TEECHA Laura

fan mail

I am now entering my 4th week of teaching...which is also my first full week of teaching. Despite my sporadic schedule and minimal time with students, I am finally starting to feel like a real teacher. Not only have I been able to have students enough times to review material already learned--and making sure that they retained it--, but I have also graded homework assignments, given students extra help, and always get a slew of "goodbyes" by students I actually recognize when leaving the school. It is pretty wonderful to feel part of a community and feel as if I am actually making an impact on some student's education...even though I can count those students on one hand.
A student in one of my M4 classes (15 and 16 year olds) reached out to me last week and told me that she loves English and would like to meet with me as often as possible so that she can practice her English. I also received my first piece of fan mail: a cartoon drawing of me teaching. I would have been skeptical of the girl's intentions and actual attention given during my class while she created this masterpiece, but she was the only one participating in the class, so I'm more than okay with my desk decoration and her enthusiasm towards me and English.
Even though I have some great students, I also have some SERIOUS trouble makers. There are 2 boys in my younger classes that want to see me lose it and will go to any length to try. I call these the devil spawn because they try to make my classroom feel like their birthplace of hell. One of them loves me so much he snuck into a class he was not supposed to be in and I had to kick him out before he wreaked havoc and made me lose my mind...for a second time that day. I also had not one, but 2 students sprint out of class on 2 separate days. In 2 separate classes.
Between my students that love me and hate me, it's pretty hard to gauge how good of a teacher I actually am.

Not sure if this is a construction worker or a cyborg Michael Jackson

Though I have some real nightmares, I was warned I would be at the naughty school, so having the few students that actually want to learn is extremely rewarding. I am enjoying teaching though, and walking out of a good class puts me in an excellent mood. Even though the novelty of me being one of 3 farangs in the school has not worn off (I get random "I love yous"...okay it's still kind of nice), I am finally finding my comfort zone in both my school and Ayutthaya.