Teacher Kate let loose in the classroom!!

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Well, I survived my first week! Although, not getting too excited, as this was only a 'practice' week, if I can say the same this time next week, I'll be very happy!!

We are still erm, very short on the native speaking teachers front, so this week we instead of starting our proper lessons we did an introduction with each of the Prathom classes (like our primary, from 6-11ish). We took the students in their whole class groups, between 40-50 and gave them an introduction to Fun Langauge, how we will teach them, about the games, songs and rewards we use. Then we gave them the scare talk about disapline and our expectations for them in the classroom.

I was worried I'd be a soft teacher and have them walking all over me, but after four days of practice, in my last class today I ended up removing two pencil cases, a ruler and a plastic toy from four different children when they were playing with them when they should have been listening, taking a whole desk from one boy after he kept on insisting picking it up in the air, I had four stood at the front during song time so that we could make them do the actions instead of either chatting or using the time for a snooze, and had many more stood up at different times in the lesson for not listening, two boys excluded from one game for fighting and one team lost the point that would have won them the game for cheating. Is that class going to be looking forward to seeing Teacher Kate next week? Probably not. Will they believe Teacher Kate is serious when she asks them to be quiet and listen? I hope so, if not, we will repeat today until they do! I have been assured that being strict to start with and then becoming more lienient is far far easier than to be too nice in the beginning and then trying to get control a few weeks down the line..... So watch this space with news on the taming of the demon class, and the perfection of my 'scary look'. I am finding the stopping talking, and doing 'the look' at the culprits that aren't listening, until either they get poked by a classmate and look up, or look up to see why the teacher has stopped talking, only to see you are giving them a scary glare, and then watching them squirm, a valuable technique! But I'm sure over the next days and weeks I'll add to my 'don't mess with Teacher Kate' portfolio!!

Now is probably a good time to point out that of the 18 classes I have seen this week, only two of them have been in the above demon catergory, so I reckon that is pretty good going! In general the kids a lovely and very well behaved, even when something completely unfamiliar to their schedule is going on, and when we have 40odd of them up and out of their seats and running around, which really is alien, they behave brilliantly, and find the presence of a 'farang' in their class pretty exciting!!

So, after we have discussed how we expect them to behave in our classes, we move onto getting them to help us fill in a form to check the spellings of their names, to take home for their parents to sign. Depending on the age of the class, the form brings with it varying complications.....

These have ranged from one seven year old writing his nickname (the name that he is known by both in the classroom and the majority of the time in general) on his form in English, and I kid you not, he writes, F - u - c - k. Now, my last blog pictures show that these names can be a little bizarre, and leave you wondering how on earth the parents came up with them, but this is pushing it a little toooooooo far. After seeing him write this, I go and ask my Team Teacher (who is Thai) what we can do? Surely we cannot let this little guy go through life with THAT name. So, she goes up to hom and asks his name, for him to tell her 'Fluke'. Fluke is by no means the best name you're ever going to come across, but considering the alternative, it'll do just fine!!!

Another funny one with the spelling form was today, a gorgous little six year old writes his name in English on his form, when most of his classmates are only writing in Thai. So, I tell him well done for using English, and then point to the space on the sheet where they need to write the date the parents have to return the form by, and also point to the blackboard, where my Team Teacher has written the date in Thai to help them, and then carry on going round the class. A minute later I go to check on how he is doing, to see that in the date box he has written beautifully '5 little ducks', which happens to be the song we had just sung, and its title is still on the board, right above the date I had meant for him to copy, bless him!!

A few more things I have learnt this week;

1) Ducks in Thailand say 'Gab Gab' not 'Quack Quack'. If even the animals don't talk the same language, there is little hope for me!!

2) Thai school children still get a carton of milk each midway through the morning.

3) All the students have tooth brushes at school, and all brush their teeth after lunch everyday.

4) Our school has a song, I suppose the Thai equivalant to hokey cokey, that is played at random times once or twice each day, and every class will stop what they are doing and having a sing and dance. I found out yesterday when a class were having a good laugh at Teacher Kate that the first two lines of the song are show your left hand and wave it around, then show your right hand and do the same. Now, obviously not knowing any of the words, I thought I was doing pretty well wel following along with the actions, but no, everytime the lines were repeated, I put up my right hand and then my left hand, which obviously is really silly of a teacher, we can't get things wrong, but hey, it's nice for the students to see none of us are perfect!!! Needless to say, I won't be making that mistake again!!

5) One group of 11 year olds in one of my classes invented a new country yesterday, Balaguliva, a cross between Bulgaria and Boliva perhaps? Whatver they were getting at, it didn't get the points for it in a country beginning with B in stop that bus!! Another answer we got in that round for 'something you can find in school' was beautiful teacher. Now I admit there are many beautiful teachers in the school, but I doubted they were refering to me, especially as it was my last lesson of the day and I was a boiling sweaty mess!! Then, in the next round, with letter S, the same group put, slim teacher, I knew they weren't refering to me!!

I could go on, but you don't need me to tell you my whole week to get the picture. It's tons of fun, it's amazingly hardwork, but hopefully it's going to be worth it! And, I am definately going to learn a hell of a lot about myself over the next few weeks!

Tomorrow I only have one hour of teacher first thing, then I spend the day planning my lessons for next week, when we start following our proper sylabus.

As I am still the only offical Foreign teacher at the school, next weeks schedule was looking a little taxing, but we can't put off teaching the proper lessons any longer. So Bobby has drafted us in help for Monday and Tuesday, meaning that I can take a class, the helper can take a class and Bobby can take a double class. On Weds and Thurs we both take double classes, and again on Friday, my classes will be split with someone else. So, here's to a mental week thrown in at the deep end, but it'll be great!!

Next week will see a whole new bunch of challenges, with the introduction of the Kindergarten students, aged 3-5. Eeeekkkkk!!

On Monday I have a morning of 3 year olds and an afternoon of 5 year olds. So, that's me spending the weekend recharging the batteries and brushing up on my beautiful singing voice (Dad, don't laugh!!)

So, if I'm still standing at the end of next week, I'll be very proud of myself, and be back here telling you all about it!

PS, if anyone fancy a teaching job in Thailand, get in touch, we need you!!!

xx

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