Tag: gratitude journal

We got that attitude! – 13th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

This week I still have some remnants of uncertainty. I’m going to be very busy with things at home as well as at school and it won’t leave as much free time as previously. I’ll have to plan carefully as I still haven’t managed to schedule in time for meditation and exercise. I’m pretty exhausted when I get home from school already. I just feel like chilling in my room or watching TV shows. I know I have to try and push past that. I can do it, right?

Whatever you do willingly, you enjoy. Whatever you do unwillingly, you suffer.

Sadhguru

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful today to the student in P5/3 who told me after a lesson that I am the best teacher in the world! It made me so happy though I’m not sure why she thought that. The class did go much better than the previous two though and I’m just glad that there was some appreciation. There will be some kids who think the exact opposite I’m certain!

We got that attitude! – 12th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Slept deeply last night – for some reason the stress of standing up for myself on a small issue has made me very tired.

Yesterday was also a little frustrating as my students seem to have mostly forgotten what they did last week. Not all of them but enough to show that this will be a struggle. I do remember having a similar feeling in CRPAO soon after I started. I guess I need to adjust my expectations – teach to the top/middle – keep them interested.

I woke up tired but feel reasonably confident this morning. I only have two lessons today so can spend a lot of time preparing more lessons.

Gratitude Journal

I was so happy and grateful to watch the sunrise this morning. It came up over the mountain behind the temple spire and it was amazing. Every day the sun comes up. Long before I was here and long after I’m gone.

We got that attitude! – 11th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

The end of the week felt good. But this morning I felt a little anxious as I push back against having to work next weekend. I worked so hard at CRPAO that I don’t want to fall back into that trap.

In this past month, I have learned that I can be more confident with my skills at teaching. I can feel that I make a good impression on the students and that in general, they are happy to follow what I ask of them.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the many beautiful birds that come to visit our garden. I wasn’t sure there would be any as it seemed there were none when the building was going on. Now there are lots of trees and bushes there are many that come to visit. Even despite our cats, who don’t seem to be smart enough to catch them. Some of the birds are not so spectacular but they are mostly all new to me, being different to those in Australia and the UK.

The Chiang Rai Alternative Hour #11 – 9th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Music from The Misunderstood, Angelic Upstarts, Passage, Surveillance, 13th Floor Elevators, Lozenge, Vaz, Hard-Ons, The Damned, Queen, Captain Beefheart, Melt Banana, Crass, Hitler SS, Meat Puppets, I Am Above and on the Left, Thee Headcoats, Party Diktator, Supertramp.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to be living in this part of the world. There are many times in a week when I marvel at the views of the rice fields and the mountains. Their depth changes depending on the weather conditions and time of day. There are good and bad points about every place to live but I certainly feel grateful for my time living here.

We got that attitude! – 7th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to Kru Noon for helping me with things in this first week here. I was also happy and grateful to Boyan for checking that I was prepared for assembly this morning. That was appreciated.

24th March 2021 – Boyan also worked at my previous school. He’s Dutch, into Muay Thai, often racist, misogynist and homophobic and the only thing he ever talked about was himself. He was a complete caricature and that was the only way I could like him – if I could view him as not being real.

We got that attitude! – 6th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to hear positive feedback from the Thai teachers about my teaching. It gives me some pride and confidence that what I’m doing is ok. I am also so happy and grateful that, so far, there is actually less work to do. Putting the lessons together is pretty straightforward so I have spare time to consider doing a little extra for the kids.

24th Mar 2021 – This school was happy to work with textbooks which made putting lessons together pretty straightforward, though for some reason they still required new lesson plans year after year – surely one of the most ridiculous ideas amongst the many deficiencies found in the government education system here. Anyway, life was a little easier for a little while

We got that attitude! – 5th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that I can find good resources online to help myself grow. I feel myself being pulled towards them and away from time wasting.

24th Mar 2021 – This is still relevant though the resources have changed as I have since. Then I was digging deep into Stoicism and philosophy, some of which influence has paid off and continues habitually now. Now I’m looking at more literature summaries and art-related content.

Release the whale that pulled me under – 4th November 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I think I successfully passed my first test. The kids seem to be ok with my style of teaching and the lessons I wrote went ok – I’m still trying to gauge the level of the main class though.

I was also uplifted enough to drop into CRPAO after school and meet some of my old students. It was heartening to know how much they like and miss me. I think I can make good connections with most kids. Let’s see where this job leads.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have the opportunity to work with Kevin from one of my favourite bands next year. It’s exciting to think I can meet and help them. I love this aspect of my life. It’s a lot of planning ahead but I look forward to doing that.

23rd March 2021 – With a couple of weeks until a tour across Malaysia, Sabah, Singapore and Java was due to start we had to cancel everything because of the Covid pandemic. I still need to get refunded for the flights as I don’t think the tour will happen within the two years the tickets are being held for us. Not quite the ‘journey is better than the destination’, more, the ‘planning was better than the reality.’