Getting To Know You 2

If you don't sit down, I'll kiss you! 

Discussing about the winter break:

Teacher: Do you think it is cold in Bangkok?

Student: No, but Spain was.

Teacher: Ah, which part of Spain did you go?

Student: Singapore!

Asking a student who's new in class:

Teacher: May I know where you came from?

Student: From my mommy's tummy.

Talking about manners:

Teacher: Can you please do your work?

Student A: WHAT!?

Student B: That's not polite, you have to say pardon me.

Teacher 2: What?

Teacher 1: She just said, it is not polite to say what, say pardon me.

Student C: Pardon me WHAT!?

Overheard children talking:

Student A: I'm on the table. (with an Australian accent)

Student B: Teacher, he said he is from Thailand.

Teacher: Are you sure? But he is from Australia.

Student B: No, he said, I am a Thaiboy.

Discussing pertinent items regarding our project work:

Teacher: When will the police officer let go of the bad guy from jail?

Student: When he dies.

Teacher: Why?

Student: So he cannot run away!

We Don't Teach These Things

Of course, there will be always the words children utter ....

Franco: "I have a new word for you, "Buggerbutt!"

Aiden: "If I sit on it (referring to a drum stick), it will poke my ass crack!"

Sojo: (speaking loudly) "We should never use the words dumb, stupid and idiot in class, isn't it T. Jonathan?"

Kristine: "MOVE AWAY!
T. Jonathan: "Be polite please."
Kristine: "MOVE AWAY PLEASE!"

Teacher: Good Morning Liya.
(Liya ignores teacher.)
Teacher: Good Morning Liya.
(Liya seems unperturbed.)
Teacher: Liya, when someone says good morning, what do you say?
Liya: NOTHING!

Kids!

My four year old students are funny and the classroom is always a room filled with laughter.

Jack: There are aliens in every planets except Earth.

Teacher: Planets? Like what planets?

Jack: like Africa

Presenting the letter M

Something you put in your hand if you need to touch something hot…

Clue: Sounds like kitten.

Alicia: I know…meow?

Lucas: Who wants to go to my house?

Everybody raised their hands.

Madeline: I don’t know where you live. You need to give me an address.

Lucas: I cannot go. I have no dress, I am a boy.

Teacher: “What should we do with our neighbours together?”

Answers: play, eat, sleepover, watch tv

Alicia: Take a bath together.

Teacher: I was told you met Reinier and Felix at Starbucks. Do you like the drinks at Starbucks?”

Johnathan: “Yah, I like drinking beer!”

Felix hitting me to ask for help.

Teacher: “Please say excuse me if you need something, ok?”

Felix: Kiss me, kiss me!

Aino: Don't copy me.

Deena: I don't copy me.

Names Galore

One of the fascinating things about Thailand is the name given to a new born child. Aside from their proper names, they are given nick names that consists of Thai words which has meanings both literally and creatively.

I remember having a class many years ago where three of my students are named after food: Voon (jelly), Donut and Yam Roll. Then there's the other class, former students of mine called Cookie and her cousin Eclair. Throw in a child named Pizza and another called IceCream and I probably had a party that year.

I was fortunate to have two sets of triplets one year in my teaching career and they are aptly called Neung (one), Song (two), and Sarm (three). The first set of triplets were a boy and two girls while the second one were two boys and one girl. Irregardless of their sex, the names are used to distinguish who was born first among the three siblings. One of the set of triplets got another sibling and you might have guessed his name, Si meaning four.

There are many names given to children of which they bring as they grow old such as Mook, Pim, Nat, Pee, Naam, Shin and the like. Foreign sounding names are also in such as Tempo, Ice, Print, Guitar, Mint, Elle, Gunza, and Music.

I have a colleague whose name is Last because she is the youngest in the family while her brother is named First. My subsitute trainer is named Glang which means middle so I was right when I told him that he must be the middle child. He showed me the photo of his brothers and told me that there are three of them in the family. The eldest is named Yai (big) and the youngest is Lek (small) so put them together, one would have three different sizes. For a while, I stopped and smiled as my intriguing mind was making note whether the sizes would mean another thing. Guess I just have to put the matter into rest since there's no way I will be able to find out, naughty me!

If you are wondering what mine is, I mean, my Thai name, it's Hern Fah.