Wat Klang School again.

This morning my supervisor asked me to teach 4th grade the first hour followed by 3rd grade. As I headed off to the 4th grade she stopped me, pointed to the yard where students were busy picking up tree branches and changed the request to 3rd second hour followed by 4th.
The trees on the grounds in front of the school had been pruned and the students, grades 2-6, spent the first house taking all the branches to the end of the grounds where they were piled and burned. Several things struck me about this project. For example, all the students pitched in seemingly with out complaint, moving even the heaviest branches by group effort. There was minimal supervision and there were no students acting uncooperatively. The second grade class, with teacher, was left tending the fire with little obvious concern that some one might be burned. In a half hour the work was done.
While this was happening a band struck up at the temple across the grounds. Leading the parade were Thai women dancing, then the band, followed by a monk dressed in white robes. Bringing up the end of the parade were people bearing gifts. The parade circled the temple three times and then there was a ceremony ordaining the monk in white robes.
At some time in their life most Thai men spend time as a monk. Often they are a monk for three months but the time can vary. After their stint as a monk they return to their former life.
The 3rd grade teacher told me she had to go the the bank?, I think that's what she said, so I would be alone with her 20 3rd graders. At 9:30, the appointed time, I entered the 3rd grade classroom, the teacher was gone, and all the students were working in their workbooks. Class went fine without her. "Hello, my name is___. I am nine years old. I go to Wat Klang School."
Kathy W. gave me many tips on teaching ELL (English language learners) and she sent a cassette tape recorder with me. Today I used it with the 4th grade doing the exercise "Hello, my name is...." This recorder is going to come in very handy in the classroom.