School

School started for the year last week and I am co-teaching 4th, 5th and 6th grade English at 2 schools: Wat Thamasopot and Wat Amaritawari. My real goal here is to work w the Teachers and give them techniques that they can use even after I am gone. We are working on "student centered learning." One teacher already has some good ideas and is good to work with. One is a lot more reluctant. I think she just wants me to teach for her so she doesn't have to.

Class sizes range from 15 to 35 and the students don't understand the concept of working individually. Even when I ask a question and say it is for just one student the whole class tries to answer. Sometimes it is great to get the whole class on one question, but mostly it means I can't hear individual pronunciation mistakes and most of the kids are just relying on others to know the answers.

In 6th grade we are working on "My Story." They are working on writing and speaking basic information about themselves. In 5th grade we are working on numbers. Saying, writing, and recognizing written numbers and time. In 4th grade we are working on writing and pronouncing the alphabet, and the concept of "this" and "that" with basic classroom vocabulary.

There are some sounds in English that they don't have in Thai (and vice-versus) so even when I say words, and brake them down a hundred times over many classes, they still struggle w pronunciation. Their ears aren't used to picking up those intonations, and their mouths aren't used to moving those ways. They have particular trouble w 'v, 'l', and 'r.' My name is a nightmare for them.