Hello again to all. It is extremely hard for me to believe that I have been teaching 4th grade for seven weeks now. I am happy to report that the more time that goes by, the more I "get" them and the more I enjoy it. I have never been with a group of kids who are this honest. "Mr. Jooooon...you need to get some gum because your breath always smells like you are drinking coffee! Why do you drink so much coffee?" said one of my wonderful students this past week. I just let it slide and said that I like drinking coffee and I need to not drink as much. However, when I was told this I really wanted to reply, "Look, I don't want to mince words here Emilia but you're drivin' me nuts. Maybe I have to drink so much coffee so I can keep up with 15 nine year-olds for five days a week...ya little shit!" :) Hahaha. Seriously, these kids have so much energy that at times I feel old at 25. However, one of the things that I am learning quickly is how to run learning centers/stations. For reading, writing, and math I have 3-4 stations set up that helps improve skills. Each group of 2-4 students is told to start at a station and they rotate every 10-20 minutes depending on what we are doing. Once I get all the materials needed for ths stations, the most work that I do in that 40-minute period is say, "ROTATE!" Needless to say, station days are great.
Now that I am done rambling on about my class and how it is going, I need to tell this story. This event is one that I don't ever think I can or want to forget. In science we I planned a unit on "living things." We are talking about cells, fruits, flowers, plants, animals, and fungi. We get to the part of the unit on fungi and I plan a fun experiment for the students to do and get a chance to look at spore prints of different mushrooms. So, I go to the store and buy two different types of mushrooms to use for this experiment. So we start the experiment and it goes very well and the kids really enjoy it. One of the questions that I was asked was, "Mr. Jon, can't you get a poisonous infection if you touch mushrooms?" I just about replied, "Yes! That is why I am having you touch them. I don't like a single one of you," but self-control got the best of me. Instead of saying that, I had to reply, "If they are wild mushrooms it is possible, but I bought these from a store so you don't have to worry about anything." So we continued the experiment for the rest of the hour and it was just about time to end the day. "Fourth graders!", I said loudly. "Before we get ready to go home, everyone needs to go to the bathroom and wash their hands!" One of my students also asked if he could use the toilet as well. I said yes but he has to make it fast because it is time to go home. Now, this child is a nine year-old Indian boy from Bombay. His accent is the thickest, funniest, and cutest accent I have ever heard. Every stereotype you have heard when it comes to an Indian accent he fits to a T! However, this child is very gullable (you can imagine that I have quite a bit of sarcastic fun with this one). All the kids go wash their hands and come back into the room. I am standing outside the door trying to hurry them along when all of a sudden I see a small Indian boy with tears in his eyes as if he found out the world had just run out of Indian food. I also noticed that the front part of his uniform shorts were a little darker then the rest. The first thing that came to my mind was that this kid had pissed all over the front of himself! "Aaksh, what is wrong buddy? What happened?", I asked him. " He replied with the tears slowly flowing down his face (please picture this response with thick Indian accent), "Mr. Jon, I was going to toilet and then I got done with toilet and then someone told me that if I touch mushroom and then touch veener that I would get poison infection of my veener so I take spryer and spray off my veener!"
For the next 30 seconds I could respond. I was just appalled and stunned. All I could say was, "It's ok buddy, I am just glad it isn't pee. I mean, I am not saying peeing your pants isn't cool, look at me. If peeing your pants is cool, then consider me Miles Davis!" He looked at me after I said this as if I was speaking a different language. The good thing was that he pretty much forgot about his situation because he was trying to figure out what I meant. I am just glad that I didn't have to talk with a parent about the situation.
Well, that is all for now. I hope that everyone is doing well and that any Bears fans out there that read this start getting used to what happened last Sunday because it gonna be happenin' all year long. Until next time, remeber that if peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A New Year...
Hello to all. I know I have been back in Thailand for a month now and I haven't had any new posts. I have started teaching 4th grade for the first time and it really takes a little while to get used to it. However, being that I teach reading, writing, math, grammar, social studies, science and spelling, I feel that I have gotten a little smarter in the last month.
Being back in Bangkok and starting to work again is a great feeling. Not having any income for three months had its stressful moments. I literally am crossing off days in my calendar to reach the day marked "PAYDAY!" I am very excited that once September comes I will be able to start golfing again.
As far as the teaching is concerned, my students are great. I have 15 kids from all over the world. Eight of them are boys and seven are girls. It is funny to be around students who don't hold back their emotions when they have to sit by a classmate of the opposite sex. For example, last week we had a new seating chart and I said, "Koki, you are sitting by Apoorva." "Whaaat? Nooooooooo! She's girl!" he said back. I will admit that I know these reactions are going to take place before they happen. That is why I plan things FOR these reactions. It is one of the places I get my daily humor.
I also get another dose from kids just being kids. This is my first story of the 09/10 school year so I hope you enjoy. One of my student is from Japan and his name is Koki. He has a younger brother in first grade name Soma. Soma is a minature version of Koki, only a little chubbier. This kid has this round Japanese face with these puppy dog eyes. When he looks at you it is as if he doesn't know if he is coming or going. I have to chuckle every time I see him. Anyway, I have outside duty during lunch on Wednesdays so I have hang out by the soccer field and make sure nobody gets killed. As I am watching some students play a game of soccer, I get this little tug on my pant leg. Of course it's none other than "Soma Puppyface." I start asking what he needs and if anything is wrong, but he doesn't say a word, only looks at me. Finally he lifts his arm and points his finger towards the sky. "Soma, what do you want me to see?" I said. "I know times are tough, but you have to say something buddy." He still doesn't say anything, but he instead leads me closer to what it is he wants me to see. He continues to point to the sky when finally I notice some hanging in a tree. "Soma?" I asked. "Is that your wallet stuck in the tree?" He says nothing and nods yes. I then asked him, "How much money is in there, and why is your wallet stuck in a tree branch that is 30 feet high?" Finally he musters up a response, "I don't want to be a girl." "What?" I replied. "I am not following you. Why don't you walk me through how your wallet is now best friends with the tree." "Ummm, accident." he stated. "Didn't mean to doo dat. Someone told me that if I can't thlow it up like dat I should be girl." After he told me this, he just felt it was time to not talk about it anymore. He just looked at me like he had no idea he was actually on earth. He walked away and started walking in a circle for the last 10 minutes of lunch. I had no choice but to go back to my classroom and almost pee my pants from laughter.
Well, that is it for now. I hope this post finds you all doing well. Before I go, however, I need to get something off my chest. I haven't been able to talk with many people back home about this yet, so when I do talk to you you will know exactly where I stand. Over the past few days I have come to the conclusion that from this moment on disapprove of Brett Favre's very existance. I have thought about coming home and ending it myself on several occasions, but self-control has gotten the best of me. Until next time, always remember that if you are a first grade boy and cannot throw your wallet 30 feet high into a tree, it doesn't mean you should have been a girl!
Being back in Bangkok and starting to work again is a great feeling. Not having any income for three months had its stressful moments. I literally am crossing off days in my calendar to reach the day marked "PAYDAY!" I am very excited that once September comes I will be able to start golfing again.
As far as the teaching is concerned, my students are great. I have 15 kids from all over the world. Eight of them are boys and seven are girls. It is funny to be around students who don't hold back their emotions when they have to sit by a classmate of the opposite sex. For example, last week we had a new seating chart and I said, "Koki, you are sitting by Apoorva." "Whaaat? Nooooooooo! She's girl!" he said back. I will admit that I know these reactions are going to take place before they happen. That is why I plan things FOR these reactions. It is one of the places I get my daily humor.
I also get another dose from kids just being kids. This is my first story of the 09/10 school year so I hope you enjoy. One of my student is from Japan and his name is Koki. He has a younger brother in first grade name Soma. Soma is a minature version of Koki, only a little chubbier. This kid has this round Japanese face with these puppy dog eyes. When he looks at you it is as if he doesn't know if he is coming or going. I have to chuckle every time I see him. Anyway, I have outside duty during lunch on Wednesdays so I have hang out by the soccer field and make sure nobody gets killed. As I am watching some students play a game of soccer, I get this little tug on my pant leg. Of course it's none other than "Soma Puppyface." I start asking what he needs and if anything is wrong, but he doesn't say a word, only looks at me. Finally he lifts his arm and points his finger towards the sky. "Soma, what do you want me to see?" I said. "I know times are tough, but you have to say something buddy." He still doesn't say anything, but he instead leads me closer to what it is he wants me to see. He continues to point to the sky when finally I notice some hanging in a tree. "Soma?" I asked. "Is that your wallet stuck in the tree?" He says nothing and nods yes. I then asked him, "How much money is in there, and why is your wallet stuck in a tree branch that is 30 feet high?" Finally he musters up a response, "I don't want to be a girl." "What?" I replied. "I am not following you. Why don't you walk me through how your wallet is now best friends with the tree." "Ummm, accident." he stated. "Didn't mean to doo dat. Someone told me that if I can't thlow it up like dat I should be girl." After he told me this, he just felt it was time to not talk about it anymore. He just looked at me like he had no idea he was actually on earth. He walked away and started walking in a circle for the last 10 minutes of lunch. I had no choice but to go back to my classroom and almost pee my pants from laughter.
Well, that is it for now. I hope this post finds you all doing well. Before I go, however, I need to get something off my chest. I haven't been able to talk with many people back home about this yet, so when I do talk to you you will know exactly where I stand. Over the past few days I have come to the conclusion that from this moment on disapprove of Brett Favre's very existance. I have thought about coming home and ending it myself on several occasions, but self-control has gotten the best of me. Until next time, always remember that if you are a first grade boy and cannot throw your wallet 30 feet high into a tree, it doesn't mean you should have been a girl!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Pros and Cons...
Hello to all. I know...long time, no post. Nobody has said they miss my writing, except for Matt Harvey, so this one is for you buddy. I hope everyone is enjoying the end of spring and anxiously awaiting summer. Out of all the posts that I have written, I really haven't gone into detail about the pros and cons of living here.
Let's get first things first. I have said it many times before and I will say it again, "I love living here!" However, being from Western culture, there are things that I miss and don't miss. My biggest beef with Thailand is the concept of space. I will give you some examples. Sidewalks are about half the size for sidewalks back home with twice as many people. I feel that you can do the math. Now imagine being at the weekend market, with over 1,000 shops in 100 degree heat. If you go to clubs here, there are these little rool-away table trays that you can put your drinks on, has the bucket of ice, extra glasses, etc. This tray is about 18 inches by 18 inches. We had a group of 10 people. How can you seriously expect 10 people to fit around something the size of a handtowel? And on top of that, throw in about 400 people surrounding you.
My second beef might sound a little dumb, but too bad. This isn't something that really bugs be, but just something little that I miss about being back home...NAPKINS! Anytime I go somewhere to eat, the Thai napkin is squares from a roll of toilet paper. However, they refer to it as tissue. I am serious, the dispenser at the table ACTUALLY contains a roll of toilet paper most of the time. I guess there is nothing like adding that "extra touch of class" to an evening meal.
My last beef that I have (that comes to mind right away) is the issue of music. It is as if Thailand is not allowed to listen to anything outside the "Top 40." I realize that I made mention to the song "Lo" in a previous post, but the list goes far beyond that. I don't hear "Lo" as much any more because it has now been replaced with "Dangerous", "Too Late to Apologize", "Right Now", not to mention about seven more songs by Akon, and T-Paine, JT, Lil' Wayne and "Zombie" by the Cranberries. At times I just want to go up to "DJ Kill-A-Party" and ask if it would kill him to play some Snoop, Jay-Z, Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, I believe you get the idea. Basically if I have to hear about Lil' Wayne getting licked like a lollipop one more time, I am going to light the lollipop on fire....and by "lolipop" I really mean building. I am not sayin'.....I'M JUST SAYIN'!
Now let's get to the pros of being here. I am a man who loves watching movies, especially in the theater. I can buy a VIP movie ticket (cuz I am smooth like that) for B150. That is just over $4. If I feel like watching it at home, I can buy a good quality, pirated copy for just under $3. A little better of a deal that back home. Basically the price of goods in general is worth the admission to live here.
Although I will say that I do miss the changing of the seasons, I will also say it does not beat being able to wear shorts and t-shirts for 12 months of the year. I was talking with a teacher whom I will be working with more next year, Aaron, from Indiana, about certain things that we missed about the midwest. He couldn't understand how I didn't miss the weather and I couldn't understand how he could miss the cold. I would much rather deal with 110 degree heat and humidity than -20 degrees and windy. I get to see the sun shine every day, short shorts and tanktops, and have the ability to go to the beach every weekend. How can not enjoy that? Ohh yeah, I forgot that I don't deer hunt :)
The last pro about being here is the best of all...the kids. I have said it before and I will say it over and over and over again. Students here don't compare to students back home. For you teachers out there, how many middle school students come into class everyday and ask what they are going to learn about with a smile on their face? How many middle school students are sincere when they ask how your weekend was or tell you good morning and have a good day? How many middle school students get asked to do things and NEVER ask "Why"? Students here help other students without being asked. They do it because they see a friend who is not understanding something. How much more could a teacher in the U.S. get done if he/she never had to send a student to the office or stop a lesson when a kid is doing something bad? I feel all these questions are easliy answerable without help from me. I thought was a very fulfilled when I actually left Wisconsin to move to Thailand. However, have the opportunity and the privilege that I have had to teach these wonderful students has been the most fulfilling and rewarding thing I have ever done in my short 25 years.
Well, that is all for now. Again, I hope everyone is doing great. I do want to send happy birthday wishes to Emily Lea and Matt Harvey. I know it is a little belated, but I blame my forgetfullness on the time difference. Until next time...Nibb High Football Rules!!!
Let's get first things first. I have said it many times before and I will say it again, "I love living here!" However, being from Western culture, there are things that I miss and don't miss. My biggest beef with Thailand is the concept of space. I will give you some examples. Sidewalks are about half the size for sidewalks back home with twice as many people. I feel that you can do the math. Now imagine being at the weekend market, with over 1,000 shops in 100 degree heat. If you go to clubs here, there are these little rool-away table trays that you can put your drinks on, has the bucket of ice, extra glasses, etc. This tray is about 18 inches by 18 inches. We had a group of 10 people. How can you seriously expect 10 people to fit around something the size of a handtowel? And on top of that, throw in about 400 people surrounding you.
My second beef might sound a little dumb, but too bad. This isn't something that really bugs be, but just something little that I miss about being back home...NAPKINS! Anytime I go somewhere to eat, the Thai napkin is squares from a roll of toilet paper. However, they refer to it as tissue. I am serious, the dispenser at the table ACTUALLY contains a roll of toilet paper most of the time. I guess there is nothing like adding that "extra touch of class" to an evening meal.
My last beef that I have (that comes to mind right away) is the issue of music. It is as if Thailand is not allowed to listen to anything outside the "Top 40." I realize that I made mention to the song "Lo" in a previous post, but the list goes far beyond that. I don't hear "Lo" as much any more because it has now been replaced with "Dangerous", "Too Late to Apologize", "Right Now", not to mention about seven more songs by Akon, and T-Paine, JT, Lil' Wayne and "Zombie" by the Cranberries. At times I just want to go up to "DJ Kill-A-Party" and ask if it would kill him to play some Snoop, Jay-Z, Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, I believe you get the idea. Basically if I have to hear about Lil' Wayne getting licked like a lollipop one more time, I am going to light the lollipop on fire....and by "lolipop" I really mean building. I am not sayin'.....I'M JUST SAYIN'!
Now let's get to the pros of being here. I am a man who loves watching movies, especially in the theater. I can buy a VIP movie ticket (cuz I am smooth like that) for B150. That is just over $4. If I feel like watching it at home, I can buy a good quality, pirated copy for just under $3. A little better of a deal that back home. Basically the price of goods in general is worth the admission to live here.
Although I will say that I do miss the changing of the seasons, I will also say it does not beat being able to wear shorts and t-shirts for 12 months of the year. I was talking with a teacher whom I will be working with more next year, Aaron, from Indiana, about certain things that we missed about the midwest. He couldn't understand how I didn't miss the weather and I couldn't understand how he could miss the cold. I would much rather deal with 110 degree heat and humidity than -20 degrees and windy. I get to see the sun shine every day, short shorts and tanktops, and have the ability to go to the beach every weekend. How can not enjoy that? Ohh yeah, I forgot that I don't deer hunt :)
The last pro about being here is the best of all...the kids. I have said it before and I will say it over and over and over again. Students here don't compare to students back home. For you teachers out there, how many middle school students come into class everyday and ask what they are going to learn about with a smile on their face? How many middle school students are sincere when they ask how your weekend was or tell you good morning and have a good day? How many middle school students get asked to do things and NEVER ask "Why"? Students here help other students without being asked. They do it because they see a friend who is not understanding something. How much more could a teacher in the U.S. get done if he/she never had to send a student to the office or stop a lesson when a kid is doing something bad? I feel all these questions are easliy answerable without help from me. I thought was a very fulfilled when I actually left Wisconsin to move to Thailand. However, have the opportunity and the privilege that I have had to teach these wonderful students has been the most fulfilling and rewarding thing I have ever done in my short 25 years.
Well, that is all for now. Again, I hope everyone is doing great. I do want to send happy birthday wishes to Emily Lea and Matt Harvey. I know it is a little belated, but I blame my forgetfullness on the time difference. Until next time...Nibb High Football Rules!!!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
I like potato and tomato...
Good day to all of the my faithful readers. I must say that I am happy to hear (for the sake of all of you) that it is starting to get a little warmer back home. It is no fun having to try and survive 5-6 months of weather that isn't fit for man nor beast.
I am happy to report that I finally signed my new contract for August. My report date for school is July 29th and for the next two years it is nice to have a sense of job security. Although fourth grade will be a challenge, I am looking at it as an exciting challenge that will make me a better educator. I realize many of you are asking yourself the question, "How can you get any better?" Don't worry, I constantly ask myself the same question. Believe it or not, even I can make improvements (I hope everyone is reading this as sarcasm, not arrogance, unless your name rhymes with Matt Harvey).
During the second half of the month of April, my uncle Gary came for one of his visits to this wonderful country. For his birthday we spent three days in Koh Chang and it was a lot of fun. On Satruday we were able to take a boat cruise for an entire day and visit some of the neighboring islands. There were quite a few people on this boat so it made for good people-watching as well. On this boat trip we were graced by the presents of four gentlemen from Italy. Two of the men were ok, but the other two were quite rude to the staff and also very loud. One of the men, I would say, was about 55 and felt that everyone would enjoy seeing him in a speedo. Just to help you paint a mental picture, this man was wearing a WHITE speedo. After observing this man for a short period of time, Gary and I came to the conclusion that he needs to re-think his choice of color when it comes to speedos. There was a top deck to the boat that made for a really great view so we had to go up and take a look. After we had gotten down, "Speedo Sam" decides that it is time for him to head back down as well. As he is coming down the latter, Gary and I noticed that there is a slight color variation in a certain area of his speedo. Remember watching Sesame Street and they played the game, Which of These Is Not Like the Other? Well, the part of the speedo that was not like the other happened to be the brown streak that went straight down the crack of his ass...no kidding...cannot make this up. At first we gave him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that once he gets in the water the "dirt" would wash away. However, this was not the case. I can laugh about it now, but for a good hour I was simply appaled.
The second man we were "lucky" enough to have on board was one of the most disgusting men I have ever seen personally. He boarded the boat with no shirt and had the biggest man-boobs I have ever seen. When we were served the buffet-style lunch, he easilly heaped enough food on his plate that could have ended hunger in Ethiopia for at least a period of 36-48 hours. He then proped the plate on his stomach and started inhailing his meal and breathing like he had just ran a marathon. After the meal was over, trays of pineapple and watermelon were brought out for us to enjoy. This man single handedly ate AT LEAST five boats of pineapple by himself. Then, when one of the staff members was taking away the empty boats, "Little Italy" thought that he was taking away full boats of pineapple. "Meestaa....MEESTAA (Mr. Mr.)! I WILL HAAAVE DAT!" he said to the staff member, in a tone as if someone had taken away his right to a fair trial by jury. Once the nice Thai man was able to explain to him that he was taking away the empty ones and replacing them, John Gatti calmed down a bit.
Once we got off the boat, we had to take a truck-taxi back to our resort. Who do you think we had to share the ride back with? You have three guesses and the first two don't count! For the entire trip back this fat man was talking extremely loud in Italian. Well, Gary and I decided to do our own translation from Italian to English:) So after a few whispers and laughs, the Italian man said something that sounded like "I LIKE POTATO AND TOMATO (tomaato)!" I was happy that shortly after that the four gentlemen got off the taxi because I think they started to figure out they were being mocked.
Well, that is all for now. I have sixth graders that are eagerly awaiting to do Ancient Roman Gladiator simulations. The ASB Gladiator champion receives ice cream courtesy of Mr. Jon, so the competition is fierce!! Until next time, if you ever consider buying a white speedo with the added butt-crack racing stripe......ummmm.....DON'T!
I am happy to report that I finally signed my new contract for August. My report date for school is July 29th and for the next two years it is nice to have a sense of job security. Although fourth grade will be a challenge, I am looking at it as an exciting challenge that will make me a better educator. I realize many of you are asking yourself the question, "How can you get any better?" Don't worry, I constantly ask myself the same question. Believe it or not, even I can make improvements (I hope everyone is reading this as sarcasm, not arrogance, unless your name rhymes with Matt Harvey).
During the second half of the month of April, my uncle Gary came for one of his visits to this wonderful country. For his birthday we spent three days in Koh Chang and it was a lot of fun. On Satruday we were able to take a boat cruise for an entire day and visit some of the neighboring islands. There were quite a few people on this boat so it made for good people-watching as well. On this boat trip we were graced by the presents of four gentlemen from Italy. Two of the men were ok, but the other two were quite rude to the staff and also very loud. One of the men, I would say, was about 55 and felt that everyone would enjoy seeing him in a speedo. Just to help you paint a mental picture, this man was wearing a WHITE speedo. After observing this man for a short period of time, Gary and I came to the conclusion that he needs to re-think his choice of color when it comes to speedos. There was a top deck to the boat that made for a really great view so we had to go up and take a look. After we had gotten down, "Speedo Sam" decides that it is time for him to head back down as well. As he is coming down the latter, Gary and I noticed that there is a slight color variation in a certain area of his speedo. Remember watching Sesame Street and they played the game, Which of These Is Not Like the Other? Well, the part of the speedo that was not like the other happened to be the brown streak that went straight down the crack of his ass...no kidding...cannot make this up. At first we gave him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that once he gets in the water the "dirt" would wash away. However, this was not the case. I can laugh about it now, but for a good hour I was simply appaled.
The second man we were "lucky" enough to have on board was one of the most disgusting men I have ever seen personally. He boarded the boat with no shirt and had the biggest man-boobs I have ever seen. When we were served the buffet-style lunch, he easilly heaped enough food on his plate that could have ended hunger in Ethiopia for at least a period of 36-48 hours. He then proped the plate on his stomach and started inhailing his meal and breathing like he had just ran a marathon. After the meal was over, trays of pineapple and watermelon were brought out for us to enjoy. This man single handedly ate AT LEAST five boats of pineapple by himself. Then, when one of the staff members was taking away the empty boats, "Little Italy" thought that he was taking away full boats of pineapple. "Meestaa....MEESTAA (Mr. Mr.)! I WILL HAAAVE DAT!" he said to the staff member, in a tone as if someone had taken away his right to a fair trial by jury. Once the nice Thai man was able to explain to him that he was taking away the empty ones and replacing them, John Gatti calmed down a bit.
Once we got off the boat, we had to take a truck-taxi back to our resort. Who do you think we had to share the ride back with? You have three guesses and the first two don't count! For the entire trip back this fat man was talking extremely loud in Italian. Well, Gary and I decided to do our own translation from Italian to English:) So after a few whispers and laughs, the Italian man said something that sounded like "I LIKE POTATO AND TOMATO (tomaato)!" I was happy that shortly after that the four gentlemen got off the taxi because I think they started to figure out they were being mocked.
Well, that is all for now. I have sixth graders that are eagerly awaiting to do Ancient Roman Gladiator simulations. The ASB Gladiator champion receives ice cream courtesy of Mr. Jon, so the competition is fierce!! Until next time, if you ever consider buying a white speedo with the added butt-crack racing stripe......ummmm.....DON'T!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Why can't we all just get along?
What's up everybody? I hope everyone is doing well. Things have gotten a little interesting to say the least here in Bangkok. I am not sure if everyone has seen anything on the news about what is going on over here, but there is a slight bit of political turmoil.
Starting Monday the 13th thru the 15th, Songkran is celebrated throughout the contry of Thailand. The Songkran Festival, known as the Festival of Water, is the Thai New Year. During these three days, people pretty much drench everyone with water and then throw white powder on them (there MIGHT be a little beverage consumption involved...just a hunch). I have already been doused a couple times and I will say that it is fun to throw buckets of water onto complete strangers. However, I think one guy that I soaked got a little angry because when I threw water on him he was using his cell phone...oops :)
However, during this year's festival, instead of celebration, we have turmoil. This political situation has been getting worse and worse since about 2005/2006. When the Bangkok airport closed in December, it was the yellow protesters who caused the closing. Now with this protest, it is the red protesters retaliating. School was actually closed on Friday because 20,000 taxi drivers refused to work. There was an Asean Summit meeting in Pattaya scheduled for Monday but had to be cancelled and the leaders of the other countries could only leave via helicopter from the roof. On Friday, I decided to go downtown to run some errands. When I got to Sukumvit Road I saw a group of red protesters in the middle of the street listening to this guy who must have been one of the protest leaders. Some of the people who were listening were sitting on an oil tanker that they overtook and have threatened to blow up. Others were sitting on the tops of busses they took over to use as barricades.
Anyway, I just thought I would give you a taste of what life is like in my neck of the woods. So, to my friends back home, please don't complain about your government too much. I don't remember anyone dying on the 4th of July due to political problems since 1776, just before the George Washington Administration (I am a history teacher, I find these references funny ok!).
I realize that I did not give much detail about what is ACTUALLY going on because I am positing a link below that can explain in much better than I can. Well that is all for now. With all this going on, I think I will head out and go to the beach for a couple days :) Life is tough, right? Hahaha. Until next time, in Thailand we don't have snow days, we have political turmoil days :)
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13478816
Starting Monday the 13th thru the 15th, Songkran is celebrated throughout the contry of Thailand. The Songkran Festival, known as the Festival of Water, is the Thai New Year. During these three days, people pretty much drench everyone with water and then throw white powder on them (there MIGHT be a little beverage consumption involved...just a hunch). I have already been doused a couple times and I will say that it is fun to throw buckets of water onto complete strangers. However, I think one guy that I soaked got a little angry because when I threw water on him he was using his cell phone...oops :)
However, during this year's festival, instead of celebration, we have turmoil. This political situation has been getting worse and worse since about 2005/2006. When the Bangkok airport closed in December, it was the yellow protesters who caused the closing. Now with this protest, it is the red protesters retaliating. School was actually closed on Friday because 20,000 taxi drivers refused to work. There was an Asean Summit meeting in Pattaya scheduled for Monday but had to be cancelled and the leaders of the other countries could only leave via helicopter from the roof. On Friday, I decided to go downtown to run some errands. When I got to Sukumvit Road I saw a group of red protesters in the middle of the street listening to this guy who must have been one of the protest leaders. Some of the people who were listening were sitting on an oil tanker that they overtook and have threatened to blow up. Others were sitting on the tops of busses they took over to use as barricades.
Anyway, I just thought I would give you a taste of what life is like in my neck of the woods. So, to my friends back home, please don't complain about your government too much. I don't remember anyone dying on the 4th of July due to political problems since 1776, just before the George Washington Administration (I am a history teacher, I find these references funny ok!).
I realize that I did not give much detail about what is ACTUALLY going on because I am positing a link below that can explain in much better than I can. Well that is all for now. With all this going on, I think I will head out and go to the beach for a couple days :) Life is tough, right? Hahaha. Until next time, in Thailand we don't have snow days, we have political turmoil days :)
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13478816
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Not exactly the way I planned it...
Hey everybody. I promised myself that I wouldn't take so long between posts this time, so here I am. I was going to wait until my contract is actually signed, but I feel secure enough with my position next year that I will just spit it out. However, instead of just telling the news, I am going to tell the story.
As I told everyone in a previous post, I am working at the American School of Bangkok teaching 6th, 7th, 8th, and two sections of high school social studies. I cannot say enough how much I love every aspect of my job. When I interviewed for this position I was told that if I do well I would be offered a new two-year contract starting in August 2009. Well, since I have been here I have worked my ass off in efforts to be hired on for next year. I have gotten involved, developed a good relationship with the staff as students and done everything I possible could to get that two-year contract. I got this job thanks to someone being bi-polar. The teacher before me was bi-polar and the doctor he was seeing here in Bangkok came up with the BRILLIANT idea he shout be "slowly" taken off his meds. Well, this man eventually had an episode that caused him to leave his apartment otally naked, go to the 7/11, but a Coke and throw 300 baht at the cashier. He was eventually arrested and put into a mental hospital and the school needed to find a quick replacement. I would never wish this mental condition on anybody, but a part of me wants to send a basket of treats to his doctor as a "thank you." However, self-control has gotten the best of me:)
Anyway, about 6 weeks went by and nobody had said anything about whether or not I was going to be hired for next year. I was getting a little nervous when finally the principal came and told me we need to talk. "Jonathan you are doing a great job and are a good teacher, but I wish I had met you before I went to the recruitement fairs." As soon as she said that, I knew the bomb was about to drop. My heart just sank because I knew what was about to be said next. "Unfortunately, I was recruiting when this whole situation happened with the gentleman you replaced. I didn't know what to do, so I paniced and hired someone before I was told that the school had hired a really good replacement. I would love to keep you in the position you are in, but I cannot call up the person I hired and tell him the contract he signed isn't on the table anymore." I told her I understood and I would be interested in teaching anything they needed to be able to stay on board. "If the person you hired for next hear has any questions," I said, "feel free to give him my information and I will be as much of a help as I can." She then gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me she appreciated me and my attitude. Even though it would have done much more harm in the long run for me than good, everyone has been in the situation where they just want to start to cuss. I WAS IN THAT SITUATION. I felt like I was lied to at my interview, I felt like I had been strung along for the last 6 weeks, and felt like I was taken advantage. However, I immediately remembered some words of wisdom that have been given to me over the years; everything happens for a reason. Attitude is everything, so choose a good one. Do not let your heart be troubled.
After telling myself these three things, I felt better an just thought, "If I am supposed to be here, I will be here. If not, it is nice to know I can get another job tomorrow." I kept telling myself that for about the next week until the principal told me she wanted to speak with me again.
"Jonathan," she said, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. I have been trying to figure out a way to keep you here, but I just simply can't, bottom line. I really appreciate your attitude in the last week because I know you want to stay here, have worked very hard to stay here, and the news I gave you last week I am sure was not easy to take. The good news is there is a 4th grade position open on the downtown campus. You would still need to interview for the position, but at least you would have an opportunity to stay. We realize you are not qualified to teach elementary, but when it comes to good teaching qualifications don't mean jack. You either got it, or you don't. Are you interested?" I tried to be funny in my response by saying, "Does a one-legged duck swim in circles?" She didn't get it and I felt like an idiot, but I told her I am very interested.
The only problem with the interview was that it was the next day. I could help but make myself nervous because I was going to sit in an interview room with a locked door, with three people (the principal who is very good, his wife who has taught 4th grade for about 20 years, and Jen, who teaches 1st grade, but has a stare that rivals that of my mother when she is not a happy camper). I kept asking God for favor because it was all I could think to do. Now, I don't get intimidated by situations much, but in this case, I have no problem saying, I WAS FRIGGIN' INTIMIDATED. I was being throw questions left and right about elementary principles that I have never learned. Thank God for Damon again who educated me with some basics so I knew a little bit of what they were asking. It was the toughest interview I have ever had. The entire interview only took about 30 minutes but I felt like it was three hours. It also didn't help that Martin, the counselor at the downtown campus whom I play basketball with gave me a big confidence booster right before I went in (I hope you are picking up my sarcasm at this point). "Jon, what are you doing here?" he said. "I am actually interviewing for the 4th grade job, so we will see how that goes," I replied. "You are 7-12 certified right?" he asked me. "Yes, and I have never taught 4th before so I am quite nervous for this." I shyly told him. "Hahaha, wow! You aren't qualified to teach the grade AND you have no experience. AND you have huge shoes to fill Good luck man!" he stated with a grin, and a slight roll of the eyes. When I saw him roll his eyes, I heard my father's voice whisper in my ear, "Tell him that if he rolls his eyes again you are going to knock him into next week!" I remember hearing that from my dad ONE time, and believe me when I say I never rolled my eyes again:) So, all in all, Martin's little comments didn't help in the matter. I always make sure to tell him thank you when we see each other.
After the interview was over, I walked out and told myself that I couldn't have done any better. If someone else gets the job I will not blame myself because I just got beat out for the job. I was told that I would find out the next day what their decision was. Well, at about 3pm the next day I got a call from Mr. Simon the principal. He told me that they saw a couple of concern areas in my interview and explained what they were. I told him I understood that I am not educated enough in these areas. "However," he stated, "we feel that this can be solved by doing some research and homework, observing classes, and spending some time with it before August. Also, even though we are have some concerns, we feel you have a great attitude, and my wife really liked how eager you were even though we knew you were shitting your pants. Good teachers are good teachers no matter what level. With this being said, we would like to offer you the job." I think you can figure out by now that I have taken the job. With the job, I get to be on the new salary scale and am signed on for two years. So, we will see how 4th grade treats me.
Well, that is all I have for you this time. Songkran is next week so I am sure I will have some funny stories of being doused with water and then convered in white powerder for three days. It will be pretty fun, and I am looking forward to it. Until next time, attitude is everything so choose a good one (right Gary?!)!
As I told everyone in a previous post, I am working at the American School of Bangkok teaching 6th, 7th, 8th, and two sections of high school social studies. I cannot say enough how much I love every aspect of my job. When I interviewed for this position I was told that if I do well I would be offered a new two-year contract starting in August 2009. Well, since I have been here I have worked my ass off in efforts to be hired on for next year. I have gotten involved, developed a good relationship with the staff as students and done everything I possible could to get that two-year contract. I got this job thanks to someone being bi-polar. The teacher before me was bi-polar and the doctor he was seeing here in Bangkok came up with the BRILLIANT idea he shout be "slowly" taken off his meds. Well, this man eventually had an episode that caused him to leave his apartment otally naked, go to the 7/11, but a Coke and throw 300 baht at the cashier. He was eventually arrested and put into a mental hospital and the school needed to find a quick replacement. I would never wish this mental condition on anybody, but a part of me wants to send a basket of treats to his doctor as a "thank you." However, self-control has gotten the best of me:)
Anyway, about 6 weeks went by and nobody had said anything about whether or not I was going to be hired for next year. I was getting a little nervous when finally the principal came and told me we need to talk. "Jonathan you are doing a great job and are a good teacher, but I wish I had met you before I went to the recruitement fairs." As soon as she said that, I knew the bomb was about to drop. My heart just sank because I knew what was about to be said next. "Unfortunately, I was recruiting when this whole situation happened with the gentleman you replaced. I didn't know what to do, so I paniced and hired someone before I was told that the school had hired a really good replacement. I would love to keep you in the position you are in, but I cannot call up the person I hired and tell him the contract he signed isn't on the table anymore." I told her I understood and I would be interested in teaching anything they needed to be able to stay on board. "If the person you hired for next hear has any questions," I said, "feel free to give him my information and I will be as much of a help as I can." She then gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me she appreciated me and my attitude. Even though it would have done much more harm in the long run for me than good, everyone has been in the situation where they just want to start to cuss. I WAS IN THAT SITUATION. I felt like I was lied to at my interview, I felt like I had been strung along for the last 6 weeks, and felt like I was taken advantage. However, I immediately remembered some words of wisdom that have been given to me over the years; everything happens for a reason. Attitude is everything, so choose a good one. Do not let your heart be troubled.
After telling myself these three things, I felt better an just thought, "If I am supposed to be here, I will be here. If not, it is nice to know I can get another job tomorrow." I kept telling myself that for about the next week until the principal told me she wanted to speak with me again.
"Jonathan," she said, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. I have been trying to figure out a way to keep you here, but I just simply can't, bottom line. I really appreciate your attitude in the last week because I know you want to stay here, have worked very hard to stay here, and the news I gave you last week I am sure was not easy to take. The good news is there is a 4th grade position open on the downtown campus. You would still need to interview for the position, but at least you would have an opportunity to stay. We realize you are not qualified to teach elementary, but when it comes to good teaching qualifications don't mean jack. You either got it, or you don't. Are you interested?" I tried to be funny in my response by saying, "Does a one-legged duck swim in circles?" She didn't get it and I felt like an idiot, but I told her I am very interested.
The only problem with the interview was that it was the next day. I could help but make myself nervous because I was going to sit in an interview room with a locked door, with three people (the principal who is very good, his wife who has taught 4th grade for about 20 years, and Jen, who teaches 1st grade, but has a stare that rivals that of my mother when she is not a happy camper). I kept asking God for favor because it was all I could think to do. Now, I don't get intimidated by situations much, but in this case, I have no problem saying, I WAS FRIGGIN' INTIMIDATED. I was being throw questions left and right about elementary principles that I have never learned. Thank God for Damon again who educated me with some basics so I knew a little bit of what they were asking. It was the toughest interview I have ever had. The entire interview only took about 30 minutes but I felt like it was three hours. It also didn't help that Martin, the counselor at the downtown campus whom I play basketball with gave me a big confidence booster right before I went in (I hope you are picking up my sarcasm at this point). "Jon, what are you doing here?" he said. "I am actually interviewing for the 4th grade job, so we will see how that goes," I replied. "You are 7-12 certified right?" he asked me. "Yes, and I have never taught 4th before so I am quite nervous for this." I shyly told him. "Hahaha, wow! You aren't qualified to teach the grade AND you have no experience. AND you have huge shoes to fill Good luck man!" he stated with a grin, and a slight roll of the eyes. When I saw him roll his eyes, I heard my father's voice whisper in my ear, "Tell him that if he rolls his eyes again you are going to knock him into next week!" I remember hearing that from my dad ONE time, and believe me when I say I never rolled my eyes again:) So, all in all, Martin's little comments didn't help in the matter. I always make sure to tell him thank you when we see each other.
After the interview was over, I walked out and told myself that I couldn't have done any better. If someone else gets the job I will not blame myself because I just got beat out for the job. I was told that I would find out the next day what their decision was. Well, at about 3pm the next day I got a call from Mr. Simon the principal. He told me that they saw a couple of concern areas in my interview and explained what they were. I told him I understood that I am not educated enough in these areas. "However," he stated, "we feel that this can be solved by doing some research and homework, observing classes, and spending some time with it before August. Also, even though we are have some concerns, we feel you have a great attitude, and my wife really liked how eager you were even though we knew you were shitting your pants. Good teachers are good teachers no matter what level. With this being said, we would like to offer you the job." I think you can figure out by now that I have taken the job. With the job, I get to be on the new salary scale and am signed on for two years. So, we will see how 4th grade treats me.
Well, that is all I have for you this time. Songkran is next week so I am sure I will have some funny stories of being doused with water and then convered in white powerder for three days. It will be pretty fun, and I am looking forward to it. Until next time, attitude is everything so choose a good one (right Gary?!)!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Poking Fun...
Hello hello hello. I hope this post finds everyone well. I apologize that I haven't written in a while but I have had much to do in the last three weeks. Thailand continues to be very good to me and I continue to love my new home more and more each day. It is interesting going out of the country for whatever reason (visa run usually) because of the places I have been while living here I am eager to get back after about three days. I start missing the food, the cheap prices, and the cute faces:) I am also happy that I have developed quite a few friends and we all enjoy making fun of everyone else's home country. For instance, our elementary and middle school PE teacher is from Honduras. We all know he is from Honduras but we make jokes about him being Mexican. Another teacher and myself were in my classroom talking about possible coaching ideas for the new school year and we needed to talk with Diego about them because the "Mexican" is also the athletic director. So, me and Dan are talking and Diego comes into the room. "Ahhh...waiter, there you are!" I say to him, "I will have the enchilada platter with two tacos and no guacamolie, Dan would you like anything?" "Why not!" Dan says right on cue, "I will take a chinchilla!...What took you so long to get here man? Is there a sombrarro sale going on somewhere or what?" "Ha ha ha," Diego says back. "You know Dan, with how busy you Canuks are with getting drunk, playing hockey, and puting maple syrup on your ham, where do you find the time to make "mexican" jokes?" This is what goes on all the time. It is a riot because we have Americans, Canadians, Mexicans (ha ha ha), Brits, and Danes so everyone gets their shots in at each other. When I get made fun of it is usually about cheese.
The students are also wonderful as well. They are so kind and respectful it is amazing. I haven't had one discipline problem the whole year. The biggest problem a teacher faces is reminding students not to use Thai in the classroom (when in class they MUST use English). How easy is that huh? I still am amazed at the nickname situation over here. Students have very long names and are given a nickname when they are born and they are known by their nickname. Being that I do my best to find humor in every situation, I made a discovery when looking at the nicknames of my 8th grade students. In one class I have students who have the following nicknames: Off, Time, Phuk (pronounced Fook), Yoo, Best, and Mahn. I am so tempted to have the counselor make an announcement over the loud speaker (however, I don't think he would get it and ACTUALLY make the announcement), "I need to see students at lunch in the following order: Time, Yoo, Best, Phuk, Off, Man, thank you!"
Well that is all for now. I hope that everyone found the "Obama Special Olympics" comment as funny as I did. Until next time, it's not about what you have, it's about what you don't have (it's a thinker).
The students are also wonderful as well. They are so kind and respectful it is amazing. I haven't had one discipline problem the whole year. The biggest problem a teacher faces is reminding students not to use Thai in the classroom (when in class they MUST use English). How easy is that huh? I still am amazed at the nickname situation over here. Students have very long names and are given a nickname when they are born and they are known by their nickname. Being that I do my best to find humor in every situation, I made a discovery when looking at the nicknames of my 8th grade students. In one class I have students who have the following nicknames: Off, Time, Phuk (pronounced Fook), Yoo, Best, and Mahn. I am so tempted to have the counselor make an announcement over the loud speaker (however, I don't think he would get it and ACTUALLY make the announcement), "I need to see students at lunch in the following order: Time, Yoo, Best, Phuk, Off, Man, thank you!"
Well that is all for now. I hope that everyone found the "Obama Special Olympics" comment as funny as I did. Until next time, it's not about what you have, it's about what you don't have (it's a thinker).
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