Tedious Thursday

Family is the subject this week - mother, father etc. Simple enough?

Draw family tree on the white board, illicit response from students to check what they know ( and who ) confirm pronunciation, drill 3 or 4 times checking participation, continue pronunciation drills on individual basis.

Use text book to reinforce knowledge gathering and other additional resources ie tape, handouts. Then walk around the room faciliting learning on 1 to 1 basis and encouraging and using positive reinforcement.

Eh, no. It never quite works like that in a class full of hyperactive 7 year olds. You can always tell what ice cream they had at the break because most of it is always spread over their shirt as they run around and loose control of it and SPLAT or DROOL. The result is one sweaty basket of brown wet skin, black hair and ice cream colured shirts.

Today it was more like this for P2.2 Draw family tree on white board turning round at least five times to tell Somchai ( not the real name )to sit down, Nachanon that he doesn't need to balance two pencils on the end of his pencil case which is something else he doesn't need at the moment and about 4 general be quiet / no talking warnings. Check what they know turns into a monologue - in our family you can have a mother..... waiting expectantly for more suggestions,a minute goes by, a mother .... holding his hand out to try to get more responses.... ok it doesn't work, a mother..... a ..... nope, a mother, a father, ....... nope still no sign of recognition ( except for the one bright boy in the class who 99% of the time is the first one to answer and who I feel sorry for as I have no idea what goes through his mind dealing with all these thick kids and one exasperated teacher).

They should know it, as its covered in the first and second year by us and the Thai english teachers.

OK, finally having got them to get all the answers, lets open the book at page 23,open the book at page 23,open the book at page 23!,open the book at page 23!,open the book at page 23!, Not your Workbook, not the notebook, the Pupil Book! Not page 43 with the animals, not page 36 with food, page 23.

Page 23 teacher? AAAARARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Ok, who is this ( pointing to a picture that has a name of the character) ? Ratchepong, SIT DOWN!

SISTER!!

Ratchepong, SIT DOWN!

No, the name. SISTER!! Ratchepong, SIT DOWN!

No, Ratchepong, SIT DOWN! what is the Ratchepong! name ( pointing again at the picture) I am 8!!!

OK, Ratchepong, since you dont want to sit, stand up for the rest of the lesson.

No, that's how old they are. What is their name? Bobo. ( Finally thank feck)

etc 10 minutes later we have finally identified all 5 characters.

now look at picture 2 on the same page, this says who they are - dan, mark, biff.....

Deep intake of breath and launching myself into the abyss, who is Bobos brother? And of course no one gets it except the smart kid despite me pointing out the two pictures and all they need to do is match the characters and read the name out.

Oh what's the use, that's the class almost over. I shouldn't let myself get upset but they don't behave that with the Thai teachers. Just a waste of good pork on a stick they are.