A new school session and a new addition

So, our latest school session has begun and the students seem to be happy to be back, except when it comes to homework and quizzes - much like most American students feel everyday, I am sure. I found enough copies of an easy reader version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" that I used in my Intermediate class today. They seemed to enjoy playing the parts and I am determined to get at least some of them to be less shy about speaking in front of others - and maybe even get them to shout every once in a while! My Burmese students are very humble and shy and when asked to read aloud, most speak in a voice barely audible to anyone, including themselves.

In other ESC (English Speaking Course - the school where I am teaching) news, we have finally gotten a cat to help to keep out the mice, or at least capture and kill them should they decide to pay us a visit. The cat doesn't seem to know what to do, or where to go though. He seems to enjoy the safety and comfort of a box previously used for computer paper, hiding under a cabinet in one of the bedrooms, or hiding out elsewhere in the school. He manages to purr and cry at the same time and we wonder if he might be a bit bipolar, not seeming to know if he is happy or sad and often seeming to be a bit of both at the same time. We aren't sure that he will actually ever capture any mice, but hopefully his mere presence, particularly his scent, will help to keep the mice from stopping by at all.

Since I originally wrote this post my Intermediate class finished "Romeo and Juliet" and loved it so much that they asked to perform an act of the play for other students at the school. They were so nervous and excited, it reminded me of how much fun I had doing plays in high school. They can't wait to read another play and will maybe perform the whole thing next time.

As for the cat, he has decided to stay and finally gotten out of the box. He has even started to follow us a bit like a dog would, which may be why I like him so much. I am not a lover of cats. Truthfully, I don't like them much at all. This cat is an exception though, particularly because he was keeping the mice away, for a while at least. We have to feed him a bit less fish, I think. We named him "Jah-lay" ("little tiger" in Burmese) and he is now a permanent fixture at the school, even joining me for class from time to time.