First Week of School
So much went on this week that it doesn't even feel like a week but a month! In a good way of course. This week was different then a normal back to routine because not all of the students had returned to campus. They trickled in through out the week and as teachers, this week was about getting to know the kids. Explaining our rules, get to know me activities, etc. Monday and Tuesday were days for the students to go through their schedule and make changes if necessary. The students have 8 classes total, but do half of them on "Blue" days, and the other half on "Gold days". I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, because Math is best done everyday, especially with middle school students. However, on Blue days, I only teach two blocks in the morning (Statistics with 11-12th graders, and Math 7), next I eat lunch, then I plan for 2 blocks in the afternoon. On Gold days, I teach another two blocks (Pre Algebra and Algebra I), have a Math lab (tutoring for 3 students), and another planning block. SO my afternoons are great! Ben's schedule is confusing because he teaches 3rd grade - 9th grade and so far his favorite PE class is the 3rd graders! He says they are so excited when they see him and run up to him and give him a hug and even rub his belly.
Wednesday was a Gold day, and Thursday was a Blue day. I started teaching, and what I have noticed so far is their arithmetic skills are great, but their math vocabulary is limited, therefore they have trouble understanding word problems and directions. We started making a vocabulary list that we will use through out the year, so hopefully that will help. Almost all of my 7th graders are in an English language acquisition class that teaches them reading and writing in English. That being said, we communicate great. This next week will be important for me to establish routines and procedures. The students are very kind and friendly, and hardly ever complain or argue. However I've been told that because I am new to the school, the kids will try to see what they can get away with. I have learned that it's their culture to always be respectful; and it's a breath of fresh air to not have to deal with attitude and meanness this year. I know it's still too soon to know everything about the kids and I'm excited to get to know them better. Thursday night, the first night of our three day weekend, we went to a restaurant by our school the teachers call "Rice Paddy" because of the awesome view of the rice paddies!
Friday we were out of school for the Queen's birthday! Ben and I went into the Old City for the weekend to explore and just be tourists. Normally we would stay near a street called Nimmanhaemin (Nee-man), but because we had yet to be into the Old City, we decided to stay inside the Old City gates (there is even a moat). The city was decorated with blue flags in honor of the Queen. There are over 300 Wats (temples) in Chiang Mai, but we only went inside maybe 10. Each one is so beautiful! I took a couple pictures that you can see below. You must take your shoes off before going inside and make sure your shoulders and legs are covered out of respect. At one of the larger Wats, we were told if we came back at 7:00pm there was a ceremony for 100 boys to become Monks. We didn't make the ceremony, but found out later they have them often through out the year so we can see it later. We found our birth years animal and took a picture - the sign said to donate...but we didn't.
That afternoon we got our first massage in Thailand! There are massage shops everywhere so picking one was tricky, but it was great and so relaxing! There are so many different types of massage to choose from; but we stuck with a regular foot massage for an hour. When we arrived there were a bunch of people there and the owner had to make a phone call for some reinforcements; and within minutes they arrived! I can see why people get messages every weekend - especially when its only 200 baht (about $6) for one hour! That night we went to a restaurant called "Street Pizza" and it was SO GOOD. I wouldn't mind going every weekend. The atmosphere was unique, not exactly what I would peg as Thai design as you can see below with the wine bottle chandler. Then again, I wouldn't really guess that I would be eating at a pizza place in Thailand either. We met up with some other teachers that worked in the city and listened to their stories of living in Chiang Mai. We hope to see them often!
Saturday we decided to rent a motorbike...and I'll be honest I was terrified. There are no rules on the road, only suggestions. You don't have to stay in a lane, the motorbikes zip in between cars and when there is a red light, motorbikes zig zag in between cars to get to the front. No way was I driving one, so I rode on the back behind Ben. We had a teacher friend show us around and while he was a fantastic tour guide and Ben was doing a great job following, I was a wreck. Every stop, go, and turn I was holding on to Ben for dear life. Our first trip was to a fish spa - where you put your feet in the tank and let the fishies nibble at your legs. The initial sensation feels like tiny vibrations all over your feet, then after about 5 minutes the novelty wears off. It was 60 baht ($2) for 15 minutes. Next we went to a different massage place for a 2 hour massage! (Don't judge, it was only $15 a person.) We tried the traditional Thai massage for an hour and then a head, neck, and back massage. We heard a traditional Thai massage is different at every place, but I thought it was pretty normal. I thought it was similar to something an athletic trainer would do to an athlete while still being relaxing. But the relaxation quickly faded away when we got back on the bike and drove about 20 minutes to Airport plaza for an errand in 5:00 traffic. That night we went to Nimman for dinner and met up with more teachers. We ate a restaurant that is known for traditional Northern Thailand food. I couldn't tell you the names of the dishes (heck I can barely remember my students names this early in the year) but it was good. I normally try to stay away from pork but these dishes were too good! Luckily my stomach agreed! Later we went to get some gelato and went out to a bar. The drive back to our guesthouse was easy (thank goodness)!
Sunday we got a massage (just kidding...but I thought about it). We met some teacher friends for bunch at a restaurant called Butter is Better and it had everything! I got banana pancakes and Ben got biscuits and gravy. I can see us eating there every weekend too! After brunch we rode around town some more and explored. There are so many neat restaurants and bars, cute coffee shops, shopping boutiques, and more temples to see. Besides the funky smells every now and then, I can see why people enjoy city life. Ben and I were excited to go back up the mountain- we hope to look at cars over the next 2 months.
This week coming up starts after school sports, activities, and study hall for the boarding campus students. Every teacher has to do one study hall a week for an hour (ours is Thursday) and one after school activity one day a week. Ben and I are coaching high school soccer this quarter so we have practice Tues-Thurs for an hour. The school has one JV boys team and one JV girls team. JV just means you play 7 players and your less competitive than a Varsity team (who plays 11 players). It can be grades 7-12. We like these different standards because everyone can play considering our school just doesn't have the numbers to have a JV and Varsity team.
The Good:
-We are healthy and safe! Thinking of those down south that were affected in the bombings. There is a prayer group that meets once a week for teachers and RA's - we are happy to start attending that!
- We had awesome teacher friends take us around the city this weekend. Everyone is helping us feel more at home and showing us a great time. We feel that life long friendships will be made here :)
- This school uses Google Classrooms! Ben and I are excited to get better at using this tool in our teaching. The 7th grade students are using Chrome books this year.
- Like teenagers everywhere - the students are hooked to their cell phones. The school allows students to use their cell phones in between classes, at lunch, before and after school, and in the classroom if permitted by the teacher. During lunch and dinner, students are glued to their phones, normally playing games or Pokemon go (which JUST arrived in Thailand!) Like students at home, teachers have to teach the students to use their devices responsibly.
Not so Good:
- We haven't seen much of the Olympics. It airs while we are in school, and watching replays are sometime tricky; plus we see the updates on facebook.
- The weather actually isn't bad - just humid. It rains maybe once a day/every other day for 10 minutes. Its really humid, but luckily the school is mostly covered and shaded by trees so the breeze is pleasant and sun doesn't add to the heat. Very similar to Florida weather! In the apartments we keep our windows open and let the breeze in, but sometimes the humidity gets so dense it makes our towels and clothes in our closet damp. So we decided to keep the windows close while we weren't home. The next season is dry season and then after that is burning season (not looking forward to that - Feb through April).
Wednesday was a Gold day, and Thursday was a Blue day. I started teaching, and what I have noticed so far is their arithmetic skills are great, but their math vocabulary is limited, therefore they have trouble understanding word problems and directions. We started making a vocabulary list that we will use through out the year, so hopefully that will help. Almost all of my 7th graders are in an English language acquisition class that teaches them reading and writing in English. That being said, we communicate great. This next week will be important for me to establish routines and procedures. The students are very kind and friendly, and hardly ever complain or argue. However I've been told that because I am new to the school, the kids will try to see what they can get away with. I have learned that it's their culture to always be respectful; and it's a breath of fresh air to not have to deal with attitude and meanness this year. I know it's still too soon to know everything about the kids and I'm excited to get to know them better. Thursday night, the first night of our three day weekend, we went to a restaurant by our school the teachers call "Rice Paddy" because of the awesome view of the rice paddies!
Friday we were out of school for the Queen's birthday! Ben and I went into the Old City for the weekend to explore and just be tourists. Normally we would stay near a street called Nimmanhaemin (Nee-man), but because we had yet to be into the Old City, we decided to stay inside the Old City gates (there is even a moat). The city was decorated with blue flags in honor of the Queen. There are over 300 Wats (temples) in Chiang Mai, but we only went inside maybe 10. Each one is so beautiful! I took a couple pictures that you can see below. You must take your shoes off before going inside and make sure your shoulders and legs are covered out of respect. At one of the larger Wats, we were told if we came back at 7:00pm there was a ceremony for 100 boys to become Monks. We didn't make the ceremony, but found out later they have them often through out the year so we can see it later. We found our birth years animal and took a picture - the sign said to donate...but we didn't.
That afternoon we got our first massage in Thailand! There are massage shops everywhere so picking one was tricky, but it was great and so relaxing! There are so many different types of massage to choose from; but we stuck with a regular foot massage for an hour. When we arrived there were a bunch of people there and the owner had to make a phone call for some reinforcements; and within minutes they arrived! I can see why people get messages every weekend - especially when its only 200 baht (about $6) for one hour! That night we went to a restaurant called "Street Pizza" and it was SO GOOD. I wouldn't mind going every weekend. The atmosphere was unique, not exactly what I would peg as Thai design as you can see below with the wine bottle chandler. Then again, I wouldn't really guess that I would be eating at a pizza place in Thailand either. We met up with some other teachers that worked in the city and listened to their stories of living in Chiang Mai. We hope to see them often!
Saturday we decided to rent a motorbike...and I'll be honest I was terrified. There are no rules on the road, only suggestions. You don't have to stay in a lane, the motorbikes zip in between cars and when there is a red light, motorbikes zig zag in between cars to get to the front. No way was I driving one, so I rode on the back behind Ben. We had a teacher friend show us around and while he was a fantastic tour guide and Ben was doing a great job following, I was a wreck. Every stop, go, and turn I was holding on to Ben for dear life. Our first trip was to a fish spa - where you put your feet in the tank and let the fishies nibble at your legs. The initial sensation feels like tiny vibrations all over your feet, then after about 5 minutes the novelty wears off. It was 60 baht ($2) for 15 minutes. Next we went to a different massage place for a 2 hour massage! (Don't judge, it was only $15 a person.) We tried the traditional Thai massage for an hour and then a head, neck, and back massage. We heard a traditional Thai massage is different at every place, but I thought it was pretty normal. I thought it was similar to something an athletic trainer would do to an athlete while still being relaxing. But the relaxation quickly faded away when we got back on the bike and drove about 20 minutes to Airport plaza for an errand in 5:00 traffic. That night we went to Nimman for dinner and met up with more teachers. We ate a restaurant that is known for traditional Northern Thailand food. I couldn't tell you the names of the dishes (heck I can barely remember my students names this early in the year) but it was good. I normally try to stay away from pork but these dishes were too good! Luckily my stomach agreed! Later we went to get some gelato and went out to a bar. The drive back to our guesthouse was easy (thank goodness)!
Sunday we got a massage (just kidding...but I thought about it). We met some teacher friends for bunch at a restaurant called Butter is Better and it had everything! I got banana pancakes and Ben got biscuits and gravy. I can see us eating there every weekend too! After brunch we rode around town some more and explored. There are so many neat restaurants and bars, cute coffee shops, shopping boutiques, and more temples to see. Besides the funky smells every now and then, I can see why people enjoy city life. Ben and I were excited to go back up the mountain- we hope to look at cars over the next 2 months.
This week coming up starts after school sports, activities, and study hall for the boarding campus students. Every teacher has to do one study hall a week for an hour (ours is Thursday) and one after school activity one day a week. Ben and I are coaching high school soccer this quarter so we have practice Tues-Thurs for an hour. The school has one JV boys team and one JV girls team. JV just means you play 7 players and your less competitive than a Varsity team (who plays 11 players). It can be grades 7-12. We like these different standards because everyone can play considering our school just doesn't have the numbers to have a JV and Varsity team.
The Good:
-We are healthy and safe! Thinking of those down south that were affected in the bombings. There is a prayer group that meets once a week for teachers and RA's - we are happy to start attending that!
- We had awesome teacher friends take us around the city this weekend. Everyone is helping us feel more at home and showing us a great time. We feel that life long friendships will be made here :)
- This school uses Google Classrooms! Ben and I are excited to get better at using this tool in our teaching. The 7th grade students are using Chrome books this year.
- Like teenagers everywhere - the students are hooked to their cell phones. The school allows students to use their cell phones in between classes, at lunch, before and after school, and in the classroom if permitted by the teacher. During lunch and dinner, students are glued to their phones, normally playing games or Pokemon go (which JUST arrived in Thailand!) Like students at home, teachers have to teach the students to use their devices responsibly.
Not so Good:
- We haven't seen much of the Olympics. It airs while we are in school, and watching replays are sometime tricky; plus we see the updates on facebook.
- The weather actually isn't bad - just humid. It rains maybe once a day/every other day for 10 minutes. Its really humid, but luckily the school is mostly covered and shaded by trees so the breeze is pleasant and sun doesn't add to the heat. Very similar to Florida weather! In the apartments we keep our windows open and let the breeze in, but sometimes the humidity gets so dense it makes our towels and clothes in our closet damp. So we decided to keep the windows close while we weren't home. The next season is dry season and then after that is burning season (not looking forward to that - Feb through April).
