Experience Preferred...But not Required - by Paul Murphy - Chapter 1

The Relentlessly Positive Thinker

My alarm clock awakens me at half past five in the morning. I leap out of bed and look out of the window. It is another beautiful day. I put on my tee shirt, shorts and running shoes, and start out on my daily run. As usual, I go through the rice fields, waving to and greeting the farmers and labourers who are already hard at work. These people are so friendly and genuine. Living in rural Chiang Rai in northern Thailand is such a great opportunity to meet the real Thais. I feel so lucky to be here, free, and running on such a beautiful day in such beautiful surroundings. The mountains provide a spectacular backdrop to my run. A perfect way to start the day, every day.

Teaching in the States was excellent, and I adored my students, but before getting old I fancied a change. We have so much to learn from other cultures, and it gives me a real thrill to give something back to Thailand. In Colorado, I had the feeling that I was stagnating a little and, after I split with Geoff, my friends advised me to make a fresh start. It was hard for me to be single again after five years with Geoff, but all my friends from the church and my truly amazing family gave me so much support and backed me one hundred percent in coming to this wonderful oriental country.

On the way back to my apartment, I stop off at the grocery store to buy some tofu and a bottle of water. The storekeeper greets me warmly and gives me a little more than I requested. The locals have all been so kind to me since I arrived. Back home, after I’ve showered, I pour myself a bowl of All Bran and chop up a banana to mix in with it. I splash on some low fat milk and eat while reading the newspaper. As usual, the news is awful. The contrast with my own life is stark as I read about conflicts, terrorism and disasters. It’s a terrible world that we live in. I try to do my bit to make things better, but I never feel that it’s enough. After my cereal, I have some toast and orange juice while I watch the television. The news is depressingly about problems in the Middle East, and it’s heartbreaking to see people killing and being killed over their religions.

I go and make myself a tuna and pasta salad for lunch and swallow a Prozac. The doctor said that I wouldn’t be on them for too long. I don’t feel that I still need them, but it’s best to follow the doctor’s advice. He just reckoned that the trauma of my split with Geoff combined with the stress of starting a new life might make me fragile for a while. I don’t feel at all vulnerable, but I’ll finish the latest prescription and see what happens.

I pack my bags with today’s teaching materials and my lunch and get on my bicycle. On my way to school I pass some students who shout ‘Good morning’ to me. In the interests of international exchange, I yell back, ‘Sawadee ka’. The Thais really appreciate it when you make an effort in their language.

It’s eight o’clock when I arrive at school. The first lesson doesn’t start until nine o’clock, but I want to discuss today’s team teaching with Ajarn Paiboon, a great teacher. I greet my colleagues with a ‘Sawadee ka’ and a smile, and this greeting is reciprocated by all but the shiest teachers.

Back in Colorado, there didn’t seem to be the same sense of camaraderie among the teachers. Sure, we were all pulling in the same direction and aiming at the same goals, but here, we work as a team, and this is something the States could learn from. Geoff was always extolling the virtues of team building in his job as a human resources manager, and it’s something which has rubbed off on me, I guess. If he could see me now… He always seemed to think I was a bit weaker and less decisive than him. Well, look at me now, striking out on my own in a foreign land. That’s not what weak people do, is it?

Working at St. Maximillion’s School has been an awesome experience so far. Although it was founded by Catholic brothers, most of the students are Buddhist, which is fine. I mean, I’m an Anglican, so there you already have three different religions working together harmoniously. That rocks. I’m not sure if we have any Muslim students or not, but, hey, we would welcome them with open arms too, despite the obvious differences we have.

We do things a little differently at this school in terms of the teaching style. One of the Catholic brothers came up with an extremely innovative way of teaching that he had come across at a teaching conference in Japan. He suggested that all English language classes be team taught by a Thai teacher and a native English teacher. This, he explained, would give the students the best of both worlds. Pronunciation and conversation skills could be taught by the native speaker, and more difficult things, like grammar and discourse analysis, could be taught by the Thai teacher. It was a great idea and it works really well. The students have come on in leaps and bounds since I started working here.

Ajarn Paiboon and I sit at our desks with a cup of coffee and talk about what we’ll do with our third years this morning. We agree on a fun activity and some informal conversation. Ajarn Paiboon has some really great teaching ideas and speaks great English. It’s an honour to be his colleague and friend. We chat for a while about our recent activities and agree that we must go hiking together soon. I look forward to it. We always have so much to talk about when we get together. For now, though, it’s work, and we take team teaching very seriously. I hear a lot about TEFL teachers in Thailand who seem to think that it’s a holiday with a wage that keeps them in beer and women, which disappoints me, but that’s up to them. I know that I’m earning my keep.

Hell, I really can’t stand those repulsive, overweight, old western men who come to this wonderful country and exploit the beautiful but vulnerable young women. It makes me gag to see them together, and I really feel like kicking the man’s ass, and taking the woman home and looking after her. Unfortunately, things are more complicated than that, so you have to keep your feelings on this kind of thing in check. It is my sincere hope that such relationships will no longer be necessary at some point in my lifetime.

Ajarn Chutima comes to my desk and asks me what I have for today’s lunch. I show her my tuna and pasta salad and she says, ‘dii maak’. That means that she thinks it’s great. I explain to her that it’s really quite easy to make and offer her the recipe. She seems really pleased to learn it. Ajarn Chutima is such a nice woman, and she’s always made an effort with me from the moment I began teaching here. Even when I spoke no Thai, she showed such patience and I really appreciate her kindness.

When you think about it, teaching at home becomes so unchallenging after a few years. You need experiences like this to remind you that you should push yourself instead of living in a self-imposed comfort zone. Not everyone agrees with me on this, but everyone supports me in what I’m trying to do. I want my professional life to be enriched and inspired constantly. Working in Thailand with some great teachers allows me this opportunity.

At the morning meeting we learn of two more students who were caught smoking at the Seven Eleven. It’s so disappointing that they have nothing to do but get up to no good. We have to try and understand them, though, and get in touch with their feelings. Only through such communication can we hope to have them appreciate their failings and act on them. I chat with Ajarn Pornchai about it, and I think he agrees with me, though perhaps he does not fully understand what I am trying to say. I work hard at my Thai, but it is still far from perfect, unfortunately. It is really important to show that you are making an effort at the language in order to integrate and gain respect. I hope that it is something that I have done successfully.

In class, the students’ eyes light up when I walk in. They are so cute, and it gives me such a feeling of warmth to see their smiles. We talk about their hobbies and play Pictionary. It is great fun. Some of the boys at the back were sleeping, but it is important to understand the reasons for this. Many of them travel long distances to get to school and work outside of study hours. It is natural that they get very tired. After class, Ajarn Paiboon and I discuss the merits of the lesson and ways to make it better. We agree that it went well, but that the questioning went on a little long and that some of the students got a little restless. No problem in resolving that. It is really important for me to keep improving my teaching methods, and I will never rest on my laurels. You are only as good as your last lesson.

I have an hour of free time so I go to a domestic science class and join the students in learning how to make spring rolls. It is great to see them outside the confines of the English class and such fun to take in one of their classes with them. We are just like buddies rather than students and teacher. When the spring rolls are ready, we exchange each others, and they are delicious. Thank you Ajarn Maleeya for teaching me how to make such a lovely dish. It may not be the healthiest thing in the world, but eating it once in a while shouldn’t upset my diet unduly.

I’m not over concerned about my waistline or anything, but it is hyper important to look good, and this is the key to feeling good. Geoff sometimes teased me about having a little spare flesh around the belly, but I showed him that I could dedicate myself to a strict regime of exercise and healthy eating. I guess it was another way in which I showed that I could stand on my own two feet. I will never be in danger of being anorexic or anything like that, but I sure don’t want to get fat.

In the third period, I discuss the team teaching plan for the fourth period with Ajarn Wannaporn. She is a young teacher and is still getting used to the students, but I think she will be great at her job once she has a bit of experience behind her. She asks me if I have any ideas. Of course I do. I have many. We decide to do something fun and to enjoy English with the class. I teach them how to order food at a restaurant and then we play bingo, which is just great. About ten boys are talking, sleeping and walking in and out of the classroom, but they are just a little tired or restless as they have been in class all morning, and it is a little hot outside. After class, Ajarn Wannaporn goes to the toilet, and I do not get a chance to talk to her about the lesson. Some of the boys in that class are a little mean to her, but that is just their age. I hope they will mature and treat her better in the near future.

Teaching back in the States, I never stood for students showing me a lack of respect. Hell, any kid who stepped out of line was immediately given a ticket to the principal’s office, and that was something only the craziest ass wanted. We were lucky to have such a strong principal to back up the staff. In some schools, the principal does not want to be a part of the discipline procedure, but ours was always happy to scare the living wits out of those who threatened harmony in the classroom. Here in Thailand there is not the same emphasis on discipline, but that is only because they offer the kids the chance to make their own decisions. They are responsible for their own behaviour and still they manage to be great on most occasions. There is much less violence as well, and that shows that something is working with the way they educate their young boys and girls.

At lunchtime, Ajarn Chutima and I talk about the flora and fauna of the surrounding countryside and how pretty they are. I eat my tuna and pasta salad and my dear colleague kindly offers me some somtam, which is a spicy papaya salad. She says that we must make somtam together some time. I agree and look forward to it.

I have fifth period free and discuss the team teaching plan for the sixth period with Ajarn Paiboon. We agree on the same procedure as the first class with a few adjustments in timing. He’s such a great man to teach with because we can be completely straight with each other concerning a lesson’s strengths and failings. He is very popular with the students too, and this is a great help in our relationship with the class. When students like the teacher, they will work for him or her.

Sixth period with the third years goes really well. A couple of students are a bit naughty and keep shouting out obscenities in English, and about five boys sleep, but it is last period and perfect behaviour cannot be expected. We should not forget the fact that kids will be kids. This applies in any country in the world. After class, we conclude that it was fun despite the attempts of the few to disrupt.

After all classes have finished I get ready to present English club. Today, we are going to watch the first half of ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ and talk about it. Only two girls come, so I guess the others are all busy with sport and study. It is great to be able to talk to the students in this environment and to see their passion for learning English. It gives me such pleasure to feel that I have been responsible, in some way, for that passion.

At the end of English club, I go to the staff room and drink coffee with Ajarn Paiboon. I want to speak to Ajarn Wannaporn about tomorrow’s team teaching, but I am told that she went home early, feeling sick. Oh well, there will be plenty of time tomorrow. At five o’clock, it is time to leave as I have a Thai dancing class in the evening. I say goodbye to everyone and they thank me for my hard work. On the way home I pick up some fish at the local store and get a little more than I asked for. I prepare some rice and tofu at home to eat with the fish. It is very healthy.

Thai dancing class is great as there are so many interesting and kind old ladies. I have become friends with the teacher too as she is about my age. I never really had the chance to do this sort of thing for my own pleasure when I was with Geoff. We always seemed to hang out together and though sometimes it was fun, it would have been nice to do my own thing every now and then.

After class we go to a café and drink fruit shakes. She’s such an interesting person. It’s about half-past nine when I get home and get ready for bed. It’s actually a little later than I would like as it does not allow me the full eight hours sleep that I like to get, but that is no big deal. I brush my teeth, swallow a Prozac and a sleeping pill, and I sleep…

(End of Chapter 1.)

Paul Murphy

© Paul Murphy. All rights reserved by the author. ISBN: 974-272-938-7

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