first week at Dipangkorn school

I've finished my first week as teacher assistant at Dipangkorn school, levels 1-6 in the Thai system, equivalent in age to grades 7 through 12 American. What an experience!

The school is actually Dipangkorn Wittayapat (Taweewattana) to distinguish it from other schools named for the king's grandson Dipangkorn. The school is under royal patronage, was originally named Wittayapat at its construction in 1955. The school consists of several buildings around a large central courtyard; three of the buildings are three-stories, which provides shade for the morning assembly. The classrooms are not air conditioned, but windows open on both sides of each class, into the hall and out to the perimeter of the school, which allows for a cross breeze. The teachers' rooms and directors office are air-conditioned, not kept terribly cold.

My current impression of the school and its students is: what a land of contrasts!

Monday morning the assembly was dedicated to a welcome for the new teacher from America--me!

The student body was gathered, seated cross-legged on the concrete courtyard facing the stage-flagpole area at the north side of the courtyard. They sang to the flag as the Thai flag was raised, then another song facing the Buddha shrine near the school entrance, then the Dipangkorn school song, and finally the song of Thailand. I have since learned that the unison speaking that comes next is sending love and goodwill to everyone in every land. This much has been standard each morning, takes about 15 minutes.

Monday morning I was instructed to come to the front with my advisor Jiaranai; she had prepped me to introduce myself in both English and Thai, had taught me to say "my name is" and "I come from". She made a speech in both English and Thai, the school director gave a speech in both English and Thai; I've saved his speech as a souvenir. Jiaranai lived for an AFS year in Oregon, so her English is fairly good. The director knows only what English he learned in school, so the first half of his speech sounded quite stilted; he relaxed visibly as he got to the Thai part. My turn--I stood facing 1600 attentive kids, holding a microphone