I probably posted a couple pics of the school in an earlier post, but here's a view of the school from the roof of our apartment building. The two buildings actually share a boundary line, but unfortunately there's no direct way to get onto the school's campus from the apartment. Instead, we have to walk down the street and around to the school's front entrance. It's only about a 6 or 7 minute walk, but a direct route would be pretty awesome.
I've only had classes with my 11th graders so far. I will be teaching English classes for the Thai teachers as well, but that won't start until next week. The classes I've taught have all gone pretty well so far. It seems as if there are a handful of kids in each class who are noticeably more comfortable with communicating in English, and they are the ones who end up answering most of the questions during class. There is a strong group mentality in the classes. The students like to consult with each other for most everything. Answering questions, completing activities, you name it...The tests, as expected, will be taken without help from the class, so it will be interesting to see how that goes. In addition to the classes, just about everything at the school seems pretty legit. The lunches (which are cheap as free) have been pretty good so far. Also, it seems as though rice is served with just about every lunch, so, even if I come across a less than appetizing meal, I'll be able to fill up on some rice. I've had a light schedule this week, due to not having any of the teachers' English classes this week, but it still seems like I'll have plenty of time throughout the school day to plan lessons and whatnot. So yeah...so far life in Thailand is pretty sweet.
4 Comments
10/9/2014 05:30:37 am
So happy I checked your website today and discovered you've posted comments and pictures. Surprised you're teaching 11th grade. Why did I think you'd be teaching elementary? How big is the school? How many students? Is one building elementary and the other building high school? Surprised the water didn't look clean enough to swim in. What's in those food dishes? Is the rice white or nourishing brown? Grandma
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Matt
10/9/2014 11:37:36 am
I actually thought I was going to be teaching younger kids as well. I thought it was only a primary school but, as it turns out, the school covers grades 1-12. The school is basically 3 connected buildings with elementary, middle, and high school grades split up between the three. I believe there are somewhere around 1200-1500 students in total at the school. Definitely a lot of kids running around!
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Linda Kurdt
10/9/2014 03:24:21 pm
Been "driving" up and down Bangna Trad Rd on Google Earth. Frustrated I can't find a building that looks like your school. Sunny skies and looks like lots of industry. Not many cars. But I found a website where I heard Chonburi pronounced, so at least I know the accent is on the last syllable. Appreciate your answers to my questions. I could do pork and chicken and the veggies. What grades are Michael & Catherine teaching? Will try not to overload you with too many questions. I'm headed to bed and you're probably having lunch. :) Grandma
Matt
10/12/2014 11:07:11 am
If you're looking at big industrial areas, than you're definitely pretty close to the right place. There's a bunch of factories down the road from the school. I haven't been too far down that way, but see big spikes in traffic whenever there's a shift change.
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