Life's too short

Life is too short to spend energy, time, and money tearing down the happiness of other human beings. My cousin sent me the following email this morning and I would like to share it with anyone who has the compassion to understand.

Have you heard that Ken Starr -- and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund -- filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and attempting to forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year?

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, with a decision expected within 90 days. The Courage Campaign has created a video called "Fidelity," with the permission of musician Regina Spektor, that puts a face to those 18,000 couples and all loving, committed couples seeking full equality under the law.Please watch this heartbreaking video now. If you have the same reaction that I did, please help me spread the word by sharing it with your friends and family

The more people who see this video, the more people will understand the pain caused by Prop 8 and Ken Starr's shameful legal proceeding. After you watch the video, please join me and over 200,000 people who have signed a letter to the state Supreme Court, asking them to invalidate Prop 8 and reject Starr's case.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.


For more information: www.couragecampaign.org

In the Words of My Students

[This post was used as classroom material.  In hindsight, perhaps I gave my students a bit too much freedom of speech -wink*.  Either way, they seemed to enjoy the hands-on activity of posting their own thoughts to the blog.]


So, I believe it is time to hear from my students. What do Thai highschool students have to say? How do they feel about my presence at their school? About the English language? What's on their mind? I teach grades M1 and M4 (in the U.S. this would be 7th and 10th grades). I teach four sections of M4. Below are some thoughts of my students, enjoy!

M4/1

We are M4/1

I think the time is too short.One year pass so quickly.About our beloved teacher,we love her beautiful eyes, sweet smile and friendly looking. Althought we have known her for a year,

but we think it's the most wonderful time for English class. We won't forget everything we did together. We will keep all happiness and good memories in our hearts. Good luck my beloved teacher.

I'm so happy to meet you. Every English class I'm funny with speaking English. I hope you will be successed in everything you do. [Minnie]

I love Yunho the leader of Korea boyband call DongBangShinKi do you know.I like to play Sung the country’s music instrument from the north of Thailand. I want to tell you “You are very strong beautiful girl”. Don’t forget me. {Mod ^^]

I’m PIM. I love to learn English with you. You has sweet smile, kind, and beautiful. If you have opportunity I hope you will come to PCC_CR again. [PIM]

Before you arrived PCC, I had many guess who is the new foreign English teacher. Is he or she smart? Is he or she kind? When I met you,Kru Paige. You are very beautiful with your blue eyes. The time that we study together is special time. When you come back to your home I hope you miss us in PCC and good things that happen when you stay with us. I ever told you I want to study in USA and not a long time I will go to your country for study math. Are you cheering me?
So long!!! And Good Luck!!!---[Micky]

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M4/2

Message from m.4/2: First time that we saw you.....O O She's so beautiful teacher wow .Do you know, you have a beautiful smile.We learn much more about English from you.In English class, we always happy to learn.You make us love English.Finally,we want to tell you.........We Love Kru Paige very much and we will remember you for ever.We hope you will come back.^^

I'm most beautiful in this class ha ha. [Beer]

I'm the most perfect girl and freshy girl in this class.[Fern]

I'm a fart gal in this class.[Parn]

I like you and your friends (Kali).[May]

Because I'm lovely.[Praew]

I love Kru paige.You're lovely and beautiful.[Yukyui]

wow wow Do you know me I'm a little girl who has big black eyes hahaha.I love your smile.[Guitar]

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M4/3

We think English is very fun and important for us.

Kru Paige is very beautiful 555++ (ha ha ha!) ^^" and kind. [Sai, Bell, & Ploy]

We think English is fun, happy, relax, and not serious. We love it very much if we studied with Kru Paige 555++. Kru Paige easy smile funny, kindness and important. Kru Paige is beautiful. WE LOVE U. [Beer, Fern, & Ploy(Pim)]

Kru Paige is pretty girl. Joke. When I seeing kru Paige I'm feel very happy. Finally I love Paige very very much. [Narenrit (Khong)]

The big memory in my heart isn't lost. "Love you Kru Paige" [Bite]

I love English language and Kru Paige very much. [Golf ^_^]

English isn't difficult when I learn it with Kru Paige. You are a great teacher and you have smile everyday. I love you very much ^^. Love Eng. [Big Khong]

"kru paige" DONT FORGET ME AND 4/3

English is fun. Kru Paige change the world. hahaha!

Kru paige is very lovely and friendly for me. I hope, we will meet together. You make me like to study English language. [Nai]

TO...Kru Paige All of our time that we study together, it makes me to know many things, friendship and true care. I wanna tell you. Our memory always on our mind. We always walk together. [JAMZ] 4/3

Thanks for everything that make me to meet you. It's a short time but it is the best time.

The first, I study English it is funny. Teacher of English is very lovely. I like to read and speak English because of teacher, I Love you. Thanks you. [ Nam 4/3]

Teacher, I feel fun & happy, when I'm learn with you...I'm happy very much. I feel nice to meet you...I hope we will meet in future!! [Junior 4/3]

Kru Paige It's cool [Lukouei]

55+ I love u kru paige. You so beautiful!!

I'm happy for everyday when you live in PCC Chiangrai. love you very much.

*From photo: "Please remember us. for now & forever. You're my favourite English teacher. I like you every much. Although you come back to USA, But I think I never forget you. [Miw 4/3 NO.29] Ps. I like red hot chili peppers. (^w^)"

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M4/4

WE ARE 404

After we study with KRU PAIGE we think English is fun and beautiful language

.......U can remember SWAY channel by ours ............

In that time we lovely and funny to take a clip

so try ^o^ and very late e e e e.

"we 're sorry"

Kru paige is beautiful teacher and friendly teacher [ "404*]

I'm very beautiful of our class ^^ {view*}

I love you teacher .i promise don't forget this memmory of me with U ^o^

When U miss me you can go to PCC and come back to ours "SWAY CHANNEL" . --

[MOOK*]

I'm so hot (ha ha ..)[- -*]

U can help me to speak English language "THANK YOU"[Ging]

I LOVE U , I want to go USA wooo o w and when U miss me You can chat and E-mail [ice_SIN_02131@hotmail.com][ice*]

I like your smile~~ ^^[may]

you are good as teacher for me ^-^ [Eing]

Would you mary me ???? (ha ha~~)

I LOVE YOU ^^

You DON'T FORGET OURS AND WE DON'T FORGET U TOO

BYE BYE !

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Fulbright Teaching in Thailand

Contemplating a Better World
through Cross-cultural Education

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Paige Battcher

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, 2008-2009

Princess Chulabhorn's College, Chiang Rai, Thailand

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In a few words, this experience has forever changed my life.

ORIENTATION

Orientation in Bangkok, provided by the Thailand-U.S. Educational Foundation (TUSEF), was exceptionally well-organized, beneficial, and a brilliant start to continually enriching experiences in Thailand. The orientation program offered to the ten ETA grantees, including myself, lasted five weeks. In addition, TUSEF provided us with ample accommodation and a more than generous settling-in stipend. Orientation was held at and in partnership with Chulalongkorn University’s College of Education. Personally, I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to study and learn at one of Bangkok’s most prestigious universities.

Our accommodation, Suskit Nives International House, was located a short walk away from the University. It was located on a small street (soi) and close to plenty of street (hawker) food. Indeed, the first vivid memories of my emersion into Thai culture are of sitting on the crowed street near the dormitory trying feebly to order dinner for myself and others.

The language training we received during orientation was, without a doubt, invaluable. After 30 hours of Thai language training I was able to order food, give simple directions, talk about my background and family, and most importantly make good first impressions with Thai people by introducing myself and using basic conversational words. Thai people are easily impressed and incredibly encouraging toward foreigners who modestly attempt to speak their language –I have found that it is not only fun but rewarding to speak Thai with local people. By practicing Thai and often butchering the words (there are five tones for single-syllable vocabulary), I remind myself that learning a language is about one’s willingness to speak, one’s willingness to practice regardless of possible mistakes –this has helped me step into the shoes of the students who are learning my native language.

Orientation offered me an experienced-based approach to teacher training. Training sessions incorporated doing rather than simply listening to lectures; on a daily basis we were asked to practice implementing the teaching techniques being taught. The greatest practice during orientation was the opportunity we were given to teach at a local girl’s school in Bangkok for five days. At the end of the week, we smiled knowing that we would soon be teaching our own students in the provinces, and were incredibly grateful for the chance to have had real classroom experience and personal feedback during orientation.

We also had the opportunity to spend two days and one night at the home of a local Thai family connected with the Rotary Club of Bangkok. My home stay experience was exceptional to say the least, and I was pleased to have been welcomed so graciously into their home.

All things considered, I would be challenged to think of a more well-rounded orientation program. It was incredibly generous of the TUSEF staff to extend such huge amounts of time, support, and energy into our development as scholars new to Thailand.

MOVING TO CHIANG RAI

After five weeks of orientation, we said goodbye to our fellow Fulbrighters and headed to separate schools throughout the country. The transition from Bangkok to our schools in the provinces was well organized by TUSEF. They arranged for each of us to have a member of the TUSEF staff accompany us to make sure we were settled-in, to help us establish a bank account, and to ease the inevitable qualms of moving to a new place alone.

 Meeting the faculty at Princess Chulabhorn’s College Chiang Rai was great. I nervously tried to use the Thai I had learned over the past few weeks to explain a bit about myself and my background. I met the other two American teachers who had just arrived at the school the day before. And, I was introduced to the house on campus where I was to live. This house, once strange and barren to me, now feels like home –full of memories and homemade, desperately concocted decorations. My first week at Chulabhorn’s College Chiang Rai (PCC) was distinctly worrisome to be perfectly honest. I was actually ill-prepared as far as my wardrobe was concerned. My dress pants which were suitable for meetings in Bangkok were unacceptable in a school full of skirts. I wanted so badly to make a great impression and I felt nervous that my clothing was potentially offensive. I felt nervous about many small things which I later realized was a waste of stress on my life. With the purchase of a few skirts and the establishment of a routine, things started falling into place and I became less nervous and more interested in getting to know the people around me.

Adjusting to a new environment is always potentially nerve-racking. For my life, I like to keep an optimistic attitude and an open-mind. When I moved to Chiang Rai I also had the advice of P’Tip (the director of TUSEF and personal mentor) in my thoughts. Her advice was this: “give yourself ENOUGH time to adjust.” Sounds like common sense huh? However, consider the emphasis on enough. Consider the possibility that giving yourself time is only sensible if you allow yourself enough time to adjust –however long enough time is for you personally.

Princess Chulabhorn’s College Chiang Rai is a co-ed boarding school with nearly 800 students enrolled in grades M1 to M6 (the U.S. system equivalent of 7th through 12th grade). Working with the students at PCC has been and continues to be incredibly rewarding. The students here are particularly bright and hardworking. Of course I have had my set of struggles thus far teaching English as a foreign language, but the caliber of the students at PCC has allowed me to be more creative in the classroom and with project assignments.

LIVING, LEARNING, AND TEACHING

The people, the food, the students, the faculty, the school, and the mountains brilliantly painted on the Chiang Rai horizon –I can’t help but to smile. I am truly happy to be living in this amazing country. My life in Thailand is easy-going and filled with people who are kind, unboundedly generous, and generally worry-free. I find it hard putting into words how much I appreciate the people around me, the people I have met along the way, and the people I am sure to meet in the coming days and weeks.

Teaching in this country has been challenging and rewarding all the same. I am consistently impressed by my students. Watching the ones that shy away from English begin to come out of their shell as they feel more comfortable speaking in my class gives me a great feeling. Having personal interactions with the ones who are most motivated and inspired by the English language is the message I crave confirming my role here as important and worthwhile.

I have met administrators from Israel, Korea, and Singapore who have worked on projects with the administration at PCC –some of the projects being student exchanges. And, how is it that these projects can exist among such different cultures? The answer: English. To say that the English language is becoming the most important language in the world is not to egotistically boast as a native speaker (I just happened to have grown up speaking this particular language). Rather, it is to be optimistic about a world so smart and so creative that the spread of English can be looked at as a way to create a universal language –to help the human race communicate more effectively. In my humble opinion, most problems of violence that plague this Earth are a result of poor communication. Why not progress toward the idea of creating a universal means of communication?

I am doing my best to help Thai students express themselves more clearly to people from other countries through the English language. I couldn’t tell you how effective I am as a teacher, but I can tell you that I certainly try. It is hard to distinctly measure my “progress,” but I have had my share of successes since beginning my grant here in Thailand.  Looking ahead, I will continue to work hard and encourage my students.

Outside of the classroom, I volunteer at New Zealand Educational Services (N.E.S.) language school, where I co-teach an English conversation class for a group of local nurses.  Also, I organize an English Game Club three nights a week for students at Princess Chulabhorn; it's primarily my 7th grade students who attend, and we have great fun playing games such as Monopoly, Bingo, Sorry, Uno, and others. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE FULBRIGHTERS IN THAILAND

My suggestions are both specific and general by nature. The most important thing to remember is to always have optimism in your life. With optimism comes a more beautiful life. Jump into this experience and don’t hold back. Other suggestions, in no particular order, are perhaps best expressed through bullet points:

* Get to know the TUSEF board members. They are incredible people and provide a support network and makeshift family for you in Thailand.

* Give yourself ENOUGH time to adjust.

* Take advantage of every opportunity.

* Be humble and don’t ask for too much.

* Be happy to learn the Thai language.

* Be creative in the classroom. After all, we are speaking teachers, not grammar teachers. Try not to find yourself rigidly attached to the idea of what teaching ought to be. Allow yourself the freedom to create a more dynamic classroom.
* Organize an English Camp! Here's how.

LASTLY

I would like to express my appreciation for anyone who is living or working in a foreign country. As it seems, I am a cultural ambassador, a term I am still trying to specifically define. As much as it is my role to be a language teacher, I have also been offered this opportunity by U.S. and Thai governments cooperatively to be a cultural ambassador. My role here in Thailand should help create, maintain, and strengthen mutual understanding.

Perhaps mutual understanding among the people of this Earth is the most important thing we can do to promote a more peaceful world. My role as an cultural ambassador can be measured on a daily basis. It is through humility and listening that I live in harmony with ideas or cultural differences that could be “foreign” to me. I am putting forth my best effort to be an agent of positive change, to help others understand my cultural upbringing, and to show understanding for the upbringings of others.

Chook dii (good luck and best wishes)

Paige

Accomplishments, Spontaneity & Consciousness

FULBRIGHT REPORT: Most recently I finished and submitted my mid-grant report for Fulbright. It was sort of intense for me to summarize and sufficiently explain how I feel after several months of living and teaching here in Thailand. I hope that my words adequately express my gratitude and appreciation felt, maturity and cultural awareness gained, teaching challenges overcome, and teaching rewards enjoyed. For those who are interested, I will be posting part of my report soon.

FLIGHT TO KL: It became evident on our first trip to Mae Sai (the Thailand-Myanmar border) that in order for Kali and I to travel during the last few weeks of my grant, we would need to arrange for her to get a longer visa extension. We had little choice but to purchase a roundtrip flight out of Thailand in order to re-enter the country with a new 30 day visa. Therefore, we have officially booked a flight and four-day vaca to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. Can’t wait!

DERBY FESTIVAL, HERE WE COME: Kali and I signed up for it last week. For the Kentucky Derby Festival every year in Louisville, thousands of runners gather for a half and full marathon. This year, Kali and I will be two of the thousands running the full marathon –26.2 miles, can you believe it? We’re already training, but most importantly we are coming up with ideas for matching t-shirts for the race!

BANKER TO THE POOR: Reading Muhammad Yunus's book about micro-lending through Grameen bank and similar programs, poverty in Bangladesh and poverty worldwide, has really got me thinking. The thesis of his book is about the use of financial credit to uplift people from poverty and break the cycle that has trapped them into poverty for so long. Social consciousness is the underlying theme of his book. It’s about fitting a consciousness of social issues into the context of a free market –about transforming capitalism to reward human-potential-maximization over profit-maximization. It’s got me thinking, thinking about my future as a wage earner, perhaps as an entrepreneur, but ultimately as a socially conscious human being ready to take action.

Much love to everyone.

Doin' it BIG in Chiang Mai

Two weeks ago included an unexpectedly adventurous weekend in Chiang Mai. On Wednesday morning, P’Tor the director of the English Deparment at PCC, Alicia, Kirsten, and I went to Mae Fah Luang University for a presentation titled “Teaching English to Young Learners” by a woman from Maryland. That afternoon, the school was cleared out of all students, for it was scout week –yep, you read correctly, boy scouts and girl scouts. Kali and I decided to take advantage of a few days off work and headed to Chiang Mai (about three and a half hours by bus).

On Thursday we arranged to join a tour about an hour outside of the city. We were picked up from our hostel in the city around 9am. We returned to the hostel around 6pm wet, cold, and excited about all that we experienced during our adventurous day outdoors. We visited an Akha tribe village, rode elephants through the mountains (while feeding them bananas and sugar cane), hiked to a waterfall, played with slingshots, went white water rafting, and went bamboo rafting (which was more like bamboo wading, seeing as how we were submerged in water).

(the people we spent the day with --first stop, Akha village)

(our guide explained that the people of the tribe make and use baskets made of bamboo --and that unlike the backpacks we use, their packs are biodegradable)

(a village child --absolutely adorable)

(the elephant camp in its entirety)

(feeding sugar cane from on top of the father elephant --notice how he stores the sugar cane, until we give him more)

(Kali's arm & more elephant feeding --the beast could eat five at once!)

(the baby tagged along for the whole 1 hour journey)

(at the waterfall -- our guide)

(living and loving life!)

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Friday, we went on a tour called “Flight of the Gibbon” (Gibbon = type of local monkey) where we zip lined high above the jungle floor for nearly two hours, then visited a waterfall, and enjoyed great food in the Maekampong mountains outside of Chiang Mai.

Flight of the Gibbon

(we look like crazy lost construction workers)

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That afternoon, we took a songklaw / songtail (mix between a tuk tuk and a station wagon) to Mae Rim, about twenty minutes north of Chiang Mai. We visited the Tiger Temple and spent a half hour playing with and sleeping with tigers. I have been inexplicably captivated by tigers, the most majestic animal on this planet, since childhood. What an incredible experience!

Tiger Kingdom