Work.

As much as I wish I could be here on vacation, I have a job. Coming into it, I thought I would be teaching English to kindergarteners....who in my mind, would be 5-6 year olds. However, in Thailand, kindergarten starts at age 2. Thus, I have a class of 22 two year old's! The foreign teachers at the school (me and the others) were given two days of training, from 8am-4pm. The training was really a waste of time because the person in charge just spoke mostly of what he wanted to change about the school instead of what we actually needed to be doing on a daily basis. I was given a stack of papers, a curriculum book, and 8 hours to come up with a "lesson plan" for the next 5 months. Not having ever done something like this, it was a little overwhelming at first. The things I am expected to teach 2 year olds is just ridiculous, but I can't complain to anyone about it, I just have to go with the flow. There is an expression used by some of the other teachers here, and it is: TIT - This is Thailand. It basically means that whenever you want to complain about something...just remember "this is Thailand" and thats just how it is. I try to keep a positive mindset most of the time, but sometimes it is hard to sit and listen to the other teachers complain so much about this and that around the school. Most of the other foreign teachers are 40+ years old and have been teaching here for 2 years or more. You'd think if they had SUCH a problem with the school, they'd leave already! Anyhoo....school starts Monday and this is a look at what I have planned for the week:

English - Teach the ABC's, pronunciation of letters, teach the Alphabet song
Math - Teach letters 1-5, count on fingers, coloring worksheet
Science - Identify body parts: i.e. eyes, nose, mouth, etc., teach the Hokey Pokey :)
General Knowledge: Body hygiene: i.e. brush teeth, wash hands, etc.

Now, I doubt 2 year olds will remember any of that, but all I can do is try! The schedule on a typical day looks like this:

8:30 - 9 - Math
9 - 9:30 - ESL (I switch to a class of Thai only speakers...and do an English lesson)
9:30 - 10 - English
10 - 10:10 - Morning break
10:10 - 11:10 - work on lesson plans/grading/etc.
11:10 - 11:40 - Science
11:40 - 12 - Lunch
12 - 1:20 - Nap time
1:20 - 1:30 - Snack time
1:30 - 2 -  General Knowledge
2-4 - Extra classes (if parents request)

my class.

 my classroom.

play area.