This morning the school at Wat Klang sent a van to pick me up because it is quite a distance from my house. Ayutthaya is similar in size to the Twin Cities. The city is about a million with another two million in the greater area.
The school buildings are quite different from Wat Salapoon though the layout in all schools is basically the same. They are two story with the north side mostly open air with the hallways on the open air side. The difference is that here at Wat Klang (Wat means temple) the buildings are much older and made of wood versus concrete. Most Thai public schools are located on the grounds of Buddhist temples. I do have at least one Muslim student here.
I'd understood that I'd teach a Kindergarten class today. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that I would be teaching a 4th and 5th grade class. In the 5th grade class, I was about to wind down the lesson at the end of the hour, when, the teacher said "This class is two hours."
Thanks to my friend, Liz, I think I was able to hold their attention for two hours. It's always a good idea to use the old school teacher's trick of having twice as much material as you think you'll need.
My initial impression is that the students at Wat Klang and Wat Salapoon come from similar socioeconomic back ground. I was very warmly received. The students certainly are not regimented but are respectful.
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