runaway princess…

My kindergarten 3/1 class was amazingly quiet except for the chatterbox up front -

Kan.

  While all her friends were attentively drawing as I assigned them to, one of my could-be-enemies-if-I-was-still-growing-up was yapping louder than a sound system, distracting her nearby friends.

I stopped and stared at her paper thinking of how on earth I should shut her up. Candies never worked on these children.  Slamming the huge wooden ruler worked only for few seconds. Being angry meant creating unwanted wrinkle on my 23 year old face and certainly a waste of breath.  Shushing them as I have done to Western children has been a gesture well ignored amongst Thai children. 

The little 5 year old giggled obnoxiously sticking her tongue out to me.  Indeed, she’s one of my intelligent ones, but if it’s one thing I hate about Thai students is that they allow their astuteness to be accompanied by plain arrogance.

“Your picture is ugly.”  I told her flatly, breaking a very important rule in teaching Thai children – no criticism allowed at any time or place, yet I discovered that very rule to be THE method in stopping Thai children from doing anything – talking included.  The kids around her gasped then giggled softly. 

Kan

stopped her gibbering and stared at me with wide eyes.

Good girl.

“Is mine beautiful?” A girl next to

Kan

asked me.

“Yes it is.”  I let out my fake million dollar smile.

“What about mine?”  A boy showed me his unattractive drawing.

“It’s lovely.”  I said acting out the number one rule in teaching Thai children – always compliment no matter what.

Kan

curled her eyebrows kicking her desk mercilessly.  She threw her color pencil, which hit the white board.  Her friends laughed harder. The little girl then grabbed a few utensils and began slamming it on her desk.

You should be caged in a zoo next to the lions.

“Finish your drawing.”  I said to her without a smile.

“No!”  She shouted.

“Why not?”  I kept my voice stable.

“You said my drawing is not beautiful.”

“Well, it’s not. How can you draw beautifully when you talk more than looking at your paper?”  I said flatly. 

“I won’t draw anymore!”  The little girl threw a ruler across the room and hit her classmate - Bo.  My annoyance was at the tip of my tongue allowing my patience to disappear.

“You idiot! You hit my glasses!”  Bo screamed walking to her desk and slammed the ruler on her chest.  He showed no mercy by slapping her on the head.  The class roared in laughter. I couldn’t help but to join.

Good boy.

“Sit down, Bo.” I winked watching the boy return to his seat with his chin up.

“You won’t finish your drawing because I said it’s ugly?”  I asked

Kan.

“Yes! I won’t do it.”  The little girl said haughtily.

“Well, it is ugly.”  I said leaving her to attend to others. 

Kan

began mumbling softly on her own, still with an angry face. 

“I don’t like you.”  She said giving me that I-wish-your-class-is-over look.

“I don’t like you either.”  I recited with a cold face, having a ball watching her little 5-year-old bratty ass turn for that ultimate displeasure toward me.

What terrible sin have I committed to have to put up with a little 5 year old like you for the past 7 months?!

“You are so mean!”  The little girl stood on top of her chair crossing her arm.

Oh, forget the zoo. Zoos are for tamed mammals.

“I can draw better than you though.”  With that,

Kan

sat back down and sulked on her own for the remaining 30 minutes of class.

So mocking them to the core shuts them up. Oh, peace at last.

———-

“Not a bad idea to try.”  Paul, my colleague stated.

“You’re an awful bitch!”  James stated laughing giving me a pat on the shoulder.

“And what else?”  I asked.

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