Student-Teacher Relationships

I will have to write next time about my trip to Laos (silent S!) and include the pictures. The past week and a half has been busy busy busy! I have been teaching my regular classes, helping out another teacher grade some things, and help the students with final preparations with Grease.
First thing, Grease. I must love the students and the play because I have been staying at school until 11pm for the past week, just to help! And a big part of it is I want to show my support and to be there if anything comes up. Most nights, I just do some grading, watch them practice, give a few comments and help some people with their pronunciation. Nothing drastic but I think it’s important to be there just in case. I mean, when Alcyn and I were doing Earth Week I think we would’ve loved someone to just be around to do anything that came up at the last minute. Plus, the play makes me feel so happy. It’s entertaining and it’s like taking a break. Actually, it’s a lot like watching TV but being a little more involved. Even though I’ve been spending over 12 hours in our Faculty each day, I think it’s worth it. The play is in just 2 days and all the students hard work is really paying off. They’ve come so far and I am so excited to see them in action-as practice is not the same. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself after the play. I’ll have so much time and I’ll miss out on my nightly wind downs with Ann, the student who drives me home every night. I think this confirms it, I do like to be busy.
Some life changing news---a new vegetarian restaurant opened right on our street! This may not seem like a big deal but it truly is. This means, I can walk to eat somewhere every night instead of planning ahead and warming up meals. Of course, I saw this restaurant the day after I went to the grocery store and stocked up to force myself to cook a little bit! Oh well! I’ll cook when I’m back in the US. I am really hoping it stays around and I am trying to support it as much as I can. We also found out it is partly owned by a former English major at KKU.

Some cultural differences about student-teacher relationships:
-Students freely use the word love to sign emails or to say to me. It’s not uncommon for a male or female student to write me an email and sign it “love”, or “love you” or “xoxo”. The first time it happened it was with a male student and I was a little put off, and then I realized, it does not have the same meaning as in the US. I almost think it has no meaning here and they just don’t know how to sign their emails. Or they want to show that they like me and that’s the only way they know how to do it. It’s cute and to have people tell you they love you (even when it’s not true) still makes you feel good.

-In Thailand, the lighter your skin, the prettier you are (and usually wealthy too because you don’t work outdoors). That’s just how it goes for most people. So of course, I was “lucky enough” to be born with light skin and so here I am pretty. I would say it is pretty matter of fact like that. It is not too uncommon for people to speak to me in Thaiglish and they eventually say I’m pretty and perhaps touch my skin because maybe they’ve never touched such pale skin before. So, relating this back to student relationships. It’s not all that uncommon for female students to tell me I’m pretty. One of my highlights was a student who told me I was a 10 out of 10…not too shabby! I think it’s funny and I almost feel like a piece of white meat! The thing I am struggling to answer is if my students like me only because they think I’m pretty. It wouldn’t really matter except for I really want to be a good teacher and so when I give them evaluations to fill out I don’t really want to hear that “Ajarn Mara is very pretty and kind”. Some of them gave good information, good and bad, but I still just wonder…is it all true or does my white skin interfere with my students seeing me as anything other than a white face?

-I have taken the plunge and joined Hi5, this social networking website. I was getting tired of students "friending" me and wanting me to join. So I finally did. I figured then they have to write messages to me in English so it'll be good practice for them. Also, it seems to be the way they keep in touch so why not adapt to their ways rather than expecting them to adapt to mine?

Just 5 more weeks of the semester. I am definitely feeling the crunch in time! But then a little vacation (somewhere!) and then home! It'll go so quickly.