Man behind the Bookcase

As a foreign teacher, your complete and utter lack of control over the foreign language speaking children becomes in-your-face apparent at times. In Mathayom One EP (US grade seven), whose constituents are very small, barely pubescent children, this issue became very clear to me.

For the first few weeks of class, I only saw the fat kid once. He really was the fat kid; he could easily rival the obese children in any US school. He had a very pleasant look to him, though, always happy and lacking the fat rolls which often plague those kids. I called his name at attendance every period, but rarely would he answer the call. As I became more comfortable with the class, remembering faces and names to a certain degree, I began to question where the fat kid was (his name was Man). A week before, I had seen him laying on the floor, when I had asked him to get up and to do his work. He responded with a grunt, and he sort of rolled a little bit on the ground like a helpless turtle on its back. I gave up as he gave no indication of standing up. On other occasions, I would ask his fellow students, "Where is Man?" They would always respond with a point and "Sleeping," "Nawn," "Lazy" and the like. Where they pointed turned out to be a curious little spot. He had created a fort in the classroom, behind the bookcase. In his den were numerous pillows, a shade for the sun, and wrappers of numerous, different (I hope) snacking sessions.

One of the funnier moments with Man was experienced by the Science Teacher, Foua. She refused to let him sleep one day, poking him into consciousness and making him participate in the science experiment. So he followed her around the room. At each station, he would groan and collapse onto the floor, half-listening to the demonstration. Upon completing a station, Foua would force him again to get up, groaning all the while, and move to the next desk, where he would be on the floor again in a matter of seconds. The other kids just stood around him, like normal children.

Behind the bookcase, his favorite classroom spot did not vary, and in every class, I knew where to find him. I would always try to coax him out with candy or other goodies. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time he just slept through the period. I began asking around. Other teachers seemed to have the same problem. Man was always asleep behind the bookcase. He never completed work. He only came out to eat or go to the bathroom. Occasionally he would talk and play games with the other kids, but his dominant position was horizontal on the floor with his eyes closed. My fellow teachers and I, hoping that the Thais might have more influence, collectively informed the administration, who did nothing to change his behavior. On and on this went throughout the semester.

I am beginning to wonder if he has a Thyroid problem.