More surprises were revealed before the first class had even started. Every morning, the

students stand and listen to announcements for the first 30 minutes. Even the little preschoolers are expected to stand at attention for that time (could American children do that? In the picture below, we think a younster (dek-dek) got the teacher's attention.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child" is a strong belief in Thailand. Click on the picture to see the teaching tool the teacher has in her left hand. Also notice the dogs which are everywhere in Thailand.

After this first set of announcements, they clean the school (there are no janitors). They then come back for prayer and more announcements, while their assigned areas are inspected. The teams that did a good job have their flags raised (note the different colored flags). The loudspeakers are turned up for music to accompany morning aerobics. This entire process takes anywhere from 60 -75 minutes. Teams that don't have their flag raised must go back and clean again and then do a mandatory set of calisthenics.

It's not unusual to escort dogs out of the class since we have the doors wide open to allow a breeze. However, they are welcome to stay if they help clean the school!