Niece Nong Ja and Back to School Tomorrow, Thailand.

Miss Noot and I usually have our beautiful niece Nong Ja 3 or 4 nights a week staying with us. Miss Noot has been doing work experience at a hotel and the evening shift from 3pm until midnight.

The past week I had seen Nong Ja for just a few hours here and there. I enquired to what was going on. Why wasn’t Ja staying overnight like usual.

I was told that because Miss Noot was working they thought I wouldn’t be able to look after Nong Ja.

When I explained that it was me who actually did all the looking after and Miss Noot just supervised at times, Nong Ja has been back the last two nights under my supervision.

Tomorrow being Tuesday, is the first day back to school for the new school year. Today, Monday was a holiday but tomorrow it is back to the grind of teaching. I have my timetable but this will change. The poor lady who makes them has a horrible job and usually the first week some classes will class.

I am a little disappointed as I have the new Primary 1 or year 1 students, for the first period of the day. This could be a disaster class. Some small kids are inconsolable the first few days and cry and ask for their mum.

Last year it wasn’t so bad, most kids were really good. There was the odd child who cried a little but nothing like I had seen before.

I have seen some parents sitting outside classrooms staring in through the windows at their son or daughter. I don’t allow this. I politely tell them to leave and they can return after the lesson is over. The last thing I want is a boy or girl looking out the window at mum.

The first lesson is going to be very easy for the littlies. They are going to make name tags, of their nicknames and colour and draw a picture. This way I and the Thai team teacher can walk around the class and monitor, help students write their names into English.

Also I get some contact with each student straight away in the first class and introduce myself personally to each one. I simply say “Hello, I am Mr. Jason. What’s your name?” If I get a reply straight away that’s fantastic. If not I try to encourage and elicit an answer.

The two older classes tomorrow will be taking their nicknames on the attendance sheet in English as all official paperwork is in Thai. I will also be writing their names in English on their English books in permanent marker pen. This goes at the top right-hand corner so I can easily see the student’s name when marking work.

From Wednesday it will be onto the curriculum. Their books will be out and we will be studying English and having fun doing this as well. Well I will try and make it fun where I can.

Brunty