By Gaye Pantrat:
Covid viral epidemic has become a heavy concern and impact for people around the world. The kind that has never been experienced before. It’s called stressing from following the news on every channel. ???? but before the virus invaded our everyday life, there was a good thing for your heart to fill with power.
Keep fighting the right obstacles in life and crisis. Covid gave us a chance to collect merit in time before closing the farm. Today, mother kae has more kids. It’s the child who decided to take it full time.
At the farm at first, I was confused. I wouldn’t accept it well because after choosing to work with youth and try to explore many groups of kids, I decided to choose to work with children with special needs neuro-diverse challenges and physically impaired groups, which think should be the best, but when I listen to the story of Spunky, there was a challenge in my mind whether we can help this kid to develop a better way dealing with environment and present a platform for thinking, and where he is flooded with kindness. Let’s do it. (chuckles)
Spunky’s story: a 12-Year-old boy has been allowed to be told and recorded to learn and reflect the social image in another dimension that invites to think. Spunky will be another lesson enriching and meaningful for us, love children and children who come to use the farm as a space to learn and develop themselves.
Where does he come from? Spunky, a 12-Year-old boy from Mercy Khlong Toei House in the foster of Father Joseph Myer, was a stray kid in the ghetto that father Joseph has been taking care of since he was 3 years old. His parents, father told me, are in government service at Bang Khwang and Lat Yao (until I get father’s joke), it is a government prison for drug trafficking cases. They are in and out of jail routinely. Ask if Spunky knows his parents? He knows them but can never be with them because parents can’t take care of their child. Father said, “If I let them go back to be with parents, they won’t be out being a kid, they will walk in the ghetto and be in bad luck.
There is still some good fortune. Spunky considered Father as the Show of mercy house. When guests visited one day, there was a kind adult offering scholarships to Spunky. One million baht per year. ???? it’s a foreign fortune, they supported disadvantaged children who study well. A Million baht was also sent by Father. Spunky went to an international school since he was 7 years old. Spunky was a ghetto kid who studied at the international school. In the evenings he went back to Mercy House. Together with dozens of other children in the same building. He studied for 5 years.
He was suspended because of missing values? Fighting, and fighting with friends. One dad reported that he tried to strangle a friend. Parents would not give up and reported Spunky’s behavior during his international student life. So, it ended with a record, and with father hurt. Angry and pity befell him that Spunky had three strikes according to a protocol, labeling him as a child with behavior problems. Mercy followed the rule, took him out of the school to influence better habits at home. Mercy ???? it was done.
But the future was unexpected. One of Spunky’s sponsors disagreed. Sending Spunky a little kindness Mr. Ron thought that Spunky would not be developed to his full potential with punishment and impairment, and demeaning will create more mental and behavioral problems. Khun nid and Mr. Ron went out to find a platform that would allow Spunky to grow. Farm de Lek was their choice to scout out. After listening to Spunky truly wanting to give it a try, we developed a team and plan. What should we do? (Secretly we had had some disagreement in our minds to take the leap to take the kid, with a background like this at the farm) finally, we decided to take the challenge based on the principle and vision to take care of children with special needs at the special education center, it means to give Spunky a chance and to train our children and farm tribe to understand diversity, celebrate social diversity and think in another dimension and perspective, develop kindness and empathy to grow and live a strong and happy life. This experience is called Spunky and we will grow together.
We will do our best to make sure that this child will still have a chance of education and living a good life, not going out to cause problems and burden, Spunky’s new life is society at Farm de Lek; he will learn through work, practice a variety of skills that will help develop the mind and soft skills, including academic hours. After just 2 weeks. Spunky’s aggressive behavior has ceased, but I see the brightness, cheerful and mind that transfers this kid as a fighter. Instincts to fight to get what lacks love, warmth, understanding and acceptance. Spunky needs good coaches that he might have never had in past living conditions, maybe at Mercy House and in the environment, but schools that are not ready to understand (let’s reflect, that developing children, youth and society do not show enough empathy) which is understandable. This is Spunky’s fresh start and will be an exciting exploration of the new education paradigm for the farm. ???? ???? ????
