Well after a full week of teaching, I feel more settled in, just in time for mid term exams-we are not teaching for 4 days next week! At the end of this whole program. we will probably only have taught about half of the days! We teach on Monday of next week, then have the rest of the week off (although we do have our extra classes and another English Camp), then two weeks of teaching, and then home!
A few highlights from the week:
1. Aviator Man. I keep seeing this one teacher around school and he cracks me up. As teachers, we are supposed to dress quite conservatively, with somewhat of an air of authority. I'm pretty sure this guy is a math teacher, and he rolls into school everyday wearing jeans, a big belt with a huge Western buckled, socks and sandals (note to the world: its NEVER ok), and big Aviator sunglasses that he does not take off. ever. As I pass his classes in the hallway I always sneakily peek in and he is there, teaching, with his sunglasses on. Now the classrooms aren't especially bright-certainly not blinding-and are even quite dark, especially the ones that only have natural light. Why I ask-does this man feel the need to wear Aviators while teaching high school math? He looks like a sad, 70's-era has-been. Maybe he had secret dreams of becoming some sort of Thai James Bond, or Thai Brad Pitt...and now as a teacher in rural Thailand is completely unable to let go of the "dream". Anyways, I always find a smile on my face when I see him explaining derivatives in his get-up.
2. Big Ass. This week, I tried to teach my students how to write a formal letter. Headings, dates, addresses, proper greetings and endings, the whole works. It was well received by others, and completely rejected by others. C'est la vie...somethings go over great in classes, and in other classes the same thing can be an epic fail. Anyways, I had my students practice writing letters to their "idols". Korean pop music is pervasive in Thailand. They are absolutely obsessed. If you say the word "Wondergirls" or "Super Junior", everyone, girls and boys alike, goes crazy. I had no idea who these people were-thank goodness that Crystal is Korean and can fill me in on this whole music phenomenon. Some of the students wrote to these boy bands, others wrote to random people-Britney Spears, President Obama. I was walking around looking at the letters when I see one boy writing, "Dear Big Ass". My mouth dropped open and I quickly scratched it out and tried to explain frantically that no, he could not write to "Big Ass" and that it was offensive. Maybe he really had no idea, but I think he totally did and was playing dumb. Aghhh teenage boys. They should all be sent away between the ages of 12 and...well...college guys really aren't that much better come to think of it (I've seen things in college that I've also seen as a pre-school aide)...25?.
3. Terrorizing young children. It was Tuesday afternoon. It was sweltering. I had already taught 3 classes that day, and had to run after school to teach my extra class. I'm in my last class, trying in vain to explain prepositions to my class, and completely failing because there are students in the hallway causing a complete ruckus. Supervision really doesn't exist in Thai schools. If the teacher doesn't show up (which happens all the time...) the kids just run absolutely wild. So this was the case with a bunch of 7th graders out in the hallway. I kept shouting in my class trying to be heard, and I finally snapped. I charged out into the hallway (I'm sure with an absolute crazed look in my eyes) and yelled in English "BE QUIET! YOU ARE BEING RUDE! BE QUIET!" The little rascals scattered into nearby classrooms, but kept giggling and shouting. I followed them into the classrooms and gave them looks of death (which I'm fantastic at) until they simmered down. Feeling much better, I composed myself and returned to my class where my students had looks of absolute terror and awe on their faces. Later in the hallway, the kids I yelled at literally ran around the corner to get out of my way. Good riddance! The teachers either beat the kids with a stick, or don't do anything at all. I'm not afraid to yell at a few brats now and then. I think it was cathartic.
4. Birthday Festivities. A bunch of 12th grade students have adopted Crystal and I. They come into the teachers lounge whenever we have free periods and we talk in English and they ask us adorable questions. Today, I was sitting in the lounge after lunch, trying desperately to summon up the energy for my afternoon classes, when Crystal comes in with all of them, bearing a chocolate cake (real chocolate!) and singing Happy Birthday. All of the students made these beautiful handmade birthday cards and they were so sweet! They had such cute little messages in them, "I hope you reach all of your success" and "I hope you enjoy always life". Ahhh I could just eat them up. We all ate cake and cookies together and it was exactly what I needed. I wish that they were my class and we could just sit and chat all day together.
All for this week! More to come next week. We got suckered into another English Camp, but I'm hoping this one will be better than the last. Its at our school, so at least we can escape to the peace of our host families at night. Tessani, the teacher who we went to English Camp with last time and who I have been successfully avoiding like the plague, was at the meeting when we were discussing the schedule, and asked if I would sing the "Oh English Camp" song (reference blog post on English Camp) with her dazed, wide-eyed look that haunts my dreams. In my head I screamed in agony, and barely muttered out "ummm maybe". Must avoid this. If anyone has any ideas of less morally, spiritually and physically offensive English songs, please email me.
xoxo,
Stacy
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