We finally got ourselves up early enough to go to work with Jarrett. He teaches English at a Thai school about 15 km from our house. We got up at 5:30 am, grabbed some homemade donuts from a shop on our walk to our ride, and headed out. The boys were sleepy, but excited.
The main school building with offices, middle school, and high school
We got to school about 7:30 am and dropped off all of our snacks and drinks and Jarrett dropped off his bag at his desk. All of the teachers of the upper grades and the principal have their office in here.
Jarrett was very popular and it took us a long time to get to opening ceremonies because of all the high fives:)
Panasonic originally built this school
The students from Kindergarten to High school all lined up for songs for their country and King and for Buddha.
Boys and girls were separated in the lines, but they were together in the classroom.
Buddhist chant with hands in prayer position
Peyton taking it all in
Plumeria tree. Jarrett said the first day on his job he was a little unsure, but then saw this tree and smiled.
Jarrett’s first class was in the younger kids’ building. It was older, but made of soft wood and very charming.
The children take off their shoes before going into the classrooms
Everyone wanted me to take their picture:)
Jarrett’s first class was elementary children, his aide, Ping, was at the front in the green shirt and helped translate for some parts.
Jarrett plays games every morning when he hands out their names tags. It was pretty funny. He would hold it high so they could not reach it, or act like he could not see them when they came up.
Conner thought it was so funny and tried to help the kids get their name tags:)
The bamboo sticks that all the teachers (not Jarrett) use to hit the children any where on their body. We saw it happen many times during our day there.
Jarrett gave the children an assignment and when they were done they all came up to show him. He drew pictures of Mickey Mouse or Angry Birds on each page to show they did a good job.
Part of their dress code is their short haircut. Even the high schoolers are required to have their hair cut to the bottom of their ears.
After his first class he had a break, so the boys played on the playground
Jarrett’s second class was older children, so the boys wrote their names on the board to introduce themselves.
Everyone wanted to take pictures of them.
And then lots of giggling ensued:)
Lunch was next, the students and the teachers eat under the same pavilion, but at different tables.
The students all eat the same food from these big pots, I didn’t look to see if they were served the same things as the teachers or not.
We majorly lucked out this day. They served white meat chicken and rice. The boys loved it.
Next class, more name tag games
To say that I was in love with this class is a major understatement. I seriously wanted to take them all home with us, and after I asked Jarrett and he said that they were his favorite class, shh, don’t tell.
Conner was a major celebrity and spent most of the class going around shaking hands.
The kids were giggling and yelling for him to come by their desk, but he barely cracked a smile. He was very serious about it and later told me in awe how everyone wanted to shake his hand and he could not believe it.
Conner, emboldened by his popularity, went to the front and started drawing silly pictures of Jarrett on the chalk board.
His popularity soared.
This is Jarrett in a diaper with a mustache.
Peyton spent most of the day working in a notebook that Jarrett’s principal gave him. He practiced spelling words and would come and show them to me to see if he had them spelled correctly. Jarrett and I talked after how we were surprised how social Conner was and how happy Peyton was just watching.
Jarrett has made up many songs for all of his classes, but this class had memorized them all and sung them loud and proud.
Did I mention that I wanted to take them home?
The boys are lost in this sea of children after the class got out for more hand shakes.
All the girls from this class were so precious. I sat on a bench outside after class and gave them all hugs. Then one of them asked for a kiss on her cheek and then a line formed and I was getting and giving millions of kisses on their soft little cheeks:)
It was such a special day and we all had so much fun. The boys want to go with Jarrett to work every day now and we probably will start to go if we can get up and out the door. It makes it even more amazing that we can make a living doing such an amazing job. We even efile our taxes for back home in the States quickly and easily online
I fell even more in love with Jarrett yesterday as I watched him teach. He is the best person I know at living in the moment and he poured himself into each class and it was so endearing to watch. I was also very impressed with his creative teaching skills since this is not his degree, and I saw him do so many things naturally that I have read many books on in creative ways to teach the boys.
It was also so fun to watch the boys in such a different environment than they are used to. They were so adapting and fun-loving and enjoyed being with all the children. It was a very special day for all of us.
OH i love this!! What an amazing day! I could see how amazing Jarrett is with the kids, he looks like the coolest teacher ever! you can see how they adore him in each picture. What a relief that the have a break from the bamboo sticks with him! I cannot stop smiling and giggling about the boys!! Conner is a crack up! Of course they adored them both:) You could tell how special he felt in that serious face:) I knew they would all love you too! i bet you made their day with those cheek kisses, how precious! I am so glad you posted this, I have been dying to know how it went! Love you and so proud of JRock and you and the boys!
he really is such a fun teacher, the kids skipped into his class with the biggest smiles:) And Conner was and still is making Jarrett and I laugh, it was so darling to watch him. And I was in heaven kissing and hugging them, it made me think my Auntie side is getting seriously neglected and I need to see my nephews and nieces. hopefully soon. love you sister
I hope sooner rather than later:) you are the best aunite!!! love you so much.
I used to teach before I had kids:) The one thing that I loved seeing out of all those pics was the teacher in flip flops!!!!!
how fun! It was such a blast, I love teaching the boys at home, but we also had so much fun being a part of a bigger group, Jarrett let me teach a little-it was fun:) and yes the lady teachers wore slip on shoes or flip flops, they looked pretty comfortable compared to poor jarrett in his long sleeved shirt and dress pants!
Except for the hitting, that’s my elementary school life right there. I am very happy that you are enjoying life in Thailand. And omg, the boys are turning into celebrities, aren’t they?
all of us here would love to give you hugs and I guess the little Thai kids already gave you tons on our behalf. 
but here’s more cyber hugs anyway o==(‘.’)==o
that is so fun about your elementary school life, did you like it? did you have to have short hair? if so did you like it? I notice a lot of the Thai women have long hair so I wondered if they grow it out as soon as they are allowed. The children seemed really happy to me and like they had a lot of fun. And thanks for the cyber hugs:) one day we will get to hug in person! xoxo
Haha! I had short hair but it was my mom insisting I kept it short because I was so skinny and apparently, she thought I looked skinnier if I kept my hair long. The lining up by gender (and height), no shoes inside the classroom, singing the national anthem, prayer time and uniform pretty much summed up elementary school for me. Oh, and the teacher in flip flops. Haha! In high school, we weren’t allowed to color our hair during the school year (but we can do it during summer break), no earrings, rings, bracelets (only watches), nail polish and the boys weren’t allowed to grow their hair to a certain length or the teacher gives them a haircut himself. No makeup either, just lip balm. (imagine my shock when I got here and 10-year-olds wear makeup!) And yup, I liked most of my school days..looking back, the rules were ridiculous but that’s what made it fun I guess. I grew my hair long and colored it when I went to University. Oh goodness, I have a bad case of the giggles now. Thanks for writing this post. And I feel like Jarrett has found his other calling – he’s such a cool teacher.
wow, I bet you were so surprised about schools in Cananda! I went to a private Christian school, so we had some of those rules, but like you said, they never really bothered me. I just remember having fun with my friends:) xoxo
Oh and we had an “English Only Policy” – how patriotic of us, eh? Haha
What an awesome look at Jarrett’s day-to-day. I love the picture of Peyton taking it all in and the boy peeking over his shoulder at him! Without even knowing him in person, I too was amazed at how outgoing Conner was! He’s usually the one taking it all in! Looks like you all had a wonderful day. Thanks so much for sharing it with us – it’s really fun to be able to see how people really live in the places you are. xoxo
i know it was such a fun and enlightening day. the boys are learning how big and diverse the world is without even knowing it. what ever is “normal” for jarrett and I is turning into something so different for peyton and conner, it has been fun to watch them. xoxo
What a fun day for all! It appears that they are very strict on the students – hair length, uniforms, bamboo sticks…..however, I think I would enjoy the “remove your shoes at the door” part (that’s a treat)! I wish America would have opening ceremonies like this at all the schools and have a time to recite the Pledge and sing the National Anthem. Jarrett looks so great and I’m so proud of him and how he treats the children! You can tell that they love him and that he’s making a difference with them. Oh….Conner….the celebrity – love it! I bet it was pretty neat to watch your boys interact and see how they respond to the different culture and how they were treated by the children. Funny how the language barrier seems to disappear. I’m sure they want to go back every day, but probably won’t last too long if they have to get up at 5:30! So glad they didn’t serve blobs of chicken blood that day! You were so sweet to give out kisses to them, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from you ~ you’re so loving! This was a great post and I’m proud of every one of you and what you did for those sweet kids that day and what Jarrett does for them on a daily basis! Love y’all!
yes they were strict in some ways and then in other ways the students had a lot of freedoms, it was very interesting to watch. At lunch the children had free reign over the entire school grounds with no supervision and Jarrett asked if they were allowed to kiss and the principal was in shock. she said in Thailand you don’t kiss until you are married in your twenties or thirties, I am not sure if that is enforced or normal all over Thailand, but Jarrett and I thought that was funny:). And yes he is making a difference with them, the students loved him so much! Peyton and Conner were so funny as usual when in situations like this and acted like it was just another day. The language barrier was not a problem at all and the boys had fun:) And you are right, they want to go back, but I am already yawning thinking about 5 am! I was longing for my bed by the end of the day:) Thanks about the kisses:) it was really special for me, one of my love languages is ‘touch’, I have missed that being away from friends and family, and so the boys get a lot of loving:) it was nice to share . love you so much too.
I.LOVED.THIS.POST!! I laughed out loud the hardest when I read about Conner’s serious face when the kids shook his hand
. How sweet it is that he was amazed they wanted to shake his hand! It seemed as if the boys adored it and I’m so happy they were able to go see! I love that you loved watching jarrett teach 
. It’s really amazing to watch our loved ones in action and see them shining. What a great experience teaching at the school is!! xoxox
thank you Lacy, it was so funny to watch Conner’s little brain work as he got so much attention, he was so in awe and did not know exactly what to do about it:) and yes it was such a joy to watch Jarrett, I think I will keep him:) love you friend
Loved this- what a special day! I love sneaking into the shop where my husband works and watching him there… some things I see all the time, then other times he so in work-mode. It looks like the boys really took it all in and enjoyed it! They look so comfortable in every situation…what an awesome way to be raised. Also, I can tell those rooms were HOT. Do you get used to that as the day goes on?
that is so sweet about watching your husband:) and yes it was hot, not so much to the boys and I b/c we were dressed in summer clothes, but poor Jarrett dies up there in his long sleeves and pants, I feel bad for him!!
Sounds like a grey experience!
it was, thanks Jordan-xoxo
Chelsea, I loved reading about your day at school!!!! It was so fun for everyone to see Daddy in his teaching role and to really get to meet his pupils and see how things go at school.
A very revealing day for the students to see their teacher’s precious family, too! I know they loved meeting you all.
Your Ohio friend (my big sis taught 39 years before she retired!)
Connie
it was so fun for us to see Jarrett in action and special to meet all of his students, I can tell they had so much fun too:) xoxo
very sweet and it was great to see Jarrett in action (I keep thinking about him having nobody to speak English with all day – but ONE day like that would be nice to me). it was great to see Conner have his moment (Buddy, I was also in awe of our celebrity there, it was FUN!!!). I loved Jarrett’s expression, in the background of the photo of Conner at the chalkboard. And for a mama who isnt sleeping much as night, this must have felt three days long…but oh so worth it! surely this wont be the last day at Daddy’s school!
that is so thoughtful for you about Jarrett, yes it is lonely for him at his work sometimes, but it has turned into a blessing. He gets to write for hours during his free time, so it is perfect for us right now. Jarrett has great expressions and used them to make all his students laugh and he makes us all laugh at home too:) And that day, oh man, I could barely stay awake! I actually fell asleep when the boys were on the playground, I never went to sleep the night before so I was sleepy, but the kids kept my energy up:)
WOW!! How wonderful!!
it was an amazing day-thanks Gioia-xoxo
What a cool experience for everyone!
thanks Liz, it was:)
That is so special. I really enjoyed this post, I could just imagine how fun that must have been. Those boys remind me so much of how my girls are, Amaya the 5 year old would have been doing the same as Conner and Samoana the 9 year old would have been taking it all in quietly.
that is so sweet about your girls, I had so much fun meeting them, they have such beautiful spirits like their mama:) xoxo
This is one of my favorite post from you. The children are beautiful w/ beautiful smiles. Jarrett seems to be in his element. He is really looking good. Conner was really eating up all the attention, especially one that seems to be shy (?). Peyton really was taking it all in. Wonder what was going on in his head. I know the children enjoyed your visit & wish for more of them. I bet they went home telling their family all about ya’lls visit, especially that beautiful woman that handed out kisses. So like you, so loving. Thanks for sharing your lives w/us in your posts. Makes me feel a part of your lives. Love, hugs, & kisses from me to you and yours.
thanks so much Granny, I agree that jarrett is so handsome in his work clothes I just wish he could wear something more comfortable, it is like East Texas in July every day here! The boys were so fun to watch that day, i was so proud of them. And thank you for reading Granny, I actually try to keep you and mama and the rest of our family in mind when I write them about our life and the things you would like to know:) i love you and miss you
I am not surprised one little bit that J is an amazing teacher. He has a way about him that exudes leadership, and this is a great outlet! The kids, oh my gosh, I can see why you want to take them home.
oh boy, here comes the happy faces. Man, I just can not stop! Loved loved loved seeing these pics, Loved that you kissed a million cheeks. Your Auntie touch has been deprived, shoots, Abby misses her Auntie Chelsea 
he he. PS. You would be an amazing teacher, I know you are to the boys, but one day I could see you teaching. 
xoxo
thanks about Jarrett, you are so sweet Becky. And yes I am officially in love with his students:) And double yes I am Auntie deprived, I have months of loving saved up for all my nieces and nephews and yes that includes my Maui ones;) thanks about me being a teacher, yes I would love it. xoxo
This post has warmed my heart…being a teacher myself, I can relate to wanting to take all the children home…going to work everyday to those beautiful and innocent faces is what keeps me going. I can tell that Jarrett is a natural and the kids are so lucky to have him.
thanks Jannette, I will let Jarrett know, I agree that they are lucky to have him:) And I know your students are soooo lucky to have you, you are such a loving, special woman, I wish you were my teacher!
Such kind words…you made my day!!!
This so reminds me of my days at my old Thai school. I don’t usually look back on those days, but these pictures brought up a lot of fond memories. And how hot it used to be, teaching with the windows open.
haha, Jarrett is so over how hot it is at his work! I feel bad b/c the boys and I chill in the A/C all day and he said the poor kids just melt. I am glad you had fond memories of school, I thought some parts seemed strict, but other than that the children seemed so happy and were so cute with their friends. It was a great experience for us:)
I went and taught 2 summers ago in Thailand . And this is JUST like it was in Chiang Mai too . The uniforms and all ! I remember at one school during the morning ” inspection ” they would actually take scissors and cut their hair if it was even a little too long! The kids are sooooo sweet . I wanted to take them home too !!! We were told it’s not in their culture for there parents to show much affection towards them . So that’s why they loooooooove to hug and touch you . Because their teachers don’t let them do that ! ( well their Thai teachers ) but wash your hands and arms !!! ( because you know they don’t use toilet paper !!!! Eeeek !) This post makes me want to make a trip back !!!
haha about the toilet paper! I did buy Jarrett a bottle of hand sanitizer for his desk and we used that a lot:) And that is crazy about the hair cutting, well at least you never have to pay for a hair cut! I bet that was so special you getting to teach those sweet children, I bet they loved having you too:) xoxo
Oh my gosh … Those sweet little faces in jarrett’s classes are just so squeezable! He looks like an amazing teacher, what a perfect fit for him. Your boys cracked me up in this post, I love Connor getting all his hand shakes and that Peyton just wanted to chill back and work on this packets. What a great day! Xoxo Shannon
thanks Shannon, Jarrett is so cute with them and such a natural. And the boys were sooo fun to watch and yes I did almost steal them some more siblings:) xoxo