“Would you like to teach them math?” This was the question I was asked two minutes after the class was supposed to start. My response….”er, em, um…okay.” I don’t know why I still get surprised at these curve balls. If teaching in Thailand taught me anything…it’s most definitely to always be prepared for ANYTHING! So today, I taught math. Thank goodness this is an elementary school and it was simply addition and subtraction….but it brought me so much joy. The typically quite, and shy students in my ESL class, just came alive and thrived with numbers! The equations on the board were not enough for them. They couldn’t stay in their seats (even though that’s pretty typical in this school) they were so excited to get their answers checked and to see how many they got correct. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

These kids seem to cherish the education they are receiving.  My Thai is very limited and my Mayan even more so…but I tend to get the sense from them that they actually enjoy school. Hard to imagine right? But I think I understand. After seeing their living conditions once again yesterday, I think I’d be happy to spend my day in a room full of children learning not only the basics but in three languages too. Through-out the day I hear all sorts of things the children are reciting. Numbers, letters, days of the week and all in different languages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeAJKJGsFfM&feature=youtu.be

These are numbers in the Mayan language.