Contented and happy. It’s the end of the day now, and it feels like it’s been a big, long week. I think it may only be the second full five-day week of teaching I’ve done in the first 7 weeks of this semester so far!
But, it was a day with three different but interesting classes that I enjoyed a lot. The first was with grade 11s, where they are putting together presentations, and I taught them about using grammar checkers and ChatGPT to spice up their content (and hopefully, they don’t get smart enough to use it to write their presentations in full!) I was actually surprised no one in the class knew how to use it already.
They all went through their presentations again, and though they are mostly still ranging from awful to average (with a couple of very good ones) we are going through it slowly and adding, improving and practicing and I’m hoping that they can feel that they are slowly improving over the course of the semester.
After that, I did the Thai Ghosts lesson with the Hospitality/Japanese grade 11s, and they were all quite interested and keen on it, though I was happy to acquiesce to their demand to finish off the work as homework so that we could all get out for lunch a little earlier. I had to go to the bank, too and could sneak in an extra coffee at House whilst out.
So, after the morning disappeared in a flash, it was on to my grade 8s, where all they had to do was a 30-question online quiz based on the 6 texts they’d written and previously answered comprehension questions on. I told them that they couldn’t finish until they got more than 75%.
I can remember writing about this last year and the fact that the lazy kids who forget their books are going to get caught out as they won’t have what they need to refer to.
This year, the class did much better, and it was really enjoyable helping those that are struggling with the English and showing them how to find the answers. I could feel them getting all serious as it was starting to dawn on them that when they’ve just been copying answers before, they haven’t developed the skills to find them for themselves.
I directed them through their books, giving them clues on where and how to find the answers, and they were all quite proud of themselves by the end. It made us all happy.
Once home, I’ve just sat in front of the TV trying to unwind. I’m tired but not sleepy yet. As I’m writing this, though, I’m reminded of just what a good day it has been.
Today I’m grateful for:
Finding old videos of Ipswich Town from the 70s and 80s on YouTube and feeling all nostalgic about those days of watching football on TV with a picture quality worse than 360p.
It’s interesting to read some of the comments of others who were around at that time too and how much respect Ipswich got for their achievements, even from fans of other teams.
The best thing about today was:
Pretty much as written above. Very enjoyable.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
In my last class my student Ten has finally fallen out of favour with almost everyone after his closest friends have deserted himself, realising that he just treats them like shit. They talked with me about him today, and they are struggling with it because they try to help him and encourage him, but Ten gives nothing back.
I can see clearly that he is compensating for his lack of ability to learn and develop social skills, and I can also see that my behaviour at times would have been similar.
He sulked around the classroom, not really attempting the work, and I decided to let him stay that way while I was helping others. I asked him a few times to get started, but he just slouched off elsewhere until I found him again staring into space.
Finally, I translated for him, ‘Pick yourself up. Look at how hard students like Nut and Namsai are trying to understand. You can do this too.’
After about 80% of the students had finished and I started letting them go, I found Ten in the next classroom with Ploy, KanomBang and Namsai helping him, showing him what I had just shown them. I joined in, and we all encouraged him, and by the en,d he managed to pass and felt a little better about himself.
He’s learning some big lessons right now, and it will take him a while to recover. It will be interesting to watch.
Something I learned today?
Kru David told me that Thailand ranks something like 140th in the world for education. I joked that there are not many more than 140 countries! It’s sad for these kids but good for me. I’m trying my best, and I have my own expectations, but in general, the expectations of the school won’t be that high.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
As last week, I dropped into Kru David’s least favourite class to teach (but with some of my favourite kids) and helped Nicha and Fah to try to get to grips with what was trying to be taught, which was alliteration in poetry. They both looked perplexed and wanted to give up but were happy to let me try and explain to them so that they could at least get something from it.
Whilst I was writing something to help Nicha, she was playful and brought her eyeball up to mine and then her nose to mine and laughed and said to Fah something along the lines of ‘I almost kissed the teacher!’ I ignored it and brought her back to the writing, but it was a little weird, I guess.
I have no problem being mildly affectionate with my students in a fatherly way and Nicha could still pass for a primary student as she is so small, skinny and still a little immature in her behaviour. But afterwards, I was thinking how I would react if she had pecked me on the lips!
I know some of these kids are testing things with me because they feel comfortable and safe to do so, but there is also a line that has to be drawn.
Anyway, Nicha and Fah went to Kru David with the bare amount of understanding but at least now had the confidence to do so, instead of running out of the class as they had been doing in past weeks.
Are you receiving My vibrations, Detecting these Oscillations?
I’ve got a message for you That you’re gonna wanna hear Are you receiving me Loud and clear?
Signals in space Time has come A human race Together as one
I’ve got a message for you You’d better be ready There’s only growing up To keep the ship steady
Are you receiving These modulations? Mind control Manipulations
Message understood You’d better tell everyone That you’re ready For what will come
Inspired by the main story of the Three Body Problem and an allegory for a student of mine who is struggling to grow up to face the future. Submitted to Writer’s Workshop Prompts – radio and NaPoMo.
Today I’m feeling:
Pretty healthy and active. Amy was out last night with Takky, Hangy and Berm so I had some free time to read, write and watch TV. And it appears to be more of the same tonight too. I want to be productive.
As I jumped into bed last night I caught this thought as I was opening up Telegram to get the latest reports from Rise of the Global South. ‘I read just enough tragic news that the axis of evil inflicts on people around the world to go to sleep with just the right amount of indignation.’
This month usually sees me making some adaptations to things that I do. I deleted a whole bunch of Substack subscriptions. One, because there are other things I want to do with my time and two, I’m sick of reading so much about the dysfunction and lies from and about the USA. It seems like inconsequential news to me these days. It is all so negative and decisive too. It’s not a good impact on the psyche.
I want to focus more on Asia and China as it is more relevant to my location and news is mostly just that – news. No opinions, no vague nonsense masquerading as news. And I also want to avoid news that is constantly comparing the USA and China. It’s kinda moot these days.
Today I’m grateful for:
A quiet day of few plans, all achieved.
The best thing about today was:
Spending some time dinking around in my room, trying to organise computer files, reading and writing, though no guitar playing today.
Something I learned today?
Through some miracle, Ipswich is in the top position in the Championship. It’s super close with Leeds and Leicester in the race too.
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I spent some time this morning tidying up our cables along the fence.
I also cleaned out the litter tray and swept the floor in our bedroom.
The delicious perfume of this candle that Amy brought from Australia for me. No matter how much you try to save money when buying perfumed candles the more you spend the better the smell and its lasting effect.
The best thing about today was:
Feeling in a great mood in the morning, chatting with students and spending time with them without any rush, then spending about three hours drinking coffee and updating the blog (1983 diary entries completed) and then back to school again for more chat and some play before shopping and home.
After eating dinner though I’ve run out of steam and ready for bed before the sun has even set.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I was excited to get a call from FedEx as it meant they would deliver the SSD I needed which will hopefully upgrade my iMac and get it running again.
Unfortunately, when the delivery guy arrived he needed almost 800 baht in import tax before handing it over, adding another 40 bucks to the cost. What can I do?
I hope this all works in the end otherwise I’ll just have ended up with an expensive SSD drive and still no desktop computer.
Something I learned today?
I’ve made some lessons that require audio input from myself and the students and I went to record this afternoon but it sounds really odd when played back. There’s an option to upload mp3s so that seemed like the way to go except there is no simple way to do that without downloading new software. You can record to m4a files and then hopefully (I haven’t tested yet) can convert them in Apple Music.
I forgot how simple things can be once they’ve been set up, such as I had on my main computer and then just ran and worked forever. Now I’m back to fiddling around again to do this initial setup.
What is something I can do today to improve my well-being?
That would be the exercise I did this morning and the early night I’m about to get this evening so I can catch up on some sleep.
I took this picture because when I got home today I was greeted by this menagerie along with Tangmo and the white and black cat on the terrace. A few others in the village were investigating the herd just outside too. It seems to have grown as I only remember there being five last year though maybe he has smaller herds stashed around the village. My guess is that the aunties next door want the poop and the benefit of the jungle being kept at bay for free. Their vegetable garden is doing very well and none of the land belongs to the aunties or the cowman but it’s all for the common good.
Woke up to thunder, or was it a truck? I couldn’t hear any rain, must’ve been a truck. Wait, there it is again, must be thunder. Where’s the damn rain? Soon my alarm goes off and even though I’ve only had six hours of sleep and feel a little achy, I’m feeling good and do my little exercises and then, finally, a little rain falls though not enough to mean I don’t need to water the garden still. It’s still misty and hazy with low clouds too, so it’s difficult to tell if the rain has had much impact on the air quality yet. I drive to school without rush for a change and hang out with the few kids who still bothered to come, particularly enjoying catching up with my old students, Aon, Aomsin and Wan, who fill me in with the latest classroom gossip. It’s fascinating to see the changes in these kids over the three years I’ve known them and to get some idea of the direction they would like to head in. Aomsin told me how the class dynamics had changed and I mentioned another class that were all good friends in grades 7 and 8 and then all split into different factions in grade 9. Aomsin said, ‘Of course because we are all growing up.’ It made me question why, when we grow up, we lose that forgiveness for our friends?
We’re acting our age, growing up Got our emotions under control The highs and lows have come and gone And we’re finally feeling whole We’re no longer chasing rainbows We know what’s at their end The pot of gold is here and now With a lifetime left to spend
Beware of those who seek constant crowds; they are nothing alone.
Charles Bukowski
Today I’m grateful for: Amy’s parents for delivering me food and fruit this morning. I was sleeping and I found it with surprise at our door. The best thing about today was: Watching Sydney play a fantastic game of football that was tense and exciting.
I took this picture because it caught my eye though I didn’t look closely at it. Looking at it now I guess it’s a painting based on the position of stars. I’m not even sure where I took this or if it’s a screenshot.
When I were a lad….as in my profile picture…my best friends were a mod, a new romantic, a greebo (look it up), a skinhead and various other motley crews…we loved each other and hated each other’s musical interests. The first Specials album, the first Jam albums, the first Crass albums, the first Iron Maiden albums, the first Slits, first Cardiacs etcetc – they were “punk rock to me, Mr Narrator”. I sincerely hope that every generation since feels the same whether it is Less Than Jake, Skrillex, Blink 182 or something I’m too uncool to be in the loop for.
Kids out in the yard are having the time of their life Kids out in the yard are having the time of their life Don’t tell them of the things to come Enjoy yourself while you’re young Die before you’re old If you don’t wanna be told Kids out in the yard are having the time of their life Kids out in the yard are having the time of their life
1994ever 