teaching...

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Hey guys
Just thought I'd write a little on what its like teaching here!

WELL, for a start we all thought we'd be classroom assistants, and then take over when we're ready. fat chance! We were thrown in at the deep end, teaching alone! I teach kindergarten (age 4), P2 (age 5/6), P4 (age 8/9) and P6 (age 10/11). In P4 and P2 I teach without a Thai teacher even in the room, in kindergarten there is a teacher but she wanders in and out and doesnt understand English...in P6 I have a teacher helping me control the class, but I still teach alone.

As for curriculum...I have been given none! I have now got some rough guidelines and textbooks (which are RUBBISH! whoever heard of doing a whole topic on bananas?!) but generally I have to decide what to teach, in what order etc and plan lessons around that. I've also got to include plenty of games cos the Thais like things to be 'sanuk', or fun, and the kids lose focus after about 30mins or so anyway (the lessons are an hour!)

Ao far I've found P2 to be ok (apart from one boy punching another in the middle of my class just now!), and kindergarten are mostly ok to control although it's difficult to know what to teach them because they find the alphabet and no.s 1-10 hard enough, and I've got to teach them an hour a week for 18 weeks! For P4 I am very glad that I have a Thai teacher helping, although they make loads of jokes which I think are about me and she laughs too, which isnt great, but at least she helps me control them (although her definition of 'control' involves hitting them with a ruler which i really don't like, but I cant explain that to her because she doesnt understand English!) P6 are ok, but its difficult to know what to teach and half the class seem to be much more advanced than others, so you lose the interest of at least half the class each time!

The other problem here is 'Thai time'...my timetable has been changed about 4 times now; once I had to teach P4 at a moment's notice, and with no planning, because the Thai teacher said 'they wanted me to teach them'! But its pretty set now so should get easier (I hope...!)

All in all, its much harder than I expected, more hard work and disciplining a class when you can't speak their language is very difficult! However the kids are cute and make me laugh, some of the little ones even put hearts on their arms and books with 'I love teacher naomi' in and then came and showed me, which I found hilarious! They also run up and wave and want to shake hands with you every time you go past...makes us feel like celebrities! And if you do a really bad lesson, they still like you after cos you are the novelty 'falang' (foreigner!) so all in all is not too bad! As long as the kids are happy (and most are trying to learn) I guess it'll all be ok...!

Nay xxx

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Comments

[Soph]

you...
are so brave! to be in a different country and teaching while not knowing the language is so brave of you! when it gets hard just remember all the "i love teacher naomi!" things! and that we all love you lots and lots and lots and miss you like crazy! xoxoxox