If Makaranon Wichaiphan could blend the best of Thai and American educational culture, he’d unite the casual expressive American learning environment with the formal respect Thai students show their teachers.

Makaranon or Mark, as he is calling himself in the United States, is an exchange teacher from Thailand spending the remainder of the school year volunteering at both Pond Cove Elementary and Cape Elizabeth Middle Schools.

A teacher of 20 years, Wichaiphan calls himself an antique, though at 45 and full of energy, wearing vibrant purple and a wide grin, he hardly seems his age.

Wichaipan has been in Maine since last August. Cape Elizabeth is the fourth school system he’s taught in. From the Chiang Ray province in Northern Thailand, Wichaiphan came from a school with an average classroom size of 36 to 46 students.

With this many students, Wichaiphan said there isn’t enough time for much student discussion. School is a formal environment where students sit rigid in their chairs and only speak when called upon. Because of time constraints, students are trained into submission, he said.

With an average class size of about 20 students in a classroom at Pond Cove, there is more room for student expression. An American classroom he said, is a lively place, where kids are free to fidget, raise their hands excitedly and share their thoughts.

It is this excitement for learning that Wichaiphan hopes to harness and encourage when he returns to Thailand in August. Wichaiphan doesn’t want his students to be “just quiet” anymore.

However, he said he realized it’s important to maintain customs, like bowing, that indicate a students respect for their teacher. “We must mix together and adapt together,” he said.

Though Wichaiphan enjoys the niceties of formal customs, that doesn’t keep him from relating to students on their level and in their environments, in places that other teachers might fear to tread.

Everyday, Wichaiphan rides the bus to school. Though he doesn’t ride the bus specifically to spend more time with students, Wichaipan said he enjoys his morning ride talking with the kids. “They are friendly, they chat, chat, chat,” he said, as he held up his hand like a puppet.

While in Cape, Wichaiphan will visit each classroom in Pond Cove teaching students about different elements of Thai culture, including language, songs, dancing and food. The Banana dance is one of Wichaipan’s favorite tools for warming students up for his lesson. It engages students by teaching them lyrics as well as an accompanying dance.

“The song is a great icebreaker,” said ESL teacher Ellen Brady who is charged with helping Wichaipan coordinate and schedule visits to each classroom.

Brady said Wichaiphan’s presence is a great opportunity to teach kids understanding and tolerance of different people and cultures. “It’s a great way to learn about how small the world is,” she said.

Wichaiphan, an artist who works in many mediums including drawing, painting and sculpture will also work with Cape’s Middle School art teacher on a unit about Thai art.

Makaranon WichaiphanMakaranon Wichaiphan teaches Ms Pisasecki’s second grade class the “Banana Dance.” From left, Brayden Crosta, Drew Mitchell, Adara Graessle, Samantha Feenstra, Kate Breed and Erin Sewall.