More dubious news on the job front this week when a mysterious unsmiling stranger ( pictured ) began turning up in my classrooms.
Which would normally be no cause for alarm, except that she was clearly not a student, and said not a word. Not a nod, not a smile, not a hello, not a name.
I assumed I was being blessed with a new Thai co-teacher, and so it proved.
Now you might assume from the charming photo that the news was bad, but not so. It was worse. When I introduced myself it became clear that my Thai is better than her English.
Ulp. This is bad because this is the person who is supposed to do the following;
- relay the orders from On High
- help in teaching the class / giving students directions in Thai who might not have fully understood my English
- perhaps give suggestions as to classroom management and / or lesson plans.
And maybe I’m seeing things through Western Eyes, but I would have thought basic courtesy dictated at least an attempt to introduce herself to me. No matter which culture.
It seems not. I know better than most that ‘just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you’.
But it looks suspiciously like this outfit’s track record of keeping NES teachers in the dark and guessing continues unblemished.
The statue co-teacher has twice now moved my deadlines for exam setting and sitting forward with no notice.
It almost as if fostering a state of permanent fire-drill (hypervigilance if you must ) serves their purposes…