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Kindergarten at 60: A Memoir of Teaching in Thailand
Teaching kindergarten in Thailand wasn't the job Dian Seidel had in mind when, at age sixty and craving adventure, she convinced her husband that they should try working abroad. But coping with rambunctious children, sweltering heat, and Covid-19 turned out to be the challenge she needed. Struggling to understand Thai culture, their school, and their marriage, could she learn Thailand's essential lesson: mai pen rai, don't worry, keep cool?
Part travel memoir and part second act story, Kindergarten at 60 is a retirement tale like none other. With gentle humor and polished prose, Seidel explores universal themes via the adventures of everyday life. Job-hunting retirees confront age restrictions. A couple navigates 24/7 togetherness for the first time in their lives. Professionals accustomed to working with adults are overwhelmed, and charmed, by a passel of two-, three-, and four-year-olds. An introvert struggles to forge cross-cultural and cross-generational friendships. Americans face the challenges of the five-tone Thai language and five-alarm Thai chilies.
Seidel's heartwarming story offers a unique perspective on contemporary Thailand and introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of characters at Pathum Thani Prep. Join the journey, meet the kids, and experience Kindergarten at 60.
Part travel memoir and part second act story, Kindergarten at 60 is a retirement tale like none other. With gentle humor and polished prose, Seidel explores universal themes via the adventures of everyday life. Job-hunting retirees confront age restrictions. A couple navigates 24/7 togetherness for the first time in their lives. Professionals accustomed to working with adults are overwhelmed, and charmed, by a passel of two-, three-, and four-year-olds. An introvert struggles to forge cross-cultural and cross-generational friendships. Americans face the challenges of the five-tone Thai language and five-alarm Thai chilies.
Seidel's heartwarming story offers a unique perspective on contemporary Thailand and introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of characters at Pathum Thani Prep. Join the journey, meet the kids, and experience Kindergarten at 60.
- GenresMemoirTravelNonfiction
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2023
3 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 2, 2023
Dian and Steve Seidel want to travel the world as English teachers. They end up receiving an offer to teach in a kindergarten in Thailand. Here, they face challenges like rambunctious children, sweltering heat, and young co-workers.
I did enjoy Seidel's engaging storytelling style. She shares lots of fun tidbits about life in Thailand. The author and her husband are upper class, though, and their privilege shines through in this book. However, I admire their desire to serve and willingness to do whatever they were assigned at the school.
I might start using the phrase mai pen rai - no problem, it’s fine, sums up the Thai approach to life that there’s no need to fret about anything because there’s not much you can do to change things anyway.
I did enjoy Seidel's engaging storytelling style. She shares lots of fun tidbits about life in Thailand. The author and her husband are upper class, though, and their privilege shines through in this book. However, I admire their desire to serve and willingness to do whatever they were assigned at the school.
I might start using the phrase mai pen rai - no problem, it’s fine, sums up the Thai approach to life that there’s no need to fret about anything because there’s not much you can do to change things anyway.
July 1, 2023
Finding grace and renewal teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in “The Land of Smiles” (Northern and Southern Thailand, 2019 – 2020): If you find yourself smiling at this memoir’s charming cover design, that’s because it’s set in “The Land of Smiles” – Thailand.
Westerners, or farangs in the Thai language, naturally interpret a smile to mean happy. In this Southeast Asian country, a smile has thirteen meanings. So, along with the “spirit houses and spirits,” there’s an elusiveness to this “adapting, shape-shifting, exploring,” delightful-to-read, multi-layered memoir.
Addressed to “Gentle Reader,” let the cover’s pinkness guide you to its lightness. See the ethereal beauty in the Thai Lantern Festival, also known as the Festival of Light:
https://youtu.be/glbveoD18kc
Pink, the color of the lotus flower on the flag of Pathum Thani province, an hour outside of Bangkok, the capital city, where much of this five-month journey takes place. At a private, international, Montessori immersion program for kindergartners ages 2 ½ to 4.
Interpret the adult and Mary Jane shoes to signify a story about the author at age 60 landing at an early childhood Montessori school volunteering to teach ESOL through the Teach the World Travel program. The shoes appear to be flying, calling forth the spirit of a culture that believes in going with the “flow.” Flying also the freeing imagery of one of the “slow, sweet” songs the children sing that ends with: “The air that I breathe/I fly.”
Kindergarten at 60 is unique and special. Unique in terms of Dian Seidel’s credentials and age. An accomplished scientist, retired after thirty years working at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), where she influenced the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize on Climate Change awarded to an Intergovernmental Panel in 2007. It’s not every day that a senior scientist finds herself challenged by little kids, nor accepted to teach them at her age. Five countries determined her age a liability.
Special because this isn’t just the author’s story. One of her application prerequisites was that her husband Steve, at 67, teach at the same school. He had elementary school experience she didn’t, but he too an expert on the environment, having retired as a climate policy advisor to the White House. They make a great team, balancing his laid-back personality with the author’s admittedly more anxious one. But with twenty years of studying and teaching yoga, she meshed with the meditative beliefs of Thai Buddhism. An avid swimmer, too, the author worked both calming activities into a disciplined before-sunrise, before-classroom routine. The “Prep” school, within-a-larger elementary school model, came with a swimming pool pass.
There’s many reasons Dian Seibel is so likeable. One, realizing their nearly free apartment by the school seemed better than her younger teacher colleagues from other countries. Loving her comforts – coffee among them, oh-so-relatable – but not looking for preferential treatment. We also appreciate her candor – how completely out-of-her comfort zone she was, and how daunting the Thai language proved to be for conversing with the children, parents, teachers, administrators, despite familiarity with other languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Yiddish).
The beautiful spirit of the Thai culture and the grace of the people enriches the pleasing prose. The author smiles too, forging through, noting the benefits of weekending in Bangkok. Plus, the children and teachers (khru) are endearing; Khru Dian and Khru their new names. In the “Top Ten Things to do in Thailand if You Aren’t a Tourist,” defined as “experiences that nourish your mind, body, and soul,” half are in the capital city. Others like “Eat Thai Street Food” are ubiquitous, adding “Fearlessly,” a reference to the country’s fondness for extremely spicy, hot chili-peppered dishes. A Thai word to memorize is mai ped, translated to politely say please without chili. What foods are eaten, described, tantalize.
In the spirit of wanting to inform readers, we’re told there’s a “Glossary” of Thai words and phrases at the back of the book. An important word to understand is mai pen rai – the culture’s attitude and “approach to life.” It partly explains why the rest of the language is “too dang hard!” since the phrase has multiple meanings: “No problem, it’s fine, you’re welcome, don’t worry.” Thai is also a “tonal language” consisting of “five tones, more than either Cantonese or Mandarin.” Some of the words demonstrate the culture’s respect for its people when they meet each other: wai. Even this hello consists of several ways of showing respect depending on whom you’re greeting. Discerning body language is also not easy. Refreshing, though, respecting teachers, parents, and elders.
https://youtu.be/SRtsCuVqxtQ
The video also shows the reverence the Thai people have for their King. Except for referencing the Kingdom of Thailand, Seidel stays away from politics. Googling you’ll learn Thailand has had a constitutional monarchy for decades, but the current King is trying to turn the clocks back to an absolute monarchy without the democratic freedoms. That’s why public outbursts against the royal family are significant as they’re still against the law.
Kindergarten at 60 is not about conflicts, though. It’s about a personal journey that gives back as much as it gives. One of the questions Seidel asks is whether she’s a tourist or a traveler? What’s the difference? Since they’re going home to Maryland they’re not “expats,” she says, concluding they’re “sojourners.” The word conjures up adventuring in “a strange land and depending on the goodwill of strangers.”
Dangerous air quality is discussed – the reason Thailand wasn’t on the author’s dream list (nor teaching children so young). Of course, two climate experts would be even more sensitive to this but Americans have just felt how climate change affects them when the Canadian wildfires spread their harmful particles. Rarely, does the air pollution move out of the unhealthy zones.
The prose and experiences kept reminding me of Abraham Maslow’s psychological theory Hierarchy of Needs, which is multi-layered, explained in “tiers.”
The first tier attends to basic needs. The Seidels were very fortunate to have, perhaps make-or-break, assistance through a world travel and placement program that took care of all the paperwork. That’s why they first ended up in Northern Thailand, in Chiang Mai, an ancient city, for orientation and training before they traveled south to their temporary home-away-from home.
The second tier, swimming, yoga, and Thai massage, nourished the author’s mental health and body. The third rung represented by the coffeehouses frequented where outside the classroom they also found Maslow’s friendship, connection, sense of belonging. The fourth tier, Self-Esteem, seen in the respect teachers are given and the ability to make the most of a Thai adventure. A you may not get what you want at first, but sometimes you get what you need life lesson. If you’re open-minded. Like the hands-on, individualized, experiential, holistic Montessori teaching practices, acceptance is not passive. It’s a path forward and a purposeful mindset.
Chet may be the student who moves you the most. An “old soul,” he’s “closer to the Buddha nature than the rest of us.” And yet, he’s also “easily troubled by the world.” Chet symbolizes the “inner peace” Seidel searches for, which is why Self-Actualization is the fifth and highest tier attainable on Maslow’s wise pyramid.
Wise like this colorful, informative journey.
Lorraine (EnchantedProse.com)
Westerners, or farangs in the Thai language, naturally interpret a smile to mean happy. In this Southeast Asian country, a smile has thirteen meanings. So, along with the “spirit houses and spirits,” there’s an elusiveness to this “adapting, shape-shifting, exploring,” delightful-to-read, multi-layered memoir.
Addressed to “Gentle Reader,” let the cover’s pinkness guide you to its lightness. See the ethereal beauty in the Thai Lantern Festival, also known as the Festival of Light:
https://youtu.be/glbveoD18kc
Pink, the color of the lotus flower on the flag of Pathum Thani province, an hour outside of Bangkok, the capital city, where much of this five-month journey takes place. At a private, international, Montessori immersion program for kindergartners ages 2 ½ to 4.
Interpret the adult and Mary Jane shoes to signify a story about the author at age 60 landing at an early childhood Montessori school volunteering to teach ESOL through the Teach the World Travel program. The shoes appear to be flying, calling forth the spirit of a culture that believes in going with the “flow.” Flying also the freeing imagery of one of the “slow, sweet” songs the children sing that ends with: “The air that I breathe/I fly.”
Kindergarten at 60 is unique and special. Unique in terms of Dian Seidel’s credentials and age. An accomplished scientist, retired after thirty years working at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), where she influenced the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize on Climate Change awarded to an Intergovernmental Panel in 2007. It’s not every day that a senior scientist finds herself challenged by little kids, nor accepted to teach them at her age. Five countries determined her age a liability.
Special because this isn’t just the author’s story. One of her application prerequisites was that her husband Steve, at 67, teach at the same school. He had elementary school experience she didn’t, but he too an expert on the environment, having retired as a climate policy advisor to the White House. They make a great team, balancing his laid-back personality with the author’s admittedly more anxious one. But with twenty years of studying and teaching yoga, she meshed with the meditative beliefs of Thai Buddhism. An avid swimmer, too, the author worked both calming activities into a disciplined before-sunrise, before-classroom routine. The “Prep” school, within-a-larger elementary school model, came with a swimming pool pass.
There’s many reasons Dian Seibel is so likeable. One, realizing their nearly free apartment by the school seemed better than her younger teacher colleagues from other countries. Loving her comforts – coffee among them, oh-so-relatable – but not looking for preferential treatment. We also appreciate her candor – how completely out-of-her comfort zone she was, and how daunting the Thai language proved to be for conversing with the children, parents, teachers, administrators, despite familiarity with other languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Yiddish).
The beautiful spirit of the Thai culture and the grace of the people enriches the pleasing prose. The author smiles too, forging through, noting the benefits of weekending in Bangkok. Plus, the children and teachers (khru) are endearing; Khru Dian and Khru their new names. In the “Top Ten Things to do in Thailand if You Aren’t a Tourist,” defined as “experiences that nourish your mind, body, and soul,” half are in the capital city. Others like “Eat Thai Street Food” are ubiquitous, adding “Fearlessly,” a reference to the country’s fondness for extremely spicy, hot chili-peppered dishes. A Thai word to memorize is mai ped, translated to politely say please without chili. What foods are eaten, described, tantalize.
In the spirit of wanting to inform readers, we’re told there’s a “Glossary” of Thai words and phrases at the back of the book. An important word to understand is mai pen rai – the culture’s attitude and “approach to life.” It partly explains why the rest of the language is “too dang hard!” since the phrase has multiple meanings: “No problem, it’s fine, you’re welcome, don’t worry.” Thai is also a “tonal language” consisting of “five tones, more than either Cantonese or Mandarin.” Some of the words demonstrate the culture’s respect for its people when they meet each other: wai. Even this hello consists of several ways of showing respect depending on whom you’re greeting. Discerning body language is also not easy. Refreshing, though, respecting teachers, parents, and elders.
https://youtu.be/SRtsCuVqxtQ
The video also shows the reverence the Thai people have for their King. Except for referencing the Kingdom of Thailand, Seidel stays away from politics. Googling you’ll learn Thailand has had a constitutional monarchy for decades, but the current King is trying to turn the clocks back to an absolute monarchy without the democratic freedoms. That’s why public outbursts against the royal family are significant as they’re still against the law.
Kindergarten at 60 is not about conflicts, though. It’s about a personal journey that gives back as much as it gives. One of the questions Seidel asks is whether she’s a tourist or a traveler? What’s the difference? Since they’re going home to Maryland they’re not “expats,” she says, concluding they’re “sojourners.” The word conjures up adventuring in “a strange land and depending on the goodwill of strangers.”
Dangerous air quality is discussed – the reason Thailand wasn’t on the author’s dream list (nor teaching children so young). Of course, two climate experts would be even more sensitive to this but Americans have just felt how climate change affects them when the Canadian wildfires spread their harmful particles. Rarely, does the air pollution move out of the unhealthy zones.
The prose and experiences kept reminding me of Abraham Maslow’s psychological theory Hierarchy of Needs, which is multi-layered, explained in “tiers.”
The first tier attends to basic needs. The Seidels were very fortunate to have, perhaps make-or-break, assistance through a world travel and placement program that took care of all the paperwork. That’s why they first ended up in Northern Thailand, in Chiang Mai, an ancient city, for orientation and training before they traveled south to their temporary home-away-from home.
The second tier, swimming, yoga, and Thai massage, nourished the author’s mental health and body. The third rung represented by the coffeehouses frequented where outside the classroom they also found Maslow’s friendship, connection, sense of belonging. The fourth tier, Self-Esteem, seen in the respect teachers are given and the ability to make the most of a Thai adventure. A you may not get what you want at first, but sometimes you get what you need life lesson. If you’re open-minded. Like the hands-on, individualized, experiential, holistic Montessori teaching practices, acceptance is not passive. It’s a path forward and a purposeful mindset.
Chet may be the student who moves you the most. An “old soul,” he’s “closer to the Buddha nature than the rest of us.” And yet, he’s also “easily troubled by the world.” Chet symbolizes the “inner peace” Seidel searches for, which is why Self-Actualization is the fifth and highest tier attainable on Maslow’s wise pyramid.
Wise like this colorful, informative journey.
Lorraine (EnchantedProse.com)
September 5, 2023
Both of my parents were teachers (both now retired) and I even taught for several years so of course I was curious when I came across Kindergarten at 60. While I know many who have taught overseas, I don't know anyone to choose to do so at 60! Most are ready to settle down and retire so I couldn't wait to enjoy reading about this couple's new adventure (especially kindergarten!). This book made me laugh, made me think, it opened my eyes to quite a bit and I truly enjoyed reading this wonderful book.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Apprentice House Press for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Apprentice House Press for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 30, 2023
Imagine deciding to leave the comforts and routines of home to travel to an exotic land with a completely different culture, values, climate and pace of life to teach English as a foreign language. I know that it is not so difficult as many gap year university students will tell you - get a TEFL qualification and away you go, taking time from studying and the academic route in which your life is taking you towards a career and assumed stability and fulfilment. In fact, for young people, it is relatively easy and not unusual at all.
However, what if you were to do this later in life as a retiree? And find yourself not teaching adults or high school students as expected but corralling kindergartners instead? This is what Dian Seidel lays out for you in this book and I loved it for what it is – a frank and entertaining recount of the time that she and her husband, Steve decided to go to Thailand and teach. However, it was not all as expected and they find themselves having to adapt as well as become bolder in order to enjoy and savour their experience fully.
There is so much to enjoy in this book. I loved the descriptions that Seidel gives of the children in her care, describing their little characters so that I had clear pictures of them and their personalities in my mind as I read. I liked the frankness of Seidel’s narrative as she shows us things through her Western eyes – the difference of things- but there is also a sense of her as a perceptive and intelligent individual throughout, assessing and adapting through the whole trip, knowing what she can compromise on as well as things that she feels should be done differently.
It is a considered and well-written recount through and through.
I would encourage anyone in their later years in life to read this, especially if they are fearful of change or feel that their lives are stagnating. Travelling is, to use a cliché, food for the soul but living in another country is a completely different experience entirely: more immersive, providing a whole different perspective than that provided by a tourist visit and it should be something that everyone should be exposed to – one need look no further than Seidel’s book to see that.
This book was sent to me for review as an ARC but this review represents my unbiased and personal view of the book.
However, what if you were to do this later in life as a retiree? And find yourself not teaching adults or high school students as expected but corralling kindergartners instead? This is what Dian Seidel lays out for you in this book and I loved it for what it is – a frank and entertaining recount of the time that she and her husband, Steve decided to go to Thailand and teach. However, it was not all as expected and they find themselves having to adapt as well as become bolder in order to enjoy and savour their experience fully.
There is so much to enjoy in this book. I loved the descriptions that Seidel gives of the children in her care, describing their little characters so that I had clear pictures of them and their personalities in my mind as I read. I liked the frankness of Seidel’s narrative as she shows us things through her Western eyes – the difference of things- but there is also a sense of her as a perceptive and intelligent individual throughout, assessing and adapting through the whole trip, knowing what she can compromise on as well as things that she feels should be done differently.
It is a considered and well-written recount through and through.
I would encourage anyone in their later years in life to read this, especially if they are fearful of change or feel that their lives are stagnating. Travelling is, to use a cliché, food for the soul but living in another country is a completely different experience entirely: more immersive, providing a whole different perspective than that provided by a tourist visit and it should be something that everyone should be exposed to – one need look no further than Seidel’s book to see that.
This book was sent to me for review as an ARC but this review represents my unbiased and personal view of the book.
June 22, 2023
I highly recommend Seidel's “Kindergarten at Sixty:A Memoir” for anyone who likes to travel, to read about traveling, or likes to learn about other cultures and peoples. I also highly recommend it for retirees, anyone of that matter, that is interested in really learning about another culture.
“Kindergarten at Sixty” is a collection of memoirs of Seidel’s experiences living and teaching young children Thailand with her husband, Steve. While the book centers on their 6 months at the Pathumthani Prep school, it also covers Seidel’s planning and preparation prior to the trip and the return home to the strange new world of the Covid pandemic.
The colorful cast of characters that Seidel and her husband encounter are a big part of the book. They encounter others, mainly young adults, coming to Thailand to teach, and a few ex-patriates. There are the other foreign teachers from countries such as the Philippines, China, and South Africa, young women working in foreign lands to support their families back home, suffering from loneliness and isolation in a foreign land. There is The General, the husband of the head of the school and a General in the Thai Army, and a bit of a Yoda figure on Thai culture.
But the stars of the memoir are the children, ranging in age from 2 ½ to 5 years old. Panit was my favorite, a two-year-old with a good heart who wants to be good, but can’t help but get involved in mischief. There is Ivy, the oldest and tallest student, a natural leader. And there is Chompoo, a girl “so tiny she could easily fit into her backpack”.
I gave Dian Seidel’s “Kindergarten at Sixty:A Memoir of Teaching in Thailand” 5-stars. I am not someone that is in the habit of giving a book a 5-star rating to just any book that I like. I reserve 5-stars for books that not only do I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, but one that I have read multiple times and still enjoy reading.
“Kindergarten at Sixty” is a collection of memoirs of Seidel’s experiences living and teaching young children Thailand with her husband, Steve. While the book centers on their 6 months at the Pathumthani Prep school, it also covers Seidel’s planning and preparation prior to the trip and the return home to the strange new world of the Covid pandemic.
The colorful cast of characters that Seidel and her husband encounter are a big part of the book. They encounter others, mainly young adults, coming to Thailand to teach, and a few ex-patriates. There are the other foreign teachers from countries such as the Philippines, China, and South Africa, young women working in foreign lands to support their families back home, suffering from loneliness and isolation in a foreign land. There is The General, the husband of the head of the school and a General in the Thai Army, and a bit of a Yoda figure on Thai culture.
But the stars of the memoir are the children, ranging in age from 2 ½ to 5 years old. Panit was my favorite, a two-year-old with a good heart who wants to be good, but can’t help but get involved in mischief. There is Ivy, the oldest and tallest student, a natural leader. And there is Chompoo, a girl “so tiny she could easily fit into her backpack”.
I gave Dian Seidel’s “Kindergarten at Sixty:A Memoir of Teaching in Thailand” 5-stars. I am not someone that is in the habit of giving a book a 5-star rating to just any book that I like. I reserve 5-stars for books that not only do I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, but one that I have read multiple times and still enjoy reading.
February 3, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! It's the story of a 60 something professional couple who retired and were searching for the next chapter in their life. They chose to become teachers in a foreign country. In a surprise to both of them, they found themselves teaching Kindergarten in Thailand!
In the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I are of the same age, and are pondering a similar path. AND one of our foreign exchange daughters is from Thailand. So this book came about at a very appropriate time.
The author does a great job of explaining the entire process. And of what she found in Thailand, what she liked, and some things she did not like. She covers the culture, the food, the living conditions, the Thai education system, and touches on the political side of Thailand.
Through all of this, she threads together an easily readable, thoughtful, and fascinating story. I honestly read it in three nights after work, finding it very hard to put down!
I'm not sure if this is what the future holds for my spouse and I, but I think that I am much more prepared to make a decision after reading this.
Excellent book. Highly recommend!
In the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I are of the same age, and are pondering a similar path. AND one of our foreign exchange daughters is from Thailand. So this book came about at a very appropriate time.
The author does a great job of explaining the entire process. And of what she found in Thailand, what she liked, and some things she did not like. She covers the culture, the food, the living conditions, the Thai education system, and touches on the political side of Thailand.
Through all of this, she threads together an easily readable, thoughtful, and fascinating story. I honestly read it in three nights after work, finding it very hard to put down!
I'm not sure if this is what the future holds for my spouse and I, but I think that I am much more prepared to make a decision after reading this.
Excellent book. Highly recommend!
May 26, 2024
Starting out by saying that I rounded up to four stars to be fair to author's effort, despite my not getting totally into the material. Audio narration seemed a good fit to me.
Bravo to the Seidels for wanting to contribute to education and global goodwill as retirees. They were lucky that the tiny tots seemed able to carry on English conversations at an amazingly advanced level, as well as the fully bi-lingual staff. Interesting to hear the take on the other foreign teachers' lives. There wasn't a lot of description of day-to-day teaching, which was okay with me; examples given got the point across well.
I realize it's Diane's book, but I would've liked to hear more of Steve's issues teaching kindergarten as a male. They didn't so much come off as "privileged" to me, but as (I suppose) short-term dilletantes, while their colleagues dealt with education as a career. Mention is made of their Ivy League degrees (humble bragging), yet in some ways they seemed rather naive.
I think the book would work well for others more than it did for me. If you think it sounds interesting, give it a try.
Bravo to the Seidels for wanting to contribute to education and global goodwill as retirees. They were lucky that the tiny tots seemed able to carry on English conversations at an amazingly advanced level, as well as the fully bi-lingual staff. Interesting to hear the take on the other foreign teachers' lives. There wasn't a lot of description of day-to-day teaching, which was okay with me; examples given got the point across well.
I realize it's Diane's book, but I would've liked to hear more of Steve's issues teaching kindergarten as a male. They didn't so much come off as "privileged" to me, but as (I suppose) short-term dilletantes, while their colleagues dealt with education as a career. Mention is made of their Ivy League degrees (humble bragging), yet in some ways they seemed rather naive.
I think the book would work well for others more than it did for me. If you think it sounds interesting, give it a try.
July 14, 2023
This book was a fun read that left me feeling as if I had just been traveling in Thailand but without having to endure the heat, traffic, expense, risks, and complexities of actually going there. This interesting exposure to Thailand will also be helpful if I decide to travel there.
Best of all, I got to experience Thailand beyond the tourist routes and in a classroom with young children. It brought back memories of helping out in my own children's kindergarten and preschool classes, where the approach to learning was extremely different from what Seidel experienced in Thailand. I loved getting to know the children and being in the school and in the teachers' small apartment and experiencing their adventure. But the relief of going from there to a luxury hotel was palpable when the Seidels went to Bangkok for the weekend.
This memoir is composed of short vignette-like stories, which are well told and make for a wonderful armchair adventure.
Best of all, I got to experience Thailand beyond the tourist routes and in a classroom with young children. It brought back memories of helping out in my own children's kindergarten and preschool classes, where the approach to learning was extremely different from what Seidel experienced in Thailand. I loved getting to know the children and being in the school and in the teachers' small apartment and experiencing their adventure. But the relief of going from there to a luxury hotel was palpable when the Seidels went to Bangkok for the weekend.
This memoir is composed of short vignette-like stories, which are well told and make for a wonderful armchair adventure.
October 4, 2023
This is a fun and quick-paced book. I recommend it especially to any recent or about-to-be retirees as you will enjoy the journey with the 60-something Seidels. How many of us have thought about living abroad for a while and maybe doing volunteer work at the same time. Here are two people living that dream! It was easy to relate to their discomforts, fears and pleasures and to their sense of accomplishment at the end of their 6 month journey.
Maybe this book will encourage more people to step into the unknown and try something outside the routine "comfort zone"; or maybe it will just inspire more people to travel and experience new cultures, food and places.
Maybe this book will encourage more people to step into the unknown and try something outside the routine "comfort zone"; or maybe it will just inspire more people to travel and experience new cultures, food and places.
September 12, 2024
After full careers in climate science in Washington DC, Dian and her husband Steve are planning their next chapter of life and decide to teach English as a second language. This book is a series of essays covering their entire adventure... Applying, hoping, learning that they'll be teaching kindergartners!, exploring Thailand on weekends, returning to the US only to be engulfed in the COVID crisis...
This was a gentle read with short chapters, and provided insight into Thai culture, teaching abroad, and the second half of life.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This was a gentle read with short chapters, and provided insight into Thai culture, teaching abroad, and the second half of life.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
July 13, 2023
Seidel's good-humored narrative details the ups and downs of the five months she and her husband spent teaching in an English language immersion program for young children in a small town near Bangkok from the fall of 2019 through the opening months of the pandemic. Seidel draws on her distinguished career as a meteorologist, her Iyengar yoga teacher training and experiences of motherhood - a uniquely eclectic perspective - to open herself up to the challenges in her classroom and the adventures of her transplanted life.
May 27, 2024
I am so glad I came across this book! Dian is an excellent writer, easy to follow and she has created a page turner! I literally didn't want to set this book down. But, alas, I don't have endless hours to read so I had it to look forward to returning to.
Her descriptions move quickly, her emotions are clear, and her wry self-discoverings are honest. She and her husband, Steve, went into teaching in Thailand knowing very little/next to nothing about what to expect. She made me feel like stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying something brave. Thank you, Dian, for the chuckles and the encouragement to do something new!
It would have been fully charming if there had been less of her views on climate, etc. But all in all a great read!
Her descriptions move quickly, her emotions are clear, and her wry self-discoverings are honest. She and her husband, Steve, went into teaching in Thailand knowing very little/next to nothing about what to expect. She made me feel like stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying something brave. Thank you, Dian, for the chuckles and the encouragement to do something new!
It would have been fully charming if there had been less of her views on climate, etc. But all in all a great read!
March 10, 2023
This was an enjoyable read and I commend "Teacher Dian" and "Teacher Steve" for making this part of their journey! Knowing a few people who have travelled to teach ESL this was a great insight to some of the trials and tribulations that they would have faced.
Thank you to Netgalley and Apprentice House Press for this advanced reader copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Apprentice House Press for this advanced reader copy.
August 2, 2023
This memoir was really inspiring and opened my eyes to the opportunities that I could have later in my life. I wish I could give this a perfect rating, however, I struggled with Seidel's writing style which made it difficult for me to truly enjoy reading this book.
[ARC provided by NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest, voluntary review]
[ARC provided by NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest, voluntary review]
March 8, 2024
What fun to go on Dian and her husband's adventure with them without the sweltering heat of Thailand. I admired their sense of adventure and their ability to sustain it through out their time teaching kindergarten.
October 9, 2024
A heartwarming joyful read. Highly recommend ❤️
February 13, 2023
An easy enjoyable read. As someone who has been to Thailand it was nostalgic in all good ways.
March 21, 2024
This is not a book about a sixty-year-old person starting kindergarten, as the title might immediately make one think. This is the story of a couple in their sixties who want to teach and travel after their retirement and choose Thailand because of fond memories of having travelled there when they first got married.
It is a simple narrative, something that they managed to do just at the beginning of COVID and that rears its head as well during the telling of their experience.
The duo initially wanted to teach older children English and live in a place that was close to the main cities but not exactly in them. The only option that lets them both work and live together is at a kindergarten level, and that is an experience in itself.
We hear of their day-to-day activities, the trials and efforts they put in. The country and its quirks show up in between. The author and her husband have a good experience overall and learn new things while trying some new things (and staying with known safe things the other times).
The writing works for the kind of story it is. I have picked up a couple of such books in the past couple of years and like the change it brings to overall reads.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read personal non-fiction set in unique locations and/or situations.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
It is a simple narrative, something that they managed to do just at the beginning of COVID and that rears its head as well during the telling of their experience.
The duo initially wanted to teach older children English and live in a place that was close to the main cities but not exactly in them. The only option that lets them both work and live together is at a kindergarten level, and that is an experience in itself.
We hear of their day-to-day activities, the trials and efforts they put in. The country and its quirks show up in between. The author and her husband have a good experience overall and learn new things while trying some new things (and staying with known safe things the other times).
The writing works for the kind of story it is. I have picked up a couple of such books in the past couple of years and like the change it brings to overall reads.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read personal non-fiction set in unique locations and/or situations.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews