot of kids in the uk that need real help with their education in fact a lot of kids now leave school without the ability to read or write?I know this teacher is very charity minded but why do we always have to seek other countrys to aim our charity At?Let us solve our own peoples problems and then maybe then we could help others,I know a lot of families living in poverty in britain why dont these "Teachers and helpers volunteer their services here where our own kids need extra help?"We sent more than 400 million pounds to the sunami charity so i think thats enough to educate most of the kids in their own launguage...Why do we always feel the need to alter peoples way of life "Teach them the english way" how will teaching them english help them????

Tiger, Town (05/01/2006 at 14:06)

Ace- you know poor people in this country do you? People who've had their houses and entire towns washed away, their families wiped out? Their limbs broken and their skin lacerated, infectious and dying? Do you? DO YOU?

This man teaches English. It's what he does. He's going to give these kids a huge head-start in the world by teaching them the global lingua franca. And you resent him doing that? You disgust me.

There is NO-ONE in this country as poor and as needy as the people of Bandah Aceh, or those on the Thai coast - we all know that. So by the rule of giving charity to where it is most needed, this teacher is going to exactly the right place to spread his skills.

I think you just don't like non-white folk, Ace. It's plain you detest them in fact. You nasty piece of work.

Ace Riley, manchester (05/01/2006 at 16:30)

Open your eyes the only way that the tai government is going to do anything is if they are left to do something themselves and with the financial help they have got 400million .Ive not seen many homes being built it seems as though the main money is going to business rather than where it is needed "The people who have had their homes destroyed" Just like a lot of african leaders they buy arms rather than feed their people they just sit back and let the charities feed the people that way they dont have to waste money on food??Its happened all over the world mate. Guns before food.or in the case of sunami commercial before people ..And i still dont understand why they have to be taught english because spanish is becomming the dominant tongue like in america.We are not superior?

Kerrie Hall, Phuket, Thailand (06/01/2006 at 06:51)

"Why teach the Thai children English?" It's called tourism! The region's affected by the tsunami depend on international tourism for income. The children will benefit by learning English language skills they can practice now and perfect for the future when their area is back to normal. The reason so many families stay poor is the lack of English skills needed to further education and job prospects.

English is a valuable skill for tsunami kids and they are very lucky to have volunteer teachers to help them learn.

Colin W, Stockholm (09/01/2006 at 06:52)

Although most of the time I agree entirely with Ace Riley. Today I am going to have to differ. Having worked in Stockholm and around Europe for many years it has become obviously to me how bad the UK education system has become and how backward Britain is compared to its EU neighbours. Here EVERYBODY from 10-11 years old speaks English, not broken English but perfect English. It is seen as essential to getting work and some companies will not recruit staff unless they do speak English. What a difference it would make if the UK took the same approach to education and languages.

I say good luck to him, not because hes helping out Thai people to rebuild their lives - that should be done by the Thai government not the UK., but because he wants to teach children who want to learn without fear of getting attacked - I guess there will be very few hoodies over in Thailand eh??

I intend to do the same when my time comes, maybe not Thailand but certainly not the UK

Gregory Happy, Manchester (09/01/2006 at 06:56)

Nice racist outburst Tiger !!! (Not one of the ethnic minorities are you perchance).
UK people should put the UK citizens first. We have been bled by so called bleeding hearts for long enough. Sure help Thai people or whoever but UK people first and leave the "non-whites" (as you put it) till our own house is in order!

eve, mcr (09/01/2006 at 11:11)

well said tiger

Tony Craig, California (26/01/2006 at 10:45)

Surprising to see some bemoaners here. What's your problem if he go teach English to Thai kinds, after all he is promoting English across the world, he has his right to choose where to go. If parents teach the family values to kinds and when yob culture end across UK, the can any one show the interest to teach. Who dare to teach when hooded young people have no respect for learning let alone teachers?

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