Through Him and For Him: English: [ing-glish or, often, -lish]

English language, composition, and literature as offered as a course of study in school.

the Germanic language of the British Isles, widespread and standard also in the U.S. and most of the British Commonwealth, historically termed Old English (c450–c1150), Middle English (c1150–c1475), and Modern English (after c1475).

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/English?s=t

We have had the privilege this past month of teaching English to a student body of a village in Northern Thailand. It should be easy since we speak English pretty fluently. However, it’s not quite as simple as one would assume since we are barefoot language learners attempting to teach students with a pretty limited English background. Nonetheless, the students and teachers are absolutely phenomenal! The teachers have been trying to teach us Thai as we teach them and their students English.

A unique trait of this school is their strong observance of Buddhism. I believe that perhaps this may be something common in schools throughout Thailand, not excluding public schools. In the mornings the students will learn or practice Buddhist chanting and prayers.

We attended a ceremony the other day that was for honoring the teachers of the schools. It is said that in Thailand, the teachers and students are very close in almost a second parent type relationship. Beforehand, the students spent time in the classroom making little flower decoration looking things. At the beginning of the ceremony, the students were led in a group chant/prayer/song out of a little booklet with a Buddha shrine on the cover. With their flower arrangements, they came to the stage where the teachers sat, crawled on their knees to the Buddha shrine, laid the flowers down, bowed down to the shrine a few times, stood up to curtsy/bow to the Thai flag and the picture of the king of Thailand, picked their flowers back up, crawled on their knees to their teachers, bowed down to their teachers, carried their flowers to a table and crawled on their knees off the stage. One boy and one girl from each class performed a part in the ceremony as all the other students watched. It was rather impactful watching the students bow down to a statue that could neither hear, see, smell, taste, nor feel (Psalm 115).