Inspirations from Jittamet Kindergarten, Bangkok

"How do we want to see our children grow?" was not just a prompt extended to us by Jittamet, but a mirror held up to my own practice, my values, and the hopes I carry for the children I journey with each day. To me, the image of the child is more than who they are at the present moment. It is about who they are becoming. If I could put words to that vision, I would wish for them to be lifelong learners, curious and unafraid of not knowing. I also wish for them to be critical thinkers who question and wonder rather than accept/follow blindly. And above all, to be compassionate; gentle with themselves, kind to others, and attentive to the world that holds them.

As I observed the interactions and the environment, I found seeds I could plant in my own practice. While a few seeds are already to be planted, the rest are still in the germination phase. I’ll need to sit with them before they find their space in my classroom/practice. These seeds reminded me that teaching is not about arriving, it’s about journeying.

Awakening the Senses

One of the most powerful impressions was the way Jittamet honoured sensory integration at the very start of the day. We had the opportunity to experience how their children entered the school compound through obstacle courses, barefooted, free to feel the textures of sand, water, concrete, and earth. The environment called to our bodies before it called to our minds. 

What struck me most wasn’t just the activities, but the sense of togetherness, the freedom to move, to risk, to cooperate, to play. How often do I let children truly begin their day with their whole body? This is something I want to hold close, and perhaps, one day, to recreate in my own way.

Inviting Families into the Story

I loved the simplicity yet richness of their partnership with parents. Family trees and growing-up books of each child gently displayed in the classroom were gifts, not only for the child to see themselves through time, but also for the teacher to know each child’s story more deeply.

I thought about how meaningful it could be to invite families to share photographs of ordinary moments at home. When displayed in the classroom, these become reminders that learning is not confined to school walls, and that every child belongs to a family that cherishes them. It reminded me that the classroom is not a separate world. It is a continuation of home, and it should feel like one.

Shaping the Classroom Culture

As I reflected on environment and culture, I realised how much I want my classroom to be a place of warmth, beauty, and connection. One felt instantly doable: Setting up personal mailboxes for both teachers and children -- a small space where messages can be exchanged, where the practice of writing and communication grows naturally out of authentic exchanges. I imagined children’s eyes lighting up as they found a note waiting for them, even if it was as simple as a smiley face or a kind word.

I also saw the beauty in the small touches: natural portraits that reflect the authenticity of childhood, soft seating like cushions and playmats that invite comfort, and baskets made of rattan to hold materials in an aesthetic yet functional way. Even something as humble as egg cartons strung into mobiles spoke to me too! There is beauty in simplicity, in recycled materials given new life, in the reminder that children do not need extravagance to feel wonder. 

Pedagogical Dreams

Beyond the physical space, I thought about pedagogy. I am assured to lean on picture books, not just for storytelling, but as springboards into bigger concepts. Math, science, language, etc can all be introduced through the narrative and imagery that children already love. Stories are not only about literacy. They are about thinking, making connections, and stepping into other worlds.

I also want to be intentional in creating opportunities for children to make their thinking visible. Not everything needs to be spoken or written. Sometimes children reveal their ideas best through painting, through dance, through music, through the way they arrange objects or move their bodies. To honour this is to honour the fullness of their expression, not just the parts that fit neatly into our adult frameworks.

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As I sit with these reflections, I feel both inspired and humbled. Inspired, because I see so many possibilities to enrich my practice. Humbled, because I realise how much more there is to learn, to try, to reimagine. Jittamet, after all, means “a kind person.” And perhaps that is what I can be more intentional at carrying the most. Kindness in how I see children, how I engage parents, how I design environments, and how I grow as an educator.

In the end, the question still echoes: How do we want to see our children grow? I don’t think it’s a question to be answered once and for all. It is a question to be lived, day after day, choice after choice, in the small ways we shape our classrooms and in the big ways we hold space for children to become who they are meant to be.

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Raw notes:

Jittamet had the luxury of a system that encourages this the moment they go through the gates of the school, through obstacle courses, and they start their pre-assembly with free play at the very naturalistic play space. Barefooted, children get to choose if they want to touch the sand, water, concrete, or everything all at once. 

I would refer to the different obstacle stations for future event inspirations! There was balancing, stepping on textured grounds, hands on sand, stereonogstic digging for figurines, visual matching of it, leaping through hoops, climbing, balancing on rope, creeping, dodging obstacles, stepping through web of strings w bells. There was also the game of Musical Hoops, where they progressively remove hula hoops to encourage players to help each other hide in hoops together when music stops. When the music stops, sharks/hedgehogs/crocodiles come ‘catching’ players — adding the element of thrill & togetherness. 

Some parent-involvement projects that I would love to engage my parents on, depending on the theme next year would be:

1. A4 Family Tree

2. Child’s growing-up book (0-3): ultrasound, portrait each year, my family, trips, hobbies, interests 

3. Pictures of family doing something with the children at home for display in the class

Some things I would like to set-up in my classroom would be:

1. Personal mailboxes for teachers & children

2. Natural portraits 

3. Seat cushions, rattan baskets & playmats

4. Aesthetics: Mobiles w egg cartons

5. Open library shelf/ basket/ cont’ w molly bus bag

Pedagogy I would like to try out:

1. Use picture books as a lead-in to grasping academic concepts

2. Find opportunities for children to make their learning/thinking visible with art, music, & movement