How can you ever let me down? We’re not made to be broken Just like fools, we left so much unspoken Now the future is a past that’s come back around We were made to be broken How could you ever let me down?
The crab said to the albatross “Can you take me from here?” “Where do you wish to go?” Asked the albatross “Anywhere away from these sad rocks, To the skies!” The albatross said “Hop in” And opened wide his mouth Enjoying a difficult meal
A little better with my hip, though it kept me tossing and turning all night last night and so when it was light this morning, I just got up. It was only 7am but I felt better for moving.
I had to deal with an army of ants biting my feet in the kitchen as they were retreating inside from the rain overnight. Sadly for them, they are all dead now!
I started doing some weeding before heading off for coffee. I don’t know why. I just saw one and then kept going.
As I was about to get on the bike, the neighbour told me that they will concrete our drives today and so I can park over the road at Auntie’s, where there is lots of space. Everything should be finished soon, making our road much easier to traverse.
As our gardeners were due this morning, I asked Amy to cancel them but they insisted on coming. I guess they need money and know that we are reliable to pay them.
Today I’m grateful for:
The gardeners again. I’m glad that they came in the end as our grass is cut nice and short again making it less likely for snakes to travel through. From my quick inspection it seems that they didn’t manage to destroy any cactuses this time too.
The best thing about today was:
Tangmo coming to visit us a couple of times. After coffee in the morning and grabbing some Swenson’s ice cream, picking up Amy and coming home I’ve done a lot of TV watching and hip resting.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
The pain in my hip is out of my control and there’s not much I can do about it. I’m hoping a bit more recovery tonight, otherwise I’ll have to go and waste some time at the hospital.
Something I learned today?
The Swans won this week, smashing the Kangaroos by 79 points. Not a difficult opponent but good to get another win after the small loses over the last two weeks.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I met Nong Kratae at Utopia this morning and she asked me if I would come and help her once a month, as her high school-aged students need more information about IELTS study.
I told her that I could come along one time and see what it is that I might be able to offer.
I took this picture because Piti was doing his best sexy pose this morning.
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.
Tired but kept running by knowing that it’s the end of the week. Six hours of hot and humid teaching even with brief respites in the aircon have been completely draining.
I’m home now and will make myself a salad soon.
I took three of the magic mushroom pills that I got from Matt and can feel a sense of pleasure rising in me and will watch some comedy to wind down the evening.
Today I’m grateful for:
Kru Den, (I’m not sure if that’s her name actually) who lent me her Bluetooth speaker for my second class. I gave her a frangipani flower in return. I’d gotten it from a student earlier, who had put it behind my ear.
The best thing about today was:
Getting some good feedback on some of my recent poems. I didn’t get a chance to write anything new today but whereas I used to be about a week behind in posting poetry I’m now a month ahead. I’m enjoying writing and learning different forms and playing with it a little more.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I snuck up on Nong Fah and stuck a wet finger in her ear as she was lying down looking at her phone in a classroom. She went off in a huff and Jet said that she had PMS and had been moody all day (although she was fine in the morning when I saw her).
Knowing that it is best not to do anything more I played a bit with some other students but saw Fah dabbing her eyes with a tissue and looking really upset. I watched her from a distance and wondered at the loss of emotional control that many females get once a month. I can never really understand what that must feel like.
I caught her eye before I left for my own class and tried to express my sympathy with her.
Almost instantly on arriving at my own class, I could see that KanomBang was grumpy with me and her friends tried to explain that she too had PMS. “That thing…..girls….once a month…” I love it when the kids realise that they successfully communicated something in their second language.
Anyway, KB soon picked herself up a little bit and was ok.
It’s so weird to see the bewilderment on these kids’ faces when they go through this. Like ‘Why the fuck am I feeling like this and can’t change it?’
After I got home I messaged a mini heart to Fah and said that I was sorry she was upset in the classroom. She too, had recovered herself a little by then and was happy to chat a little. I told her I was sorry I snuck a wet finger in her ear and she laughed and said she was sorry that she behaved the way she did, which I, of course, told her there was no need to apologise.
As an aside, interestingly my super smart grade 8 student Film questioned me in class why I treated boys and girls differently, something that he had picked up on perhaps when the ‘couple’ in the class were ‘fighting’ with each other. I say ‘fighting’ because it is really just puppy love quarrel-play – nothing serious.
The kids listening were very interested when I replied that I treat girls differently because of the way I can see they are treated in Thai society and that boys are seen as superior and are spoiled more. This got them talking a lot and whilst the girls agreed in general they said that their own families treated them like princesses.
It was an interesting idea to leave them with, to think and talk about.
Something I learned today?
I learned that Monday is a day off and on Wednesday students won’t come to school.
Apparently, there will be a sports event at the stadium for about 10 days which is going to make traffic even worse in the mornings.
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I gave Nicha a little pep talk when she was looking down this morning.
After I’d finished teaching I saw my old grade 9 students with Kru David and I checked in with a few of them who were struggling with his work. Earn was all happy with herself because she told me that she had finished and, being a little suspicious, I asked if she had copied someone she shushed me and immediately admitted that she had.
I asked her what program she might do next year and she said the Chef program. I said that’s great and encouraged her to at least get what she could out of being in the English program this year.
As I was leaving I saw Aida sitting by herself and also looking down. I actually didn’t recognise her at first as her head was tilted downwards with her hair covering her face. Her friends said that she was upset and tired today and when I met her at lunchtime she was resting her head on the table but with a quick chat she said that she would be ok to do my work in the afternoon.
I was intent on leaving quickly but seeing her again I stopped and sat with her and also gave her a little pep talk. She didn’t say much until I asked her if everything was ok at home and she opened up that she was having some problems with her mum. We didn’t get into it but I told her that she can talk to me at any time if she needs to.
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