Wolsey Hall Oxford Secondary student Makam has been homeschooling for two years. He made the switch to homeschool in Thailand to focus on his surfing. Makam recently represented the country in the Asian Surfing Championships which took place in the Maldives. His team placed fifth out of 18 countries.
Makam spoke to us about why the decision to homeschool, in Thailand, fits perfectly with his love and ambition for his sport.
Wolsey Hall Oxford supports many students to fulfil their sporting dreams.
“My family re-located from Bangkok the capitol, to Khao Lak, a small beach town in Southern Thailand so I could focus on my surfing career,” he explains. “I attended an international school in Bangkok, but when we relocated, there were only Thai language schools here and I wanted to continue my education in English (I’m mixed Thai/English). I spent the first year of COVID doing online learning so it gave me the confidence to choose homeschooling.”
“My parents did a lot of online research and we found that Wolsey Hall Oxford was the best option. I looked at the website too, especially the section about elite athletes, and decided on Wolsey Hall.”
“I found the transition quite easy because I was already learning online, so I had got used to learning independently. I’m studying English, Maths, Geography, History, Art and Science. My favourite is science as I love doing experiments and I find the subject real and practical. In the beginning it was a bit tricky to understand Canvas and it took some adjustment to make sure my assignments were submitted to the correct specifications but I got there.”
“Homeschooling is the perfect fit for my training and competition schedule. I wouldn’t be able to compete in most competitions if it wasn’t for homeschooling. My work schedule depends on the waves and competition dates. I either surf early in the morning or late afternoon. I’ve been able to travel to Bali to train for a month at a time and still keep up with school. I was so lucky to compete for my country, in the Asian Surfing Championships. It was an amazing experience for me to meet many new friends and inspiring athletes. If I was in a traditional school, I would never be allowed to spend two weeks at a competition.”
“In the future I would like to become the Thailand Surfing National Champion, then compete in the SE Asia Games and hopefully the Olympics. In academia, I’d like to study Science at university, maybe biology and somewhere with waves!”
“My advice to anyone considering homeschooling is to just go for it! My six-year-old sister is also a surfer and is now studying with Wolsey Hall too.”
If you’re thinking of enrolling your child at Wolsey Hall Oxford and you’d like to know more about what we do or how to enrol, please get in touch. We’re ready to enrol new students throughout the academic year.
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