Teacher! Teacher!

School has officially begun and it feels so good to be back at work. Being unemployed for 2 months was fun, but I was very ready to become a real person again. I arrived at the Sa-nguan Ying English Program around 8am Tuesday morning and was quickly thrust into a busy and extremely overwhelming day. I had been told by my coordinator that Tuesday would be an orientation day, where we would meet the staff, get our schedule, learn the policies and basically get a feel for the program. They mentioned that we would be able to meet our students by observing a class and introducing ourselves. I was pretty excited for that plan because I knew nothing about the English program beyond the fact I was teaching Mathayom 1 and 2 (grades 7 & 8) and that these children were pulled out of the mainstream classrooms for a more aggressive English curriculum. Meeting the staff was great and I am super excited for the coming year and getting to know everyone here. There is a mix of Thai teachers, an American who has extended the OEG program for a 3rd semester, and a handful of Tasmanians. The atmosphere in the office is both fun and productive, and I definitely sense that the English Program is somewhat of a family. 
   After being given a schedule and some textbooks while meeting with the head of the department (Michael Scott vibes GALORE....love it), we were told that we would be going to our classes. To observe, right? Mai, mai... we had to lead the entire 50 minutes with them. And of course, I meet with all of my classes on Tuesday. Upon entering the classroom (where everyone- teachers and students- must take off their shoes), the students stood up and, with huge grins on their faces, said "Good Morning, Teacher!" Any anxiety I may have been experiencing quickly disappeared after seeing their smiling faces. All four classes went pretty well, but I definitely had some awkward moments mixed in. Oh well. Mai Pen Rai. 
   For the remainder of the week I have been responsible for conducting legit classes, and making lesson plans for all of them. They have all gone surprisingly well, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. We are given a textbook and a very loose curriculum, but there is no clear-cut marker of what the children have already learned. I also cannot get a real handle on how developed their English is. This week has been spent playing around with assignments so I can get a better feel for their skills. I'm hoping to get a better understanding of them in the next few days so I can make a long-term plan for the semester and develop an organized curriculum. 
    As of right now, I love the students. They are all adorable and very sweet. There are definitely the 'naughty boys' who sit in the back, but naughty in Thailand doesn't even compare to naughty in America. These kids look like angels compared to anything back home. I have one student who has an OBSESSION with airlines and has asked me about 1,001 questions about my flight to Thailand and the cuisine on board. I can't help but laugh. 
   Every night, our friends Chris and Peter have been coming over and the four of us just sit on our computers and develop lesson plans for hours. It is actually pretty adorable. We are such teachers now! Hopefully, the lesson planning comes easier and the process is not so time-consuming. So week 1 is almost officially over and I am extremely relieved. I was so sure I would be running to the bathroom to throw-up before each class (sorry..that's sick nasty), but I have no nerves whatsoever....at least for now. Let's hope the entire year goes as smoothly as this week and I don't make a fool of myself in front of all of these kiddies!


Welp...I'm off to Bangkok for the weekend to live the high-life :) Happy Halloween!


School Tidbits:


*The students wear uniforms, so they already look very similar. On top of that, the girls all have the same haircut, and the boys all have a buzz-cut going on. They even have the same backpacks and shoes! It is pretty funny.
*We have to take our shoes off not only in the classroom, but also in the office. AKA I'm always barefoot. Basically, my disgust for feet has gone out the door (didn't really have a choice with that one).
* Stray dogs are everywhere in Thailand. Even at school. When you go to Canteen (the cafeteria), dogs are just wandering around and no one pays any attention. Pretty, pretty weird. 
* We are celebrities here. All of the kids get so excited upon seeing us, that they can't help but smile and wave from across the lawn. It's adorable.