Krung Kat

I think Krung means teacher in Thai... if not, then I am very confused.

When I say I teach kindergarten, most people think 5 and 6 year olds. Wrong. Thai children start school at the age of 1... so begins the story of my job. haha

I teach the English Kindergarten 2 program in a traditional Thai school. My first day of "grown up" work was on Labor Day. I have 21 students in my class. My kindergarten students are 3 and 4 years old. Their parents chose to put them in the English program mostly because one of their parents is Thai and the other parent is a farang (foreigner). I teach them English, Math, Science, and General Knowledge. They also have a Thai class and Mandarin class. Many of them go home and speak another language, such as Russian or Hebrew or Cantonese. While a teacher comes in to teach them Thai or Mandarin, I go and teach English to the Thai program... My schedule changes everyday.

I am very confused.

I am convinced that they are all geniuses. haha How can they possibly speak at least 3 languages, most of them fluently?? Plus, they are ONLY 4!

Then I found out that they cannot count at all and now I now I am very concerned. Apparently none of their other teachers were concerned at all. It really bothers me. I have been on a chase around town trying to find math resources and nobody seems to understand why.

On Monday and Tuesday, my class was complete chaos, then I figured out that they thought they could take advantage of me because I was a farang... ha ha ha, I have quickly taught them that I do not put up with that kind of crap, like their previous two teachers. My assistant, her name is A (she is Thai and doesn't speak any English at all) thinks it is hilarious. haha Today was a much better day because of it and I have a feeling the kids and I will get along splendidly :)

The hardest part of my day is getting to school. The bike ride is a bit more difficult than I anticipated. Sukhavit is a very big and dangerous road. If you are from Waco- think Valley Mills. Now imagine riding your bike down it. It's terrifying. On Monday I crashed. I showed up to work with blood on my arms and legs and a huge hole in the knee of my pants. Tuesday I took a taxi. Wednesday was better because I found back roads. I think I just need to practice now.

I work with two other westerners. They are okay. One is Jessica, the other is Mark. They are both from the UK. Jessica is nice but likes to party a lot. Mark is extremely negative so I stay away from him. I don't actually know why he is here.

The kids leave at 2:30, but you are required to stay till 4, so a lot of teachers have extra jobs that you get paid for. I was asked to give private English lessons to the principal's son. He is 1 year and 3 months and his name is Plot. I think it is his hilarious that she wants me to teach him English. Basically I just sit around and play with him for an hour. I really like the principal and her husband. Mei and Eric. They are actually taking me to dinner tonight.

Anyways, that is my job. I like my kids a lot. I think it is a hard adjustment for them, having me be here. I am their third teacher this year and it is the middle of their school year for them. Luckily, I'll be here the longest out of the year, so they'll like me best! haha