I went back to work on Thursday… Actually, I didn’t go “back to work” because teaching is not work to me. From now on, I’m going to reclassify the term “work” when referring to teaching in a new context. I am going to phrase teaching as a “passionate pursuit of the noble good”. Let’s try …
Continue reading "Cabbages & Condoms with a hint of Black Amber"Played a game with my M1 and M2 students today called last man/woman standing. It is a rambunctious fast-moving game and the rules are simple. Students stand by their desk at which point I shout out a subject like “Things you would find in the universe” and each student has to respond within five seconds …
Continue reading "Rapport building through Food & Games"I decided to spice up my lesson plans and challenge my students to expand their English horizons by introducing a daily mantra, quote of the day, and rarely used English word of the day. The curriculum I use through BFITS consists of a teaching book, power point presentation along with a student workbook that reinforces …
Continue reading "Komfaek Highs balance the Traffic Blues"My morning ride sharing partner is on a visa run in Laos for the next three days. I therefore had to resort back to riding a motor scooter to school. This resulted in the usual neck kink from stress, fear, and a general sense of foreboding as all I could imagine was falling off the …
Continue reading "School Assemblies are Great!"Arrived at school this morning, slightly earlier than usual, and watched the students line up on a carpeted area near the indoor basketball courts to give a monk food. The interesting part was that the students removed their shoes and waited in line on their knees at which point they would shuffle forward until they …
Continue reading "Finding a new path"Made it to the school earlier than usual, skipped breakfast, and had my morning coffee. They have only one size at the little coffee hut so I am learning to downsize everything I consume. I talked to another teacher before class and learned there are more than one agency that are employing foreign teachers at …
Continue reading "Respectful Students"Walked out of my apartment complex this morning towards the motor scooter area at the front of the complex and spoke with another teacher who used Grab every morning. We agreed to split the price of the Grab (60Baht each) and now I don’t have to ride on the back of a motor scooter any …
Continue reading "Getting in the Groove"I had trouble waking up this morning because I felt drained from all the transitions and starting a new job. Everything feels a little overwhelming and I wasn’t looking forward to the twenty minute (scary) motor scooter ride. Additionally, I’m not eating breakfast because my stomach can’t handle the types of food that Thai’s traditionally …
Continue reading "Emotional Roller-Coaster"I woke up excited to get going. All the teachers take taxis to the school and there is no room for me so I rode on the back of a motor scooter to school (approximately 20-25 minute ride). Let me say, that was an experience I will never forget plus it was during work traffic. …
Continue reading "First Day Jitters"In the morning, Jonathan and I took a taxi from our hotel to SSP1 Tower in Bangkok and met with our BFITS agent (Angel Ha). She was kind, spoke fluent English, and provided three of us with our contracts for the duration of our teaching experience (35,000Baht per month plus 2,000Baht in travel money). I …
Continue reading "Getting Hired"