You've got this. Be kind but firm, gentle yet clear, and patient. Remember, you're the boss, Maria coached herself.
After a deep breath, she stepped into a bright classroom with refreshing air-conditioning. Two Thai women in yellow polo shirts stood among over a dozen kids sitting cross-legged on the tiled floor. It was too bad the class sizes would increase once camp was over. With her hands on her hips, Kru Jan lectured the students in a firm voice. The children repeated after their Thai teacher and remained focused on her.
Maria passed cubbies packed with backpacks half the size of these tiny kids, water bottles, and extra clothes. Along the outer wall, playhouses and baskets of toys distracted the daydreamer children. This class was equally if not more stocked than her childhood school.
"Please rise." When Kru Jan spoke in English, the children all stood. She motioned for Maria to come to the front. "Good morning, Miss Maria,"
"Good mo-ning, Miss Ma-lia" they repeated, each enunciated syllable melting Maria's heart. They put their hands together at their chests to wai to her. She could get used to their cuteness every day.
After returning the wai, she made eye contact with as many students as possible. "Good morning, class. How are you today?"
"I am fine, thank you. How are you?" the class chanted.
"I am wonderful, thank you." A grin spread across her face.
While most students gazed at her with wide eyes, a few fidgeted or studied the laminated alphabet posters on the wall. Maria ran her hands over her blouse and skirt to assure herself they were still there. What had she forgotten? The young Thai teacher showed a cute chair painted like a jaguar. Right!
"Sorry, please sit," Maria said.
The students followed her instructions and looked up attentively. How were the kids so well behaved? When she'd babysat two children this age, they'd bounced off the walls.
"I'm Miss Maria from Canada, and I will be your camp teacher. Are you excited?"
They answered with vacant stares. Her palms sweated. Maybe she was talking too fast. Sunshine had recommended using music and repetition, so she'd start there.
"Let's sing a hello song," she spoke slowly and clearly.
"Song!" half a dozen children repeated, and others clapped.
Phew, they didn't hate her yet. "I'm," Maria pointed to herself, "going to teach you," she pointed to the students, "a new hello song."
"I like songs!" A little boy in a green turtle shirt said and puffed out his chest.
Maria's chest warmed as she sang, "Hello, hello." When she gestured to the class, the students echoed her words. "How are you?" Their volume increased as they grew more enthusiastic. "I'm good. I'm great." One girl rocked back and forth on the floor. "How about you?"
Maria had them stand to add actions like waves and thumbs up. When they took turns echoing Maria, a girl in a ballerina t-shirt dress stayed seated. As Maria sang, she knelt next to the girl.
"Hello, what is your name?" Maria asked over the children screaming the song lyrics as if their volume defined the quality of their singing.
The girl stared at the floor and answered, "Ploy."
"Hi Ploy, how are you?" The girl shook her head, and her shoulders slumped further.
How could Maria engage her as the other munchkins? When she'd taught Sunday school, she'd give the ones who loved to interrupt the class tasks they took pride in, no matter how small. "Would you like to help me?" Maria asked.
After Kru Jan said a few words in Thai to the girl, she nodded and stood.
"I help," Ploy said weakly.
Maria smiled at the girl, pulled out her smartphone, and opened a video, hoping the Wi-Fi worked in class. After thirty seconds, the song was buffering.
"You have a very important job, Ploy. Play video." Maria showed her the red button. "And stop video."
With a grin and nod, Ploy took the phone. That was smoother than expected. Kru Jan guided her to an area with a cord to connect to the speakers and TV monitor. While it made Maria's life easier, she wondered if some tech money could have been spent paying the helpful Thai teachers better.
Maria clapped her hands together. "Okay, class."
No one stopped jumping and singing.
"Boys and girls, your attention please!" Maria said firmly and half of them listened. What else did she need to do, flash the lights?
The younger Thai teacher rounded up three boys who'd wandered off to play with toys in the basket and reprimanded them.
With the class quiet, Maria started. "Now, we will sing with music."
When the animated penguins appeared, the students cheered and paid attention. If only her words were as effective. Using the actions they'd practiced, the kids danced and belted out the lyrics with an impressive volume.
What Maria had expected would take five minutes doubled in duration. The children were adamant they repeat the song and dance, especially the part which asked 'What's your name', and the kids shouted theirs. At least they understood the question's meaning.
After they practised counting to thirty, she started the 'how long' game. Ploy was the first eager volunteer who jumped on one foot while the other children counted aloud. By the time they reached twenty-two, both her feet hit the floor, and a proud smile lit up her face. Maria gave her a high five, and Ploy sat beside her. The change in her demeanour was encouraging.
Next, an adorable boy with black shaggy hair named Champ had to walk to the bookshelf, pick a book and bring it to Maria without running. She read the story about curious cats to her captivated class.
Before long, the period ended, and she visited her second class of charming rascals. She fumbled less through her introduction, and one girl in pigtails jumped up and down, saying her big sister went to Canada this month, the Thai teachers translating for her. This class loved playing 'walk like an animal' as Maria taught them different ones they'd see on a safari to suit this week's travel theme. As the group was rowdier, she had to learn the names of the troublemakers: Boss, Sĭng-toe, and Porsche.
As Emma and Sunshine had explained, most Thai people had a nickname since their names could be lengthy like Pariwat Suwannatrai. Their parents picked a nickname like a nice Thai word like a colour, animal, or quality; a borrowed word from English; or a brand or product.
Maria and the Thai teachers prepared the kids for an early lunch at the cafeteria, so the students could eat before the older students. To avoid getting mixed up with the other kindergarteners, they wore orange smocks. The children lined up by height and gender, a demanding feat for young children, guided by the Thai staff.
The students followed her in near silence down the broad, covered path to the outdoor cafeteria. It resembled a curling rink without walls in its rectangular shape and with a domed ceiling. When they reached the buffet, Maria's eyes raked over the curries, noodles, and seafood behind the glass. Why had her coworkers snubbed the food? The curries were creamy, mussels plentiful, and the fried noodles scented the air with spice and fish sauce. If she was with grade four students, they could help describe each dish so she could better document the experience in her contest posts. But the kindergartens knew few English phrases. She was unsure if they'd even recognize the ingredients they were eating.
Maria pointed to dishes as the cafeteria worker filled her tray with plain rice, red curry, fried rice, mussels, and a clear broth soup with a tentacled leg floating inside. How neat would it have been for her classmates to share real cooked food available in Edmonton growing up instead of meals her peers grimaced at when they smelled fish? Not knowing the protocol for staff lunches, she sat with the Thai teachers at the table with the students.
As Maria ate, the kids beamed, and a few asked simple questions like 'how are you' and 'what is your name'. A taller girl with a round face, Mana, moved close to Maria and played with her hair with sticky hands, calling it 'pretty' and 'same like me'. Even with minimal personal space, Maria laughed and continued interacting with the little sweethearts.
Emma set her tray next to Maria's. "Enjoying the first day?"
"The kids loved the animal games." Maria turned to Mana, still more preoccupied with her teacher's hair than her food. "Show Miss Emma your lion."
Scrunching up her face, Mana made claws with her hands and roared. Maria's heart just about melted. Sunshine was right that she'd enjoy this teaching gig.
"Wow, you're fierce." After a bite of pad Thai, Emma looked around the near-empty cafeteria."I keep forgetting we're not on the same schedule as everyone else."
"They're going out for lunch, anyway."
With a furrowed brow, Emma rearranged the fried rice on her plate. "Figures."
"Something wrong?"
"Nah, things haven't changed."
"What do you mean?"
Emma's gaze moved to their coworkers, engaged in other discussions. "You'll see soon enough."