So we started our actual teacher practise in schools this week and it's been interesting to say the least. Who ever made up the phrase 'those that can't teach' most definitely had never taught, and even more obviously have never tried teaching 7-11 year old Thai children.

Monday... we were blissfully unaware of what we had in store when told we were teaching kids at an English camp, other than to prepare a half an hour activity each. We turn up to a hall of 95 children, and thai teachers who usher us to the front and tell us to begin. Turned out we were running the whole thing, and we had to fill 7 hours. Shocker, but we shouldn't have expected any less from Thailand.

Tuesday...our songtail (think that's how you spell it..kind of like a big jeep and you sit in the back) dropped us off at this primary school in what I'd call the jungle. Me and Kylie got Prathom 2 & 3 which are like 8 years old, for 2 hours. Most tiring 2 hours everrrrrrrrrrr. From what we gather the kids (who are adorable, but mental e.g. like Sam/Con eating a bag of skittles when they were younger) are so well drilled that they can repeat everything you say but have absolutely no understanding. Which it turns out makes it pretty hard to teach them in English, for example it took us about 20 mins to get them to draw an apple and once drawing we literally could not get them to stop. At one point whilst playing the hokey kokey (I ended up with a circle of boys..) they thought it was the funniest thing ever to throw themselves at each other and play fight whilst in a pile on on the floor...So as cute as they were, by the end of the 2 hours I was exhausted by the 8 year olds craziness and am determined to teach at a secondary school.

Wednesday...primary school again, but this time it was the jungle jungle school (i.e. even further in the jungle than the last one) and ran 'by Mr.Bum Bum' his real name is Mr.Boom but he has a habit of pushing the male teacher towards their classroom with his hand firmly on their bums. Apparently Mr.Bum Bum is bisexual and has also took a shine to one of the girls on the course whom he now rings every morning and asks to dinner. Rather odd. But anyway we taught kindergarten kids and they were the cutest most adorable little things I've ever seen in my life. I happily would have adopted at least six of them. Especially Pete, Pete was my favourite, he had little sticky outy ears and when I was showing him how to write 'my name is Pete', I'd only shown him 'my' and he was adamant that the whole thing meant 'my name is Pete'. It was just so cute. But still more like babysitting than teaching.

Thursday...HSK...dream school...I WANT TO BE A SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER. At least in Thailand anyway, I don't actually want to be a teacher in England. No no. The kids were so intelligent, fun to talk too and just so willing. I actually felt like I was teaching them stuff rather than acting like a clown.

Tomorrow, I'm primary again and the 'Teacher Becky, the Clown' is back.