A good start...I think?

I have just completed my first full week of school and I, honestly, cannot tell how I feel about it. I think I feel exhausted, frustrated but motivated, and a bit confused, I guess. I will be teaching four days at my school, with three hours of teaching per day. The other three hours are spent either helping with the prathom (elementary) and matteyom (high school) English club, planning with my co-teachers or typing up our lessons we created.

I am lucky to have two co-teachers that are willing to meet with me to plan lessons-many other volunteers seem to be struggling with this. Not to say it goes smoothly, however, but at least my co-teachers might see the importance of planning (I hope). During break from school, I guided my teachers through creating a curriculum outline, not just based on the textbook. We used the text, Thailand National Standards and previous Peace Corps Volunteers materials. This outline has been extremely helpful in guiding our conversations during planning. So much so, that in one hour I am able to plan three lessons with one of my co-teachers. They definitely are not flawless lessons, but it is a start. I am hoping that my co-teachers will want to plan because they recognize the benefits. Thus, I am trying to make it as painless as possible.

That is definitely not the case with my other co-teacher. Most of the time, I think she is rethinking requesting a PC Volunteer. Quoted directly from her, “I have never worked this much.” I have tried to make her less nervous/worried about the whole situation but I am pretty sure she is having buyer’s remorse. During planning, she looks at me blankly- never have I felt more like an alien. The hour drags as we either sit in silence or I try to comfort her, telling her everything is going to be all right. I am no psychiatrist, but I am pretty sure within the next several months, she might have a breakdown.  Let’s hope I can prevent that…

Nonetheless, SOMEHOW, I have no clue how…I was able to get both of my co-teachers planned for lessons two weeks in advance. I do not think this will happen again within my two years of service, so I will sit and be content for a millisecond.

Despite some success in the planning aspect of co-teaching, they will be many challenges with teaching in the Thai school system. I am, in no way, saying that the American system is perfect. In fact, if Thai teachers went to teach in America, they could help our school system just as much with student responsibility. Co-teaching with a Thai counterpart feels somewhat like a power struggle. Yes, we do plan the lessons together and organize materials together. Nonetheless, teaching is much more than the subject matter. A teacher must have patience, understanding and, in most cases, a censor for what they really want to say to the children. From what I have observed, these are not these attributes are not of high importance in the classroom. I am sure outside of dealing with teaching 35 students in a class, these teachers are calm, cool and collected.  However, in class, my co-teacher gives students about three or four seconds to answer a question (I counted) before she gets nervous and starts drilling them with the same question, speaking in Thai or giving them the answer. The teacher does not find any harm in saying a student is slow or sitting all the struggling students in the back of the classroom. Sometimes, when a student cannot answer a question, my teacher will “rough” them around a bit. She does not fully hit the students like in Ghana, but, nevertheless, I do not think that would be an effective way to make a student attempt to answer again.

The lack of patience in the classroom has led to thirty students staring blankly at me waiting for me to give them the correct answer. I do not think that all thirty students can respond to “What is your name?” but I know that about a third, maybe more can. They are just too frightened to be wrong. When I ask a student to draw a picture, the picture will be exactly like the example given. When I ask a student to choose one of the questions we learned to say, they wait for my prompt to make sure they choose the “right’ one. It is upsetting to see such lack of imagination from children.

With that being said, I will read to these students, even if my co-teacher claims they will not understand. I will speak mostly English with them, unless we are hanging around together during lunch or after school. I will act goofy and dorky, sing and dance until the one brave student decides to join me. Although status is very important in Thailand, I am hoping to show the teachers that being personable, relaxed and open to making a fool of yourself will help students be relaxed and open in the classroom.

Throughout this whole challenge, I need to keep reminding myself that I am not here to teach English to the students, I am a teacher trainer. My focus should be on the development of the teacher and not the students’ language abilities. Being a controlling person, usually preferring independent work to group work, this is a scenario that will make me frustrated until I want to scream. It will take a lot not to just take over, in order to think about the best interest of the children.  Like my program states, I need to make my work sustainable. There is no way I will ever feel completely accomplished or satisfied that I completed my task. I am just a step towards a different direction for Thailand and I am glad to be a part of that.

Nonetheless, although I am here to work with my co-teacher, I will join the students in a futbol game or two!