More sparring this week at my Muay Thai Gym. I’ve found that my reaction speed is not up to par given the fact I’ve been eating so many jabs. Still a long way to go in that department. My shins feel stronger though, I’ve dropped the knee high socks I’ve been using during training that provided me extra cushioning. Progress is all I ask for as I constantly remind myself that it’s not about how well others are doing in the gym, it’s me against me.

 
In school this week, I handed out student of the month certificates to a student in each of my three classes. I left out my M3 (9th grade class). Both because I don’t feel any student has earned it and I want to jolt further disciplinary action to be taken upon them. It seems to have some effect on them, at least temporarily. Group A in the class has for the most part shut their mouths, and Group B instead of talking, have decided to sleep instead with half of the class snoozing during my past couple lessons. At least I don’t have to shout over them for the time being. 

I also made comments to the homeroom teacher that many of these M3 students would flat out ignore me if I greeted them in the hallway. They must have gotten lectured on that as well because these students are going out of their way to greet me. It honestly makes me feel uncomfortable as it seems so disingenuine. I think it’s common courtesy to respond when someone talks to you, especially if they are a higher up. With this said I feel like I have to consistently pull out wild cards to keep them in check, and I’ve been out of aces up my sleeve for the time being.

I also went to the Open House today, by the attendance of whose parents were there and whose weren’t I can see whose parents care more about their child’s education. I’ve learned a little more about individual students. One for instance is slightly autistic and struggles with all his subjects and another one whose a problem student is being raised by a single mother. Most of the parents I met were M1 parents, a handful of M2 and only 1 M3. I think this is another poor reflection on M3 and it was the mom of the worst (I think) student in M3 which is really saying something. I was quite blunt about my opinion of this student. Her mom said she was unaware of situation will have words with her son, guess I’ll see how that goes.

This open house has been a role reversing experience for me, a subsection of being a teacher in general, I’m so used to being students being on the other side still feel strange to me. The language barrier obviously made things a bit different. I had a translator next to me and I found it a bit amusing when parents asked me to tutor their child when I mentioned I tutored other students, one was even brazen enough to ask me to tutor her unmotivated child after school and on weekends. Just something to note.

Kingston S. Lim

August 4, 2019

Bangkok, Thailand