Ballroom Bootcamp

On Wednesday I went to a ballroom dancing lesson with my host teacher and the two Philippina teachers at my school. Ajahn Nattamon's friend was in need of female companions for her students at the police academy. When we arrived, I felt like a mail order bride- an awkward outsider thrown into a sea of suitors. A group of guys in uniform crowded around me and barraged me with an array of questions. At one point, a guy asked me how old I was and the date of my birthday. He said something about his birthday and how I should get him a gift. I asked him what he wanted, and he said my telephone number. Talk about a pick-up line! Haha. Anyway, I danced the night away (with a different cadet who was too short to spin me properly), and it was loads of fun. I'll be taking a two-hour lesson every Wednesday and Thursday for the next six weeks.

I suppose I should offer an update on the classroom front: my students are both the most polite and disruptive high schoolers I have ever seen. They greet me at the beginning of class by standing in unison and saying, "Good morning teacher Becky." Class begins and they talk amongst themselves in Thai, while only five or six students pay attention in the class of 40+. At the end of class they stand again and say, "Thank you teacher Becky. See you next time." It would be so cute if they weren't so chatty with each other and silent when I ask them questions. Also, the classes are supposed to be 50 minutes long, but I'm lucky if I have 30 minutes of solid teaching time. There are no passing periods, so the time it takes for students to get from one classroom to another cuts into the period. One time, a math teacher held a class of students for 25 minutes after his class before they came to mine! Also, sometimes students just don't show up. One day only 14 students came to class while the other 21 were off doing who knows what. Did I mention the bell is the tune to "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music? I walk around thinking, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..." everyday... every 50 minutes...

Despite this mini rant, I love it here. I've learned to go with the flow, and I'm trying to create opportunities to interact with students outside the classroom. I recently started hosting an English table at lunch. After about 5-10 minutes of sitting by myself at a table like the smelly kid who picks his nose, I am joined by a group of students who come up and ask me questions about the US, my nonexistent boyfriend, my eating preferences, etc. I'm looking forward to developing some after-school activities as well!