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Published: September 7th 2008
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I cannot believe that I've been in Thailand for over four months now. Each week seems to fly by at lightening pace. Next week is my fifteenth teaching week, and the Fun Language course is 30 weeks long, so by Friday, I'll be half way through my first year, scary!! The good thing about being half way through the year, is that the end of the first term is also in sight, and with that, comes a HOLIDAY!!! YAY! I am absolutely loving being in the classroom, more than I ever dared dream I would, but, it is really exhausting work, and so, a week off towards the end of October is going to be very welcome. I have no clear plans yet, but I can promise you, it will involve lounging on a beach doing as little as in humanly possible! And, to my Thai pals displeasure, getting a tan!!!!!! I really hope that week doesn't fly as quickly as my teaching one's are!
Anyway, before I get too caught up in dreaming about holidays, I've got plenty more to do before the term ends. As well as the usual teaching, we have grades and reports to do. Now,
I teach over 600 students each week, so that is a lot of grading! Luckily, there are always two of us in the classroom, myself and a Thai team teacher. I teach my kindergarden classes on Monday, Tuesday and Fridays with Ann, and my Prathom (primary) classes on Wednesday and Thursday's with Kung. So, at least there are two of us to decide what grades to give each student, for their behaviour, effort and achievement. On top of this, we also have a report comment to 'write'. I use the term write loosely, as infact, we have a booklet with 40odd preprepared comments for each year group already written, and divided into secions, so we simply go through these and pick out the one that suits each student. This makes it easier, but it is still quite a task!
I'm lucky that after 14 weeks I can remember most of my Kindergarden students easily. Their names, faces and characters, and about half of my primary students too. I hope, that by the end of the year, I'll remember them all lol!!!!
As if I don't have enough on my plate with my lesson planning, teaching and reports, I'm
also pushing ahead with my Thai learning. I am beginning to understand quite a bit, but am still pretty reluctant to speak to anyone other than the TT's in the office who I don't mind laughing at me! The sounds used in Thai are often so different from English I feel like a clown pulling my face into strange shapes so that strange sounds, erm, I mean words come out! Add to this the fact that I simply cannot roll my r's to save my life, or make a freaky 'ng' sound that crops up all over the place, I think it's safe to say I've got alongway to go, ha ha!!
However, not to be defeated, I have recently shifted my attentions to a form of the language that my dulcet Yorkshire tones cannot get in the way of. Reading. See attached picture for my new 'wall of Thai'. That poster only covers the constanants though, on top of that we have the vowels and then the tone marks, so, as you might imagine, my quest to learn a new script is not going to be easy. But, I'm well up for the challenge! And, when I get
there, the beauty of Thai is, you really do say what you see, not like our freaky English language!
So, as you can see, I'm definately keeping busy, little wonder time is flying really. Although, I'm sure many of those of you who know me well will have noticed the huge lack of discussion of all things beer related.......... Hmmmmmmm well, I would love to tell you that that is coming up next, but, frankly it's not. I can count the number of times I've had a beer (or any other alcoholic beverage for that matter) since arriving in the land of smiles, on one hand. Yes, that is, less than five occasions I've drunk beer in four months, AARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! Even more worryingly, I don't actually miss it!! :o/
Of course, I plan on taking full advantage of a week off out of Lopburi (where my students and their parents are EVERYWHERE!) to let my hair down and P-A-R-T-Y! But, then, I can spend the whole next day sleeping on the beach, not in a classroom with small people having to entertain, engage and educate!!
See, I've got this teaching bug bad, and really do put my
heart and soul, and often bucket loads of sweat into each 50 minute lesson, and boy, I could not do that on a hangover, no way! And really, the type of teaching we do, there is nowhere to hide, you have to be on your feet, prancing around and acting the idiot, some days it's hardwork enough, with a hangover it'd be impossible!
Add to that the early starts, alarm goes off at 6am every morning, on the bus by 6.40am, eat my brekkie while checking out my lesson plans for the day, then every other week stand outside greeting students and parents from 7.30-8am. The week I'm not outside, will do extra bits and pieces (next week report commenting for instance!) Then from 8-8.25am back in the office to discuss plans for the mornings lessons with my TT, before heading off to teach our first lesson at 8.30am.
Each morning we teach three 50 minute lessons, from 8.30-9.20, 9.30-10.20 and 10.30-11.20. Lunch is 11.20 to 12.25. We spend the first part of each lunch hour marking and filing the students worksheets from the morning, and then eat at around 11.50, just as the kids finish, so we get some peace in the dining room! I then spend the last 15mins of each lunch hour checking everything is ready for afternoon classes, before teaching 2 or 3 lessons in the afternoon, schedule depending. So, the teaching day ends at either 2.20 or 3.20. I use the time between ending lessons and leaving the office at 4pm marking and filing, and then preparing for the next day. Writing lesson plans and sorting out my flashcards.
At around 4pm, we leave for the day. Vow, our Thai trainer/office manager/fixer of all problems (not entirely sure what her actual job title is, I'll ask her tomorrow!) and I head off for food. I love the fact that she loves food as much as I do. We seem to have a discussion every morning about what we fancy for dinner, and this varies from Italian to Japanese, to dim sum and of course to Thai. Then we both spend most of the rest of the day drooling over our choice until 4pm comes around! After we've eaten, we invariably wander around for a while until there is room for pudding, either icecream, or roti. Yes, you read that correctly, roti. Not the same as a roti in India, but arroy maak, or very delicious! Basically a cross between a roti and a pancake served with sugar and carnation milk, HEAVEN!!!! And, no, I DO NOT want to know how much fat or how many calories one contains, I don't!
After we've stuffed our faces, we head home, and I veg out infront of the TV with my Thai books, until an early bedtime when I can't keep my eyes open, usually by 9.30pm lol.
As for weekends, I try to spend them being as lazy as I can. I love recharging my batteries! Will head out to 'Big C' on a Saturday morning, so drink coffee with the paper, shop, get lunch and then head home. Normally with Jay, the other foreign teacher in the office. I spend the afternoon sorting out my flat, doing my washing and organising my next week.
Sunday's, are my day for Thai. Or, today, my day for avoiding Thai and writing this blog! I also go and explore town, avoiding the monkeys!! Or have a random wander around. Try to catch a bit of sun, and recieve many strange looks for my troubles, and then relax at home so I'm up for another mad week! Looking forward to getting another couple of girls my age from the UK moving out here to work for the beginning of next term, so I'll have people to do more with, and maybe to kick my backside into gear to ensure I do venture further than Jet Jiffy next door on a Sunday!
So, that's pretty much it, my life in a nutshell!
Right, lunchtime, got some ribs to grill with some stirfried veg. Love eating out all week, but means I appriciate cooking on a Sunday too! And, this afternoon, I will beginning learning my vowels, joy!!!!
Much love xxxx
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