After a brief return to the US, Deanne Zimmerman returns to Thailand! She writes:

OK, so how is school going you all ask.  Well, it is going right along.

Chiang Rai International Christian School (CRICS) has about 120 students with the senior class of 3 being the smallest and the 3rd grade class of 15 being the largest.  About half the kids are from missionary or NGO worker families and half are from Thai families who want their kids to go to an English speaking school.  There are a few kids from some of the hilltribes who are very ESL but their parents work at the school so they are allowed to come.At the moment the school is in the middle of transitioning from a homeschool co-op type of system to an accredited school system.  This means that the teachers, esp. the elementary teachers are working mad hours to develop the curriculum by the end of the calendar year so they can get accredited.

So what is it that I do here?  Mostly I help teachers with whatever they need….copies, crowd control, teaching a lesson so that they can work on the curriculum development etc.  I also monitor study halls and recess breaks.  On Mondays I teach the 9th and 10th grade (two separate classes) vocabulary lessons and enter their homework grades in the computer.  The 2nd grade teacher is going to be gone six weeks over Christmas, so I am preparing to take over the social studies and language arts periods of her class.  (2nd grade pic attached) I really like this class….the students get along well for the most part and we usually have a good time together.  One of the girls in this class just won second place in the tv show “Thailand’s Got Talent” and is often traveling and doing performances.  She is such a sweetheart and you would never know she is famous.  Here is a link of her http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cy2ZTRqAgC8 .

This past Saturday a group of people took a trip to the Golden Triangle where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet.  I have attached a picture of the Mekong River with Burma to the left, Laos to the right and of course, I am in Thailand taking the picture.  We took a little boat across the river to an island of Laos where we looked around the souvenir shops then came back and went through the Opium Museum.

Some have asked about my address.  my actual address (for purposes like looking up on google maps) is:

187/141 Moo 4 soi 1T. Baan Duu

A. Muang Chiang Rai 57100

My address for where to send things will be the school’s address:

Deanne Zimmerman

c/o CRICS

331 Moo14 Tambon Baan Duu

A. Muang Chiang Rai  57100

Ok, thanks everyone.  Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.