A typical day at Sunflower Kindergarten

I'm sure many of you are curious about all the little details about my school and how teaching in Thailand is similar and different than in America.

Here's a little bit about my school and a typical day at my school:

My school is a Kindergarten campus that feeds into the primary and secondary campus a few miles down the street. There are about 350 students at my school and they range from ages 2-6 years old. There are Kindergarten 1, Kindergarten 2, Kindergarten 3 classes, and nursery. I teach in the nursery and Kindergarten 1 classes.

- All students wear uniforms.

- I must dress in a specific color and wear my hair in a bun.

- Each student is taught Thai, English, and Chinese each day.

- A teacher takes me to school in her car at 6:40 and I leave at 4:30.

- My schedule varies each day. I teach 3-5 classes a day.

-Shoes are not worn in the classroom. We leave our shoes in the hallway.

- We have no technology in our school, no computers, ipads, smart boards.

- I eat lunch at school each day. We have a cook that cooks fresh food for the students and teachers each day. She cooks my food separate due to a dislike of seafood and spicy food .

- Only 3 teachers speak English which makes things a little more complicated.

-Most classes do not have air conditioning in the classroom. (I sweat through my clothes more often than I like to admit.)

Students take swimming lessons, ballet, or karate each day.

A few of my students in their uniform

A kindergarten classroom

The lunch room. The blue covers are to keep flies away until kids start eating.

My daily schedule looks a little something like this:

6:40- Leave for school with a teacher.

7:30- Do the Morning Boogie assembly. We ask students the day, the weather, how they feel and we sing/dance to a song in Thai, Chinese, and English.

8:40-11:00- Teach English classes.

11:00- Go to the cafeteria and tell the students what they are having for lunch in English and then eat.

11:30-2:30- Make lesson plans, grade papers, create manipulatives.

2:30-3:30- Teach an extra English class that the parents pay extra for.

3:30-4:00- One-on-one tutoring with a student.

Teaching in Thailand isn't always easy but the kids are absolutely precious and they always have a smile on their face. Although some days are extremely challenging, I already see myself becoming a better teacher. I'm learning to adapt to cultural differences, language barriers, and a lack of resources.

Through it all, God has guided me through each difficult and challenging situation. Moving across the world isn't for everyone but I'm incredibly thankful that I decided to trust God in the path He was leading me down. I often reflect on all the challenging times and I can see God working in me and growing me while I'm living here in Thailand. God continues to be faithful and gracious even when I doubt his purpose for me in Thailand.

With that being said, I have officially decided to extend my contract for another semester! I feel very at peace with my decision and I feel like I still have a lot of work to do here. I trust that God will continue to grow me while I make an impact on the students I teach each day.