Schools closed in Chiang Mai .......... again.

[ChaiyaTH]

5 minutes ago, rumak said:

I hardly ever went to school.    No wonder I'm so smart ...............

Plenty of studies have found that the education system is simply a fail, that students at young ages not resonate with math, what a surprise. I sucked in it all times and by the time I was 20 and learned programming, I understood it and it became fun. Many are much smarter than they were graded, can take up to the age 30 for someone to be ready for it and outperform all his class mates from age 7-15.

 

But yeah, my answer is obviously too serious and yours wasn't (i did get that).

Edited July 8, 2021 by ChaiyaTH

[rumak]

4 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

But yeah, my answer is obviously too serious and yours wasn't (i did get that).

I was being serious .                      hahahahah   but the best way to express ideas is sometimes through humor .       I just remembered a saying :   "Don't confuse education with intelligence "      

[J Town]

34 minutes ago, rumak said:

A recent survey has just been released that assessed the children's frontal, temporal and parietal lobes of the brain.    Experts are at a loss as to why,  with almost no schooling for two years,   98% of all children exhibited a marked increase in size for those areas of the brain.    

I hardly ever went to school.    No wonder I'm so smart ...............

555! You're probably smart for learning the three R's growing up, based on the spelling, grammar and punctuation of your posts!

 

I taught English in Thailand on and off from 2006-2018 at a prominent private school. I was appalled at the severity of the strict daily routine thrust on these poor kids with no real breaks to ease their weary minds. Subject teachers yelled at the students to regurgitate the rote lessons. No kidding, my students would cheer when I walked into the classroom because I would give them a needed mental break and allow them to take a sigh of relief for 50 minutes. Sure, we got our workbooks completed, but we also had fun doing so. And we learned.

 

The Japanese schools give no tests before grade 4. Instead, they teach students how to behave and interact with each other.  EVERY Japanese student I had while teaching music at an international school was a sheer pleasure. They were polite and put forth their best effort.

 

My point is that, in my opinion, the Thai school system is doesn't really teach young minds in the best way, and your post gives credence to such.

Edited July 8, 2021 by J Town
speling [sic]

[rumak]

Just now, J Town said:

Subject teachers yelled at the students to regurgitate the wrote lessons.

the "rote lessons"  ?      ouch,  sorry JT    lol          correcting after you were kind enough to be nice to me.       As for grammar and such... i often just write freestyle as i am  a bit lazy with sentences and punctuation.     I do agree that the rote style of repetition is a real brain cell killer,  though my teerak  is really good at remembering numbers of license plates and ballplayers.    

Seems the one thing that can not be "taught"  is the art of critical thinking.  The endless posts quoting one source and calling others not credible makes me laugh.   

I like the reference to Japanese children learning how to interact with each other.  That is a lesson we ALL should be learning 

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

On 7/7/2021 at 6:16 PM, connda said:

Know your place serf! <whack whack whack!>

My God, those dramas. I don't know what they see in them. The poor servants get out of line, time to tie them to a pole and whack 'em for a good five minutes, as the nobility gleefully looks on, and the dramatic music plays. Guess some really want to go back to those good ol' days.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

On 7/7/2021 at 7:47 AM, nikmar said:

only 7 out of 35 students in his class log in for the classes

We're also teaching online at my school, that's been about my turn out as well. Sometimes only one student shows up. Sometimes a bunch of them decide to wake up and say "Hello teacher!", but then just ignore the assignment.

[herfiehandbag]

30 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

We're also teaching online at my school, that's been about my turn out as well. Sometimes only one student shows up. Sometimes a bunch of them decide to wake up and say "Hello teacher!", but then just ignore the assignment.

I am finding that about 60% log on, and about 20% are really taking part. We use the "Line" app, and I tend to find I am deluged with stickers of teddy bears and sassy bunny rabbits at the end of each lesson. Some of the assignments have been really good though (parents taking an interest). I am teaching science in English through to M3 this year (the Thais and Filipinos all complained it was too hard so they gave it to the old Farang); I knew that Biology O level would come in handy one day! I have to say I am quite enjoying the experience!

[MayBeNow]

Its rather sad these kids have so little self discipline and that their parents dont force them to learn. Not surprising in any way though.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

9 hours ago, MayBeNow said:

Its rather sad these kids have so little self discipline and that their parents dont force them to learn. Not surprising in any way though.

Thai style, man. The ol' Buddhist go with the flow, arai kor dai (whatever goes, up to you, roughly), sabai sabai (be comfortable).

 

It's why the five teenage boys down the soi in our moo ban just lay around all day, playing games. Someone keeps feeding them and paying those phone bills, not requiring anything of them. It's why this restaurant I go to in the town, has a young daughter of the owner who's allowed to yell, scream, throw toys around, while the rest of us try to eat. It's why students rarely show up or do their work, with no discipline or consequences.

 

It's a dilemma. It's one of the main things that makes Thailand, Thailand. Their usual pleasantness, easygoingness, etc. Many of us farangs shake our fists at such things and wish they'd change. But change too much, and they wouldn't be Thailand anymore. On the other hand, some changes must eventually be made, if they're to solve the many problems they have, both internally, and dealing with the rest of the world.

[MayBeNow]

I dont expect them to change, because i know they wont. And if they would change (being diligent, industrious, inventive, open to change, open to constructive criticism etc..) i wouldnt really like it anymore. Let them stay as they are, and i have no doubt they will never ever change. Its how i like them.

A Vietnamese female friend once described Thai people while we were in BKK as 'they are like our hill tribe people' = not fit for a modern 21st century economy and world. That was after i predicted the waitress would:

1. Repeat what we ordered and make a mistake already

2. Come back to check what we ordered, because she "forgot" to write it down

3. Bring the wrong order.

And it went as i predicted. Nothing but smiles from the three of us.

Edited July 9, 2021 by MayBeNow

[BritManToo]

19 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

On the other hand, some changes must eventually be made, if they're to solve the many problems they have, both internally, and dealing with the rest of the world.

Disagree,

Thailand is essentially self sufficient, they don't really need the rest of the world.

It's a shame a few more countries can't be like that, the world would be a better place without so much cultural mixing IMHO.

[1FinickyOne]

On 7/9/2021 at 1:19 AM, MayBeNow said:

Its rather sad these kids have so little self discipline and that their parents dont force them to learn. Not surprising in any way though.

my kid takes total care and responsibility for her school work.. I have never had to tell her 'do you homework' etc... and she always has.. so, large generalities don't always apply. 

[1FinickyOne]

On 7/8/2021 at 9:10 PM, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

We're also teaching online at my school, that's been about my turn out as well. Sometimes only one student shows up. Sometimes a bunch of them decide to wake up and say "Hello teacher!", but then just ignore the assignment.

You want me to tune in if you get lonely?

 

Actually, my kid had a meeting at the school w/a different teacher and was late to logging in to the online class and the teacher berated her,,, 

[MayBeNow]

4 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

my kid takes total care and responsibility for her school work.. I have never had to tell her 'do you homework' etc... and she always has.. so, large generalities don't always apply. 

I know there are many positive exceptions, amongst Thai children and amongst their Thai and or farang parents. Your child has more discipline then I might have had!! With this attitude she will be way ahead of her peers in Thailand. 

 

My wife studied tourism in Thailand and speaks English very well with a vocabulary equal to mine. She didnt accomplish that by being lazy. Her sister studied German and has a German passport, obtained by being an expat in Germany for 10 years. Never had a German boyfriend, no easy way to a passport. There are many notable exceptions!!!

 

Yet the average Thai parent and child i dont see as an example of being hard working and self sacrificing. The sabai sabai and sanuk attitude seems to be a much stronger force then the opposite.

It might have to do mainly with the socio economic background.

Edited July 12, 2021 by MayBeNow

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

On 7/8/2021 at 9:56 PM, herfiehandbag said:

We use the "Line" app, and I tend to find I am deluged with stickers of teddy bears and sassy bunny rabbits

We're also using Line. I've got my classes each in separate groups, and we do our discussions and sassy stickers in there, sometimes sending voice or video clips back and forth. Surprised how well it's working out, for those that are participating, that is. Nearly 90% in M1, then it drops off as you go up, to hardly anyone on M6, because they're ready to go to university, or just quit school and life the Issan life.

 

Sometimes they write in their notebooks and take a pic, if drawings or tables are necessary. But for just short answers, have you tried Google Forms? It's quite convenient. Grab some visual aids and drag em in. Make your own textbook essentially. Then you get this nice spreadsheet with all their responses.

[herfiehandbag]

11 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

We're also using Line. I've got my classes each in separate groups, and we do our discussions and sassy stickers in there, sometimes sending voice or video clips back and forth. Surprised how well it's working out, for those that are participating, that is. Nearly 90% in M1, then it drops off as you go up, to hardly anyone on M6, because they're ready to go to university, or just quit school and life the Issan life.

 

Sometimes they write in their notebooks and take a pic, if drawings or tables are necessary. But for just short answers, have you tried Google Forms? It's quite convenient. Grab some visual aids and drag em in. Make your own textbook essentially. Then you get this nice spreadsheet with all their responses.

Thank you I will try that - although technology and me are strangers - ask me to repack the cylinder glands on a Great Western Railway steam engine built in 1925 and I am your man but...

 

Alternatively I could go Thai/Philippines style, sit down in front of the computer, and read from the textbook for 30 minutes...

 

Or then again Cameroon style, and shout louder 'cos they are further away!

[Albaby]

On 7/7/2021 at 10:47 AM, nikmar said:

i cant remember when my boy lst ent to school. He s on work from home for the forseeable it seems.

only 7 out of 35 students in his class log in for the classes. 

Are you helping him with his English?

[stament]

I heard rumours that some CM schools may open this Weds 1st Sept but I've not seen anything official from schools or CM government.