A typical day, is atypical.

I brought my camera to school last week just to take some quick snapshots of what it's like to be a teacher here. These were taken on a Friday, on random what I hoped were surreptitious occasions (turns out not really...) so they would at least look unceremonious and not contrived. Fail. I know I need to take more. But right now, I need something to occupy my time as I wait for "The Santa Clause" to load so I can show it to my students tomorrow, and I've exhausted my usual online pit stops (holla at yo' NPR). My students and I have been working on posting alphabet letters and expanding their weather vocabulary for the past weeks. I'm not sure what kind of success I will make, because it doesn't really help, that it's always sunny here in Thailand and I feel that, "It is sunny" will really be the only phrase they will be familiar with...

Here is a sample visual aid that we are slowly, but surely adding into the classroom. Note the white-outed "n" and the insertion of "U" on "cloudy." It so happens that at times, my kids will write the mirror images of the letters. It really is quite odd. We are working on accepting imperfections, which is very difficult mindset to depart from, so I told them repeatedly that there was no need to re-create the poster. The best part of this image, is the superimposed (in pink, I might add) "revisions" of such clouds. I am pretty impressed with their precocious transgressions of the literal. Good job students. You are such a nerd, Valerie. And yes, it is indeed a sheep.

This is probably the trouble kid in my classroom. I don't really know whether I was satisfying his perpetual need for attention when I took this picture, but. Too late.

My Thai-ny 1st graders ("good poets have a weakness for bad puns," in my defense.) They are literally half my size. I took this picture because they look so industrious, but this NEVER happens. Usually they're like comets flying around in a universe where gravity was invented by, I don't know, the cast of "The Hills"? We are currently working on numbers. There is a great article on the NYtimes on kids, brains and learning, by the way.

My super rambunctious 3rd and 4th graders. The only way to calm them down, is to practice numbers by making them do push-ups. Diabolical? Maybe. But it's good for kinesthetic learners...

Rowdy sixth graders. But by far, they are the most affectionate students ever. They keep wanting to shake my hands and they say "I love you teacher" all the time. :)

I am grateful that my job gives me enough variation every day that I don't get these existential crises of my life slipping away into the quotidian. I am grateful that what I do every day is affirming. Both of these get me through some murky waters.