Wai Kru

During this last week I attended 3 Wai Kru ceremonies at my new school in Thailand. I'd never heard of Wai Kru before and had no idea what to expect whatsoever. Thankfully the ceremonies were informative and I now have a far better understanding about Wai Kru.

Wai is the Thai greeting that is a sign of respect. Even Ronald McDonald is respectful. 

Kru is the Thai for Teacher or Master. So, Wai Kru is a ceremony in which students say thank you to their teachers in advance for everything that they do for them. Teachers are greatly respected in Thailand.

During the ceremony students make a pledge to be good students, listen to their teachers, follow instructions and not cause any trouble. Depending on your own world view and sense of humour depends on how you view this pledge. Some suggest that perhaps this pledge should be repeated each morning during the school year!

Flowers are a very important part of the ceremony. Students present their teachers with floral arrangements and garlands. The flowers used are symbolic and represent their respect, readiness to learn and intelligence. Some of the flowers I received had very strong scents and most of the arrangements were in the form of a loop with a flower chain hanging down. Students kneel before their teachers, wai and present their offerings.

The Secondary ceremonies I attended involved Muay Thai demonstrations, speeches about the 21st century teacher as well as singing. The Primary ceremony included Thai songs, traditional dancing, competition results and more singing. It was a really nice ceremony each time, but I did feel a little uncomfortable having students kneel at my feet and wai. Aside from the discomfott the ceremonies were very positive as many staff felt even more positive about their job and relationships with their students.