school days

School Days----First Week---August 9,2007

It’s been quite a while since I have felt the adrenalin rush of going back to school. For about the last 9 years or so I have been at a university and you just don’t get that same kick that you do when you see the enthusiasm of parents dropping off their children for their first day of school ( we have students from age two up), the excitement of students almost running to class ( I am sure that won’t last that long) and the pseudo sophisticated high school kids talking about what concerts they just attended!

The class sizes are surprisingly small so I think it is great for kids. The teachers seem terrific and very much want to do the best for children in their own way. I have seen a few classes but am quite busy registering new students who are attending ASB for the first time.

What surprises me, I guess, is the variety of students who do attend. I had one new student who spent the last 2 years in Utah but was coming back home to complete his final year of high school and then attend a Thai university. Another student was the son of a Vietnamese official who was very anxious to do well and ensure his courses met his expectations. It is quite a challenge for me to read the transcripts of our new students since my Thai, Vietnamese and Korean is not up to what it should be after being here for a week. In fact, I am still perfecting hello and thank you in Thai and can’t quite hear the sounds properly to replicate any semblance of recognition from the people I speak with. “Sai” for example, could mean sand if you drop your voice and left if you raise your voice or go up. I can’t even hear what I am saying.

I am also surprised by the facility that the seniors have for English. When they were discussing their summer they spoke in the same jargon as any North American kid. In many cases, they use English because which is the common denominator that they all understand since they are from so many different countries. What surprises me is that they don’t seem to be on facebook yet but I am sure that is coming.

I had to talk with the parents and students the other day about curriculum in a large assembly.. When the principal and guidance counselor spoke, they had instant translation from one of the secretaries. When I spoke a few sentences and then handed her the microphone to translate as they did, she looked aghast and told me to just continue talking. Either I enunciate poorly ( which I am sure I do), or I am using jargon like aligning expectations with curriculum content that even teachers don’t understand. I guess what I learned is to try to speak more clearly and use English even I can understand.

The opening exercises are kind of interesting. We all stand in the field and one class has the honour of raising the flag and starting to sing the national anthem. At 6 am and 6 pm the national anthem is played in the subway stations and everyone stops talking and stops walking and whatever else they happened to be doing. The same thing happened yesterday for the Queen’s birthday, by the way. At the time she was born, at 6:30 pm, I presume, we all lit candles. I happened to be on Koa San Road at the time which is where all the tourists go. There were then fireworks, music and the whole nine yards.

Thank God for the subways and skytrain. To get from one end of Bangkok to another by cab would literally take hours because of the traffic. With the transportation, traveling becomes quick and efficient. The only thing I hate about the trains are the air conditioning. I would rather have it hot all the time. It is probably healthier in the long run.

Bangkok also has ultra modern shopping and dinning. You can get any kind of western foods you want or any other nationality for that matter. I ate in an Italian restaurant the other night which would put any St Clair establishment to shame. I know I should feel guilty but I loved the bread.

This week-end is the Queen’s birthday so I am considering either staying in Bangkok and seeing “stuff” or going to the beach. To be decided. You will be the first to hear about it.