Moon’s story: A teacher who dared to think differently in Myanmar

A teacher and storyteller resisting the junta in exile

Originally published on Global Voices

Exile Hub is one of Global Voices’ partners in Southeast Asia, emerging in response to the 2021 coup in Myanmar, focusing on empowering journalists and human rights defenders. This edited article is republished under a content partnership agreement.

Moon’s teaching journey began in 2014 in Kawkarate District, Karen State. From the very first day, she stood out. She wasn’t content to just follow the rules or repeat what had always been done. Her drive, creativity, and courage quickly set her apart. By 2018, only four years into her career, Moon had risen to the role of acting principal at a middle school in her hometown.

Education as liberation, not as a control

From the very beginning, Moon refused to treat education as obedience training. Back in Myanmar, her classroom was alive with questions, debates, and laughter so alive, in fact, that she often clashed with education officials. They reminded her that students were supposed to “learn obedience.” But for Moon, education was about curiosity, not compliance.

“Every word must be obeyed, every command followed,” she recalls of the system. “Even religion is taught unfairly, with one version of Buddhism imposed while Myanmar is home to many faiths.”

To Moon, the real role of education is to spark critical thinking. “Teachers themselves must change first, not the children. Teachers in Myanmar still teach in a military format,” she explains. Where others saw control, Moon saw liberation. “Education must go beyond textbooks to nurture values and the ability to question.”

Forced into exile

So when Myanmar’s military seized power through a coup in 2021, it was no surprise that Moon’s defiance spilled into the streets. She tied a red ribbon to her uniform, led protests, and quickly became a visible leader of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in her small town. But her courage carried heavy risks. Soldiers circulated her photo, hunting her down. Even within her family, cracks appeared. Her father, once a soldier himself, made the painful decision to send her away for her safety.

Moon fled to Lay Kay Kaw, a town in southeastern Myanmar, leaving behind her students, her home, and the life she had built. Yet exile brought its own hardships. At migrant schools across the border, she endured exploitation, earning less in a month than many laborers made in a week. Still, she reminded herself she was fortunate to have food, shelter, and above all, the chance to keep teaching.

New voices, new outlook

“I’ve always believed that learning never ends, so I keep working to fill the gaps in myself,” Moon says. That belief led her to join Exile Hub’s Thai language program in Mae Sot. From there, she stepped into new forms of expression — podcast training, storytelling, even documentary narration. She produced an episode of Resilient Voices, amplifying the story of an LGBTQ+ youth in exile. Later, she co-created a documentary episode “Freedom of Religion and Belief” with other displaced media professionals.

“As a teacher, I’ve always told stories to my students,” Moon reflects. “Now I can use storytelling to reach the community, particularly those who face challenges like mine.”

Compared to when she was forced to leave everything behind, Moon describes herself as stronger, more practical, and more forward-looking. On her hardest days, she reminds herself, “It’s only today that is hard. Tomorrow can be different.” She has learned to embrace uncertainty as the only constant and to treasure laughter as a means of survival.

A dream beyond the classroom

Moon’s dream is both simple and profound. One day, she imagines opening a small bookstore café, a place where people can nourish both body and mind. With a quiet laugh, she adds, “When I call my mother nowadays, I always remind her not to sell the small piece of land we have. One day, I’ll return and build that bookstore café.”

For now, Moon continues to teach in ways her old school system never allowed. Through her voice, her resilience, and her refusal to “teach like a soldier,” she embodies a different kind of lesson: the courage to think differently and the hope that even in exile a teacher can still inspire change.