tzar

Stunning physique, James (or whatever your name may be).

That is the one & only thing from this video which is real &

agreeable.

The rest ... wishful thinking.

Shouting profanity at a policeman as you appear to do in the

video would have cost you dearly.

Hurling rocks at a taxi cab may have cost you your life.

Dream on.

Tzar

Mr. Peter Joachim, must be a very desperate person, judging by his choice of companion.

Ha, ha, ha!!!!!!

I'm laughing my head off.

Cheers for that, Kostas.

You're right on target!

Ha, ha, ha!

Tzar

Okay... I have to ask... how long have you been teaching? I have been doing it for so many years now, that I have forgotten just how long... God help me... LOL!

Issues about homework and copying have been around since schools first started. This we all know. We also know that we did the same things when we were students (come on... you know it is true) and here in LOS a student is just a student with all the traits and all of the human characteristics that every student has around the world. To think that the students here are in some way different or are guided by a different set of rules or parameters is silly.

For all students hate homework. Yes, you can see this as being just a "general statement", but it isn't. However, homework should not be issued simply or exclusively to extend 'class times' but rather to also teach the student about "deadlines" and to get them to work on their own to solve issues, questions, and/or reinforce what was covered in class and to even, perhaps, go beyond that it.That is what homework is for. Should it be seen as part of the student's grade? Yes, but only from the standpoints of their ability to get things done within a set time frame and their ability to work on their own.

However saying that, the fact that students might very well work together and/or copy from one another is more than a possibility. It is even more so given the Internet and the communication capabilities that not so long ago where not on hand. But is this a bad thing? No it does not have to be. For homework should not bee seen as a teaching tool in and of itself. It is just a small part of the bigger picture. For when I give my students homework I know that they will either not get around to doing it (I will get the usual excuses, and sometimes even get ones that I have never heard before which I sort of kind intriguing) or that they will simply copy each other's work in an attempt to get it over with. All of this I know, as I remember what it was like being a student in my day. My answer to this? I give followup work in class or even a mini quiz and I see "what is what". It takes but a few minutes but not only 'levels the playing field' a bit, but gives me (the teacher) a better understanding of not only my ability to teach the material but also in the students' ability to consume and process it as they should have done...if you get my drift. Of course it will depend upon a number of factors, such as the importance of the material itself and whether or not I will be covering said material again either in the future or even the next day.

Listen, copying is a fact of life within schools and it is not going to go away. We have all done it and our students will continue to do it when the mood, opportunity, or even necessity requires them to. But it is the latter that we, as teachers, need to focus upon. For that is the issue that has to be addressed.

However with regards to plagiarism... though it should not be allowed, it should be tolerated in so far as its use is concerned. Copying something word for word is wrong ... yes and I do not accept that. But to do it within an assignment by incorporating it within the construct of the student's work (without any footnotes or credits given) does show thought. If they have taken the time to find the material that they copy indicates that they spent time working on the topic and in "copying" what they added to their work shows an ability to understand the material and see that what they are copying fits. So, in my mind following this line if thought ia not really such a bad thing. But I let them know that I know what they did and then take the thought and the information that they used and use their actions to get them to understand it.

Teaching is an art. It is part stage performance, part audience capture, yet at the same time (as with any good script) part instruction. All have to work together and both teacher and student must be on the same page. We as teachers, have to be vigilant yet at the same time be understanding as to the student's out of classroom life. We must work together and be ready to apply whatever teaching technique/s we can either create or draw upon (from our own education or 'manuals') when required. We also have to understand that we have to wear a number of different "hats" from time to time and in so doing be ready to answer the 'call' fro a student or students when we see that there is just too much copying going on. For this would indicate that we are not getting through to them and in so doing allowing the material to fall on deaf ears.

Please kindly do speak for yourself. Making assumptions about people you know nothing about is a rather cheap strategy.

As far as i can remember, never once did i copy anyone's homework during my secondary school years.

Neither did i hate doing homework. Quite the opposite ... turning up with the homework (properly) done was not only a sweet way to show off, but in the long term it meant getting preferential treatment from educators & classmates alike.

My suggestion to the OP here would be as follows: first & foremost, do not be too 'serious' about homework but place the emphasis on classwork. Pupils do not learn much from doing homework anyway; homework is more like some chore that needs to be done, & as soon as it is done it's forgotten about. That means many will take the easiest way out, for the mere sake of the mark.

Instead, mark them for class participation, for creativity, for attentiveness, for tasks completed on site.

And by all means, quiz them.

Tzar.

What are some of the things Thai people find annoying about Farangs?

I hear a lot of complaining about Thai people on this forum so here's your chance tell us what you don't like about us.

If we know maybe this can prevent future problems and help someone out.

... so here's your chance tell us what you don't like about us.

Sometimes, it just takes one slip up, just one word to really show the truth.

Please stop manufacturing topics that generate replies ... it's so transparent if you know where to look.

Interesting ...

.

Brilliant, mate!

OP just wants to stir up debate for his own entertainment's sake?

But then, is that not what this forum is largely about?

So why not go along ... there's a measure of fun and purpose in

sharing one's 2-cents' worth, isn't there.

Based on plain random observation & on what Thais themselves

sometimes come up with in casual conversation, Westeners are

deemed by some:

1.- Bossy, rude & arrogant.

They order people around instead of asking, or perhaps they ask

to begin with but when their whim is not attended to, the fake smile

vanishes, the phony politeness likewise disappears, & they swiftly

switch over to their 'i've got the right to demand' mode which is so

pathognomonic of Europeans & Anglo-Saxons.

2.- Confrontational, argumentative, reckoning they know better.

Thais too may think themselves to be in the right, but will rarely

start an argument over the issue with a non-Thai. They will either

keep the matter to themselves (the most dignified ones) or will

share it with their friends once you're gone. If you happen to be

the likeable cheerful sort, however, they might even give in to you.

3.- Gloomy, grave, bearing the weight of the world upon their shoulders.

They take themselves very seriously, where a Thai might just laugh

the matter off.

4.- Quite tight (as in Cheap Charlie).

Some think nothing of wasting someone else's time or ruining his

day for the sake of saving 10 baht.

5.- Apathetic.

A Thai smiles at you. You carry on your way as if he was invisible.

How do you think he feels? What effect do you think that might have

on how Westerners are perceived?

6.- Stinky.

How often do you change underclothes? shirt? How many showers

do you take every month?

It only takes hours for body odour to develop after showering, but

of course, you won't feel it. Thais, however, to whom personal higiene

is a top priority, might easily notice.

Tzar

One thing is for sure: you're far better off NOT being judged as

an individual, because you come across as a violent egotistic

self-centred bigot.

Race has never been the issue with Indians, neither here nor

elsewhere.

There were problems with the resident Indians back in New

Zealand, where i used to live.

They are simply unbearable, for the most part, & you seem like

average type ... 'show him the pecking order of my fist'.

Indeed. that's just how Indians sort themselves out.

I've seen them beating each other up on Sukhumvit, like savages

out of control.

I've seen them in Kenya treating the locals like dirt! ... dare you

speak of racism!

I've seen them in India itself shoving one another off MOVING trains

and onto the railway tracks! in the most brazen disregard for human

life.

When it comes to Indians, a petty traffic mishap may wind up with

200 dead.

The hatred they're capable of & their veritable lack of self-control are

a deadly combination.

Indians have the ability to bring out the worst in people.

People see you for what you are, not physically (that's only later

by association) but behaviour-wise.

You the Indians have built a reputation for yourselves.

So too have the Japanese.

And so too have Westerners.

Ask yourself why the Japanese are respected wherever they go.

Then look around & see what group of people are the least

meddlesome & the most respectful of the countries they visit.

So the answer to your original question is 'neither': it is neither

racism nor are you too sensitive.

<deleted>

Tzar

It's a HE, of course!

Kostas may be married to a woman alright, but a woman

cannot give him what a boy can.

Boys are the spice of life, and so he now fancies having

one for himself.

Isn't it annoyingly awkward how he keeps on repeating

'the person'?

Either he's having everyone on, or he's found a toyboy

to call his own.

I blame you not, Kostas.

Here, let us ZORBA.

And while you're at it, check out the bloke on the right.

Love,

Tzar

A little tear came to my eye.

Thank you Tzar.

As about the man on the right.........it is a woman.

Freshry shaved her Greek mustache for the occasion.

Amazing, eh?

This is just what happens when you dance (or write, or teach, or whatever else)

with your entire being, mind, soul, body. It touches people. I too had a tear or

two rolling down my face the first time i watched their dance.

And how much more meaningful it must be for you!

For quite some time i've been wanting to post this link for you, and with this

thread of yours, you've finally given me the perfect excuse.

So we're agreed ... these two blokes absolutely rock!

It's a HE, of course!

Kostas may be married to a woman alright, but a woman

cannot give him what a boy can.

Boys are the spice of life, and so he now fancies having

one for himself.

Isn't it annoyingly awkward how he keeps on repeating

'the person'?

Either he's having everyone on, or he's found a toyboy

to call his own.

I blame you not, Kostas.

Here, let us ZORBA.

And while you're at it, check out the bloke on the right.

Love,

Tzar

I feel sorry for the attendant. Probably getting 400 baht a day wages, far away from home, trying to earn an honest living. Having to deal with ignorant sexpats all day/night, who are paranoid about getting ripped off, must be soul-destroying. People using the car park and driving away without paying deserve a fine but this poor by just lost the plot. What's he supposed to do - go to the police? Add all this onto the fact that his female relatives are probably forced into prostitution - can anyone really blame him.

Right on, mate!

Treat others exactly the way you would like to be treated.

If by some misfortune you wound up like that poor bloke,

what would you like the old chap to have done?

Hand over 40 baht? why not 50 or 100? What harm can

that do to a wealthy expat? And how much good for the

reputation of us Westerners? especially if done sincerely

and politely; ... to say nothing of uplifting the heart of a boy

who obviously has been through a lot of suffering & hardship.

Ha, ha! Good on you, mate.

As for myself, i find peer pressure fun, ... fun to resist it & laugh at it,

fun to see how abuse & scorn are so unsparingly used by the throng

in an effort to quash down individual reasoning.

& i too chuckle at the difference.

You guys speak words & think thoughts that aren't yours at all, but

have been shaped up by endless hours of TV, mainstream media &

Hollywood film exposure.

Why do you think Oscar Wilde said, 'don't say that you agree with me.

When people agree with me i always feel that i must be wrong'.

I tried to give the OP my most sincere advice, that he too may become

more sincere in his words, in his deeds, & that he may avoid falling into

uncomfortable situations.

But he comes across as entirely superficial as well as false. & that has

nothing to do with age. Nor with race!

In today's sick world, well-meaning suggestions pass for insults; smile

at someone & he'll surely think you've got some secret evil agenda.

Listen only to that which encourages bliss. If something hurts or shakes

you up, it's got to be nothing but an insult.

But i tell you what: the most useful advice is that which hurts, because

the hurt will wake you up.

Anyway, this is totally off-topic.

I meant just a quick reply. I do not wish to upset the mods.

So let's leave it at that, shall we?

Tzar.

Making communal gifts for total strangers who did not ask for them seems indeed

like a very odd thing to do.

I myself would have thought that you're either affection-starved or attention-starved.

Being black does not help.

All the same, you should have taken into account that there may be deep-rooted

differences between this country & yours, .... When the idea was still brewing in your head,

that was the time to talk it over with the Headmaster and at least with one of the physicians

in the hospital, prior to performing your 'charitable' deed, in order to assess its propriety

and avoid a faux pas.

Turning up with a bunch of toilet rolls in a hospital? What was your true motive?

To gain their affection? their sympathy? To make friends? To improve your reputation

in the community?

A sip of milk is not going to do anything to improve anyone's life.

And hospitals here certainly lack neither milk nor toilet rolls.

There are a million motives for a seemingly 'charitable' action, and most are of dubious

nature.

The main one is always the real thing. But the giver himself only knows it.

If genuine unadulterated love & compassion had prompted the deed, why

did you not send an anonymous closed envelop with a few thousand baht

via the Headmaster or another trusted person? And kept it a secret?

Instead you choose to shout your failed deed to the four winds (is it 4?).

If you had the cash to spare & the desire to help, you could have found out

who your most dispossessed pupils are, visited their homes accompanied

by their homeroom teachers, and offer their parents a donation towards

food or other household expenses.

Too much work?

Yup, certainly a great deal harder than dropping by the local grocer's for

a bit of milk.

It's so true what someone said: that 'the more something costs you, the more

the love that goes into it' ... & the more genuine the deed is, absolutely.

Your first duty, though, is towards the people next to you.

And gifts must be made within a context that makes sense socially and

culturally.

Had you taken the trouble to look into what the community most needs,

you would not doubt have discovered that a small donation of edibles

to the local temple would have been quite welcome, ... as a number of

posters here have already pointed out.

In truth, you acted rashly and selfishly, entirely overlooking people's

feelings.

Aimless giving achieves nothing, ... it may, as it did here, backfire, ... &

it is the result of a mere impulse that in nothing resembles authentic

self-sacrificing charity.

Not to worry, though.

It was a blunder, but not the end of the world.

There will be opportunity to atone, to display not impulsive blind generosity

but a deeper, authentic & more mature consideration of others.

Meanwhile, just smile, & laugh at yourself.

And if met with a smirk, say truthfully & humbly, "i am very ignorant. I've got

a lot to learn".

Tzar

Just ignore these people who don´t understand irony. We need to approach life with a bit of a smile and a big sense of humor. Those who doeasn´t get that, is probably people you have to stay away from.

My life philophosy is cencentrated in 3 sentences:

1: Stay away from people who doesn´t like to joke

!: Stay away from people who doesn´t like a good meal and a drink.

2:Stay away from people who hate animals.

:-)

You and i could never be friends.

* sigh *

Costas:

Your post is as bitter as any.

You too are one of the many here who are crying out for approval ...

the approval of total strangers.

And it's not like we're talking about the most intellectually gifted

bunch of strangers either.

Isn't it rather, mostly lonely, maladjusted, love-starved, prejudiced,

& dull-witted misfits whose favour you're so desperate bidding to

win?

If you want to be gay (in either sense of the term), what stops you?

Go right ahead.

Your responsibility is, first & foremost, towards your own self.

As other posters have pointed out, the attacks aren't personal at

all. When vitriol gets spouted at you, that has nothing whatsoever

to do with you, but it's all about the spouter himself.

Finally, your post has brought back to mind a remarkable quote by

that truly gay Irish genius (yes, gay in both senses) Oscar Wilde:

'Ah! Don't say that you agree with me. When people agree with me

i always feel that i must be wrong'.

Tzar

Ooooooohhhh, dear members, this is a true intellectual.

Respec, him (not a spelling mistake), and listen to his advice.

When I grow up, I would like to be like him.

Costas:

Nope, i'm afraid you're wrong.

I typed in '... you're so desperate bidding to win', which reads quite

awkwardly as i inadvertently left out the final 'ly' in 'desperately'.

Derision aside, my advice was meant for you alone, hence the

heading 'Costas', ... arguably, a prime example of a quaint Greek

name.

Glad to see that TVF members have all of the sudden become

'dear' to you.

An improvement by any standards.

Tzar.

Costas:

Your post is as bitter as any.

You too are one of the many here who are crying out for approval ...

the approval of total strangers.

And it's not like we're talking about the most intellectually gifted

bunch of strangers either.

Isn't it rather, mostly lonely, maladjusted, love-starved, prejudiced,

& dull-witted misfits whose favour you're so desperate bidding to

win?

If you want to be gay (in either sense of the term), what stops you?

Go right ahead.

Your responsibility is, first & foremost, towards your own self.

As other posters have pointed out, the attacks aren't personal at

all. When vitriol gets spouted at you, that has nothing whatsoever

to do with you, but it's all about the spouter himself.

Finally, your post has brought back to mind a remarkable quote by

that truly gay Irish genius (yes, gay in both senses) Oscar Wilde:

'Ah! Don't say that you agree with me. When people agree with me

i always feel that i must be wrong'.

Tzar

7 thugs and 1 shark

Right on!

Any one of them would be right at home

sitting on that chair!