Expats Schooling Preferences in Thailand 2018 – Thaivisa Survey 2018

[HooHaa]

Are these the same expats that he stated esrlier had been with ladyboys? 

[KiwiKiwi]

2 hours ago, BobbyL said:

Wow.

 

So far from reality it is untrue.

 

 

Untrue in your experience perhaps. Seems pretty characteristic in my experience. Rich kids are not at a good school in Thailand to get an education. They are there for bragging rights later on and to keep them out of the parent's way.

 

If you're a teacher and you haven't yet figured that out, then I'm sure you have a rosy future in thinking you're doing something useful - wherever you are. Good luck to you.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[BobbyL]

2 hours ago, KiwiKiwi said:

 

Untrue in your experience perhaps. Seems pretty characteristic in my experience. Rich kids are not at a good school in Thailand to get an education. They are there for bragging rights later on and to keep them out of the parent's way.

 

If you're a teacher and you haven't yet figured that out, then I'm sure you have a rosy future in thinking you're doing something useful - wherever you are. Good luck to you.

 

 

Maybe being in primary is a blessing, but even though the kids do come from rich and privileged backgrounds, there is none of what has been mentioned. They (referring to the Thai children) are generally highly motivated and far more interested in learning compared to some of the classes I had in England. 

 

I have never heard from anyone (in many international schools) that they have been dictated on how to assess their children. That would be a serious breach of discipline. We assess them as we deem appropriate and if they fail and require extra interventions then that is fine. 

 

Perhaps as the children get older and head in to secondary it may become different and their own / their parents attitude may differ. Thankfully that is not an age I am familiar with or qualified to teach. 

[KiwiKiwi]

4 hours ago, phetpeter said:

 

Oh! dear, personal attack, because I decided to write lazily on TV. The fact you returned home, show your knowledge is limited. Thailand is 3rd world and is progressing. slowly but, surely it has many hurdles to complete. But, it is not good that you try to match them with your ideal schools in your home country, and certainly don't think that they should fall in line with US or UK ways which are failing to give a rounded education, unlike when I was at school in the 60's and 70's. School should provide a good knowledge about many things. Not just maths, science and American history related to colour. It should include the basic's, cooking, cleaning, changing a plug, basic repairs, geography, wood, and metal skills. health, discovery, research. Plus many more. Here communication skills are very important, many Thai student are capable of understanding English, but, lack the opportunities to pracite speech. Grammar is a system that is fluid, and certainly not an American skill, set in stone, nor to be equal is it a UK one too. Old forms are not important in the fast moving world we live in today. You must move with the times and except that English language skills are like the seas, moving and changing, If you wallow in the shallows, you will not be able to feel the changes in the deeper sea,. I change and move with my students abilities, to help them progress and become more confident, I worry less about your view on my grammar than knowing my students have a bit more knowledge, than they did when they entered my lectures.

I'm only going to address one point in this post; that about communication - because I think you've hit on an important topic.

 

"Here communication skills are very important,"

 

Perhaps its an age thing,  but I think the Thai language is waaay too imprecise to be useful. or rather, the Thai uses it in a subjective rather than an objective way. Yes, it's primitive, yes it is not designed for technical topics like Math of Physics, but even so, ask a Thai where a particular shop is and they may very well say 'over there' - they have a mental picture born of knowing where it is and how to get there. In English, you might very well say "down this road about 200m, turn left, the shop is 100m on your right.. The average Thai won't think 'hang on, he's asking where the shop is, so he doesn't know how to get there, so I'll tell him', they'll be like little engineers, in that what they will say is perfectly true but of no use at all; "Raan Pracha, over there", the accompanying gesture  often made with the head.

 

Infuriating? yes. Useless? yes. Malicious? no, but dopey? definitely yes. The Thai language is probably OK for a population deliberately kept stupid for many decades so as not to cause the landed gentry numbskulls any embarrassment, but for the 21st Century, it''s about as useful as asking a 5-year-old. And that nice Mr Prayuth tells people Thai can be used as a lingua franca. Not in this lifetime... what a joke.

[HooHaa]

5 minutes ago, KiwiKiwi said:

I'm only going to address one point in this post; that about communication - because I think you've hit on an important topic.

 

"Here communication skills are very important,"

 

Perhaps its an age thing,  but I think the Thai language is waaay too imprecise to be useful. or rather, the Thai uses it in a subjective rather than an objective way. Yes, it's primitive, yes it is not designed for technical topics like Math of Physics, but even so, ask a Thai where a particular shop is and they may very well say 'over there' - they have a mental picture born of knowing where it is and how to get there. In English, you might very well say "down this road about 200m, turn left, the shop is 100m on your right.. The average Thai won't think 'hang on, he's asking where the shop is, so he doesn't know how to get there, so I'll tell him', they'll be like little engineers, in that what they will say is perfectly true but of no use at all; "Raan Pracha, over there", the accompanying gesture  often made with the head.

 

Infuriating? yes. Useless? yes. Malicious? no, but dopey? definitely yes. The Thai language is probably OK for a population deliberately kept stupid for many decades so as not to cause the landed gentry numbskulls any embarrassment, but for the 21st Century, it''s about as useful as asking a 5-year-old. And that nice Mr Prayuth tells people Thai can be used as a lingua franca. Not in this lifetime... what a joke.

out of curiosity is your thai fluent?

 

[KiwiKiwi]

2 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Maybe being in primary is a blessing, but even though the kids do come from rich and privileged backgrounds, there is none of what has been mentioned. They (referring to the Thai children) are generally highly motivated and far more interested in learning compared to some of the classes I had in England. 

 

I have never heard from anyone (in many international schools) that they have been dictated on how to assess their children. That would be a serious breach of discipline. We assess them as we deem appropriate and if they fail and require extra interventions then that is fine. 

 

Perhaps as the children get older and head in to secondary it may become different and their own / their parents attitude may differ. Thankfully that is not an age I am familiar with or qualified to teach. 

My experience does not match yours. I was used to teaching 10 to 15-year-old girls in an English-language program. Failing not allowed, teachers had to re-test until the student passed. Tea-money given because Mommy wanted their brat to be in an advanced math class when she was thick as pudding. Students threaten to get rid of teachers if teachers were too demanding.

 

This is the age when children are learning to make their own decisions, learning how to manipulate, and more importantly learning how to cheat and pass despite being lazy and stupid. There were some good kids I recall, in fact, one of the brightest kids I've ever met was studying at a level way above the class average - I would estimate 2 years ahead, a Chinese kid. But the average kids were Thai and interested only in having more face than the teacher and developing their own social pecking order. I honestly had a truly miserable time, it was just soul destroying for someone like me, who actually gave a damn. Well motivated? Nope. Bright future? Some of them. Too many sent to school because the parents were too busy ripping off other Thais so they were richer. Kids learn from Mom and Dad as well as their peers.

[BobbyL]

2 minutes ago, KiwiKiwi said:

My experience does not match yours. I was used to teaching 10 to 15-year-old girls in an English-language program. Failing not allowed, teachers had to re-test until the student passed. Tea-money given because Mommy wanted their brat to be in an advanced math class when she was thick as pudding. Students threaten to get rid of teachers if teachers were too demanding.

 

This is the age when children are learning to make their own decisions, learning how to manipulate, and more importantly learning how to cheat and pass despite being lazy and stupid. There were some good kids I recall, in fact, one of the brightest kids I've ever met was studying at a level way above the class average - I would estimate 2 years ahead, a Chinese kid. But the average kids were Thai and interested only in having more face than the teacher and developing their own social pecking order. I honestly had a truly miserable time, it was just soul destroying for someone like me, who actually gave a damn. Well motivated? Nope. Bright future? Some of them. Too many sent to school because the parents were too busy ripping off other Thais so they were richer. Kids learn from Mom and Dad as well as their peers.

By English language program, are you referring to a Thai school with an EP department?

 

If so, therein lies the problem and why they are so far apart from any western managed school that follows a true international curriculum. 

[KiwiKiwi]

4 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

out of curiosity is your thai fluent?

 

Define fluent. I suppose it's semi-fluent. I am easily understood when the listener wants to understand. Which means about 10% of the time if they're Thai. Don't forget that some Thais (perhaps many Thais), pretend not to understand despite the Thai being perfect. Also remember the government statistic that 65% of Thais can't speak the Thai language well, which to me means if you speak good and clear Thai, it may well still not be understood, same as if you forget some of the ridiculous tonal settings. The number of times my Thai wife has said "forget it, she's pretending not to understand just so she can feel like she's better than you" is huge.

 

I know that won't give you what you wanted to hear, but it answers the question the way I wanted to answer it.

[KiwiKiwi]

2 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

By English language program, are you referring to a Thai school with an EP department?

 

If so, therein lies the problem and why they are so far apart from any western managed school that follows a true international curriculum. 

 

Indeed. I can accept that, although it was a prominent Thai school with a well-regarded (by Thais) EP.  On the other hand, I've met a good few native English-speaking senior personnel at English-speaking universities in Thailand, and they didn't impress very much either. They were all American, but that's just an aside.

[brewsterbudgen]

Here's the bottom line smell test - if you had to have your gall bladder removed, would you allow a doctor with ONLY a Thai university degree to cut you open and trust you would wake back up in this world?

Good grief, what a strange comment. Many of the doctors at international hospitals like Bumrungrad and Samitivej just have Thai qualifications from medical schools like Mahidol. Why would you think they are sub-standard?

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[KiwiKiwi]

23 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Good grief, what a strange comment. Many of the doctors at international hospitals like Bumrungrad and Samitivej just have Thai qualifications from medical schools like Mahidol. Why would you think they are sub-standard?

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Samitivej? Oh puhlease. I wrote a post about doctors at Samitivej a couple of weeks back. There just isn't any way I will darken their doorway again with anything more serious than a cold or an ingrown toenail. Param 9 too that can't diagnose arthritis, even when they're told "I have osteo-arthritis".

 

If they were as good as they think they are, they'd be world-beaters. But they aren't, they're Thais, which is the opposite of world-beaters.

Edited June 12, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[Awk]

8 hours ago, phetpeter said:

Sorry to pop your bubble, Int schools will not fail your child. 

 
My daughter's class mate at an international school did not progress to grade three, but had to do grade two again.  So not sure what bubble it is you're popping.

I'm sure there are some really good Thai schools, considerably better than the international school I refer too, and I'm equally sure that most of us common farangs would neither know where to find such schools, nor have a child talented and hard-working enough to get admitted into that school.  

Edited June 12, 2018 by Awk

[jenny2017]

9 hours ago, phetpeter said:

Sorry to pop your bubble, Int schools will not fail your child. In fact some are not as good as you think, You pay your money for the extras, Name , status, and the student don't try hard enough, 'cause daddy pays! plus one a few months ago,  had the residences raided and found illegal substances in quantity. and in the past, ping pong bombs, knives and attitude problems. Students under age clubbing, drinking. because daddy supplied the car, and sometimes a driver and cash.Watch them going to events out of uniform, Gals dressed as 'hoes and the boys dressed like pimps. Try that at the better government Thai schools. I cannot assure Thai student don't always get away with not trying. But that isn't the case at Int schools, which are sometimes are just dumping grounds to get your kids away from home. So you don't have to put up with them and their daily needs. Forgot to mention also Teachers scared to fail, or comment or are told not to , due to student phoning Daddy who phones the school, teacher sacked etc. Thats why the turnover is so high, or the teachers are young with no wish to remain too long or the school is overrun with butt kissing Philippino's.

I fully agree with your last sentence. Ajarn up and Ajarn down. Unfortunately, do some parents pay a hell lot of money for NES teachers, but most subjects are being taught in Tinglish with the usual gender identity problem. 

[KiwiKiwi]

10 minutes ago, Awk said:

 

 
My daughter's class mate at an international school did not progress to grade three, but had to do grade two again.  So not sure what bubble it is you're popping.

I'm sure there are some really good Thai schools, considerably better than the international school I refer too, and I'm equally sure that most of us common farangs would neither know where to find such schools, nor have a child talented and hard-working enough to get admitted into that school.  

 

 

Yep, and the Thai education system routinely produces high-quality students.

 

At least 2 or 3 every year.

 

[phetpeter]

3 hours ago, BobbyL said:

Perhaps as the children get older and head in to secondary it may become different and their own / their parents attitude may differ. Thankfully that is not an age I am familiar with or qualified to teach. 

Ah! Grasshopper, "you now see the bud turns into flower, but the flower not always become the fruit!"

[phetpeter]

40 minutes ago, Awk said:

My daughter's class mate at an international school did not progress to grade three, but had to do grade two again.  So not sure what bubble it is you're popping.

I'm sure there are some really good Thai schools, considerably better than the international school I refer too, and I'm equally sure that most of us common farangs would neither know where to find such schools, nor have a child talented and hard-working enough to get admitted into that school.  

So mugged to stay back a year and pay again...hmm! Theres more to that than do the year again. Could not summer hols schooling. or additional studies to catch up..still only 7 years old the child must have felt really insecure at being left behind while her class mates for 2 years or longer moved on, would love that for my child for sure! NOT! The child is only figging 7 years old, she still a baby!

Edited June 12, 2018 by phetpeter

[baansgr]

On 6/11/2018 at 2:53 PM, quandow said:

I've worked in both Thai schools and International schools in Thailand. NEVER would I send anyone I loved to a Thai school.

Unfortunately circumstances can change without warning and not everyone is afforded the luxury of choice.

[Awk]

23 minutes ago, phetpeter said:

So mugged to stay back a year and pay again...hmm! Theres more to that than do the year again. Could not summer hols schooling. or additional studies to catch up..still only 7 years old the child must have felt really insecure at being left behind while her class mates for 2 years or longer moved on, would love that for my child for sure! NOT! The child is only figging 7 years old, she still a baby!

I don't know what things were tried, but do know the girl had a private teacher coming to teach her a few times a week. Not enough I guess.  Another parent was also warned about their daughter in grade three, and the father worked more with her on homework and it became ok.

 

Felt sad for the girl when I heard it, but she looked like she was doing ok anyway.

 

I don't think "pay again" had anything to do with it, and it sounds like a ridiculous thing to even think at that time, with 10+ more years to go anyway.

It's even more ridiculous considering you first said they will not fail you, and next when someone tells you they will fail you, you postulate that it is so they can get paid for an extra year.  Was logic and reason not a subject at your school?  Or did you attend one of those school you talk about, where they will never fail you?
 

 

[BobbyL]

12 hours ago, Awk said:

I don't know what things were tried, but do know the girl had a private teacher coming to teach her a few times a week. Not enough I guess.  Another parent was also warned about their daughter in grade three, and the father worked more with her on homework and it became ok.

 

Felt sad for the girl when I heard it, but she looked like she was doing ok anyway.

 

I don't think "pay again" had anything to do with it, and it sounds like a ridiculous thing to even think at that time, with 10+ more years to go anyway.

It's even more ridiculous considering you first said they will not fail you, and next when someone tells you they will fail you, you postulate that it is so they can get paid for an extra year.  Was logic and reason not a subject at your school?  Or did you attend one of those school you talk about, where they will never fail you?
 

 

I think he is clearly clueless as to what he is talking about, therefore using any reasoning to suit his agenda.

 

Just reading his posts makes me scared to think he is actually teaching children in any school. 

[phetpeter]

1 hour ago, BobbyL said:

rI think he is clearly clueless as to what he is talking about, therefore using any reasoning to suit his agenda.

 

Just reading his posts makes me scared to think he is actually teaching children in any school. 

What is it with you! Leave off the personal attacks on me. Unless you know me personally. You sound like you have your own problems, and are acting like a bully, one that hides in chat rooms, where everybody has a right to express their views in a general manner. Please express your general comments and views. The fact you stated you are a teacher, you seem to have a very narrow minded way of discussing your views by just slating others. Perhaps if you read the comments from others , you would notice that others tended to agree with many of my comments rather than yours.  (note: If you do know me...Sorry your woman was gagging for it, she stated that she wanted a real man for a change! ?) See! We can all be childish in our responses!

Edited June 13, 2018 by phetpeter

[phetpeter]

Holding a child back, has to have a very good reason, very poor attendance, due to illness, or long breaks from school. It would not be for poor grades during normal school times. One assumes that final exams and poor classwork, That a student receives failing grades. in these circumstances the grades are sometimes massaged from an 'F' to a 'D'. unless you ask to see the worksheets and marked exam papers, you may never know. In fact you should be concerned when a class all receives "A" for a subject exam. That tells you something about that teacher and wonder about their reasons for that grade. Has the teacher just been lazy, or instructed to be generous or perhaps they believe that is what they are meant to do. If the teacher is only staying a short time in Thailand, before moving on in their travels, Do they care? I have made a career choice normally give a student "I" for additional study to receive a past grade. But, some are far to low to get anything other than an 'F". and that as never changed in Government(8yrs), Int school (5yrs) or Uni (3yrs)

[baansgr]

My oldest kids attened EP and I will give undying  credit to their Foreigner teachers that I feel did a fantastic job, their English is very good both oral and written. Being absent  for periods due to work, my influence was minimal.  Also,  the thought  process from that teaching. Only so much can be taught  in schools and a lot of teaching kids to question and think of an outcome must come from the parents. Last nights maths homework which was very difficult, my son was only interested in the correct answer but I explained to him how he had to arrive at that. My teachers were more interested in my doodles of working out the answer  rather than the answer itself, then if the answer is wrong you can actually explain why. Yes it's great to get gold stars for everything but being wrong is how we learn. 

[brewsterbudgen]

Anyone send their kid to Traill ?

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