In-Class Teacher Support Issues/Legalities.

[Starfish And Coffee]

Hello i'm seeking advice about support issues at my (private) school which refuses to give their foreign language teachers (FLT) in-class support.

The school management has told all homeroom teachers to leave the classrooms once the FLT enters for their lesson. This includes kindergarten classrooms. 

Recently there was an issue when an FLT was left alone with a kindergarten class (some of the children were still eating lunch) and made a complaint which led to being told firmly that 'Thai teachers do not help foreign teachers'.

I am very worried about the health and safety issues within this context for both students and teachers. Surely the homeroom teachers should stay with their class, monitoring and assisting when needed. In my previous schools there was always one homeroom teacher and one assistant with younger learners. I would like to know if, legally, there should be at least one or two homeroom teachers in the classroom at all times. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  

[recom273]

In my experience, health and safety of the students isn't the concern of most schools or home room teachers. It's strange isn't it? Knowing the way some teachers are recruited and If I was a parent I certainly wouldn't want my kid being left unsupervised in a class with an "unknown" foreigner.

 

I have been in your situation many times. One time was when the agency gained an amazing contract where we would have full cooperation of the school, they wanted the program to succeed, there would be a homeroom teacher in every class and two TA's in every K class. That didn't happen at all, after we complained, the agency was told by the school "Its not the Thai teachers duty to keep order in a the NES classroom, we should learn to cope". Some Thai teachers are great and stick about, even if its sitting at their desk marking, but most see that time as their free period and disapear to gossip with their colleagues.

I took over from one NES teacher, at a pretty bad Mathayom school, the NES was accused of hitting a kid. It seemed the kids didn't like his style and as far fetched as it sounds, all came together and concocted a story about him punching this kid. You would have thought that the school would have learned from this? I was given a TA for a couple of days before the school said they didn't have the budget to pay a teacher to sit there and keep order.

 

There is no law relating to class supervision by a Thai teacher. AFAIK.

 

Is this your second gig in Thailand?

 

If its Pratom kids, try to develop your classroom management skills, it shouldnt be so difficult at the moment, the kids haven't had classes for a couple of years allowing you to create a clean slate, new term, new methods. 

Edited December 25, 2021 by recom273

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

Many Thai teachers are resentful of how much more the NES farangs get paid, two or even three times as much as them. For that amount, they figure, you don't need any help.

[Scott]

My job was to supervise the Foreign Teachers, as such I usually spent considerable time walking around and going to the classes.  In the private schools, where parents are paying good money for an education, they do expect that their child will have proper supervision in and out of the classroom. 

 

The KG level need to have more than just one teacher in the room.  They are simply too young to be in the hands of one person.  Many of them have to be taken to the toilet and require assistance in simple tasks.   Any school that doesn't have assistants for both the Thai teacher and the Foreign teacher is seriously negligent.  

 

By upper Pratom level most students where I work are proficient enough in English to understand and by Mathyom they are pretty close to fully bilingual.  Even then, there are students who are a behavior problem.  I usually knew who they were and I knew which teachers had the most problems with classroom management.  I spent considerable time in their classes.  The goal was always to assist the teacher, not in any way to interfere with what they were doing. 

 

If you have a head teacher, it might be a good idea to bring the problem up with him/her.

[puchooay]

4 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Many Thai teachers are resentful of how much more the NES farangs get paid, two or even three times as much as them. For that amount, they figure, you don't need any help.

Depends what type of school.

 

In a Thai government school Thai teachers are well paid. After 15-20 years service they will be earning more than foreign teachers. Add to that the pension, cheap loans, free health care for them and their families, the lower class count per week and the fact that they can leave early and arrive late with no issues,  I think they mostly realise they are onto a good thing. Better than their foreign colleagues.

[TheScience]

I would very much expect you to have help up to kindergarten and perhaps p1. Whenever the school determines the children can go to the toilet themselves. After that point I would not expect help.

 

Complete the year and move on. If really stressful or if a male teacher - quit. There are dozens of jobs being posted for primary and lower weekly on ajarn.

 

IMO because students are so small you are leaving yourself open to many issues legally and otherwise.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

4 hours ago, TheScience said:

If really stressful or if a male teacher - quit. There are dozens of jobs being posted

Haha, yes this essentially. Still very much a seller's market here for us teachers. No reason to take such nonsense where there's a surplus of jobs, and not enough of us to go around.

 

Though the country has "reopened", there's still a gauntlet of Covid paperwork, testing, and insurance most people aren't willing to run through. Then expect this to increase with increasing Omicron numbers.

 

I gleefully notice one of the first terrible schools I worked for posting the same ad over and over with no takers, for multiple positions. Those of us still here know their reputation, and they no longer have fresh, naive newcomers willing to take a bite.

[Starfish And Coffee]

Thanks all for your responses. It's my 4th school, have been here 3 years and yes i am looking for a new school.

In all my previous schools kindergarten classes had 1 teacher and 1 assistant teacher.  There is definite bitterness/jealousy towards NES.  The head teacher is aware but can do nothing (re. the recent incident) he was told by the management to tell the NES teacher Thai teachers don't help foreign teachers. The only potential way would be to speak to the owners who are now impossible to contact.

 

I just think there are massive health and safety concerns, particularly with Kindergarten and P1 students. 

 

[allane]

Never call a Thai teacher into the classroom to restore order.  If you do that once,you will have to do it every time.  

Thai's are woefully immature by any western standard.  When I told a Thai high school teacher colleague  that in Canada, the students (instead of the teachers) moved from room to room at every bell, he couldn't believe it, and said that would never work here.

I never taught Anuban, or even Prathom.  At least for Anuban, I think a Thai assistant would be necessary.  

[mrwebb8825]

On 12/26/2021 at 4:04 PM, Starfish And Coffee said:

It's my 4th school, have been here 3 years and yes i am looking for a new school

w/o having met you I would have red flagged this ^^ when you applied. Seems like you're trying to cherry pick, looking for that perfect, paid for, long vacation.

What "Issues" are you encountering that feed these fears and concerns for the "Safety and Health" of your students? Are they playing leap frog with the desks? Are they attacking each other or you with spoons? or, are they being very young kids with the attention span of a goldfish? If the latter, then that's on you for not being prepared to go into that classroom.

After teaching here for over 20 years, I've never encountered an inherently evil 4/5 year old. There are some that are high-spirited, some with learning disabilities, some with ADHD. Thai society requires government schools to take them all. (2 examples from personal experience: an M6 kid who graduated yet couldn't write his name, an M5 student that wore diapers and pooped/peed in his seat in class)

As an example: You mentioned entering before everyone was finished eating - That's on you - Quit being "Western" in Thailand. If you insist on continuing to "release" the Thai teachers early then bring themed coloring pages. Anyone eating doesn't get 1. Watch how fast they finish and learn to eat quicker to "join the fun". 

Have videos preloaded on your laptop and plug into the projector as soon as you walk in. Have the day's PP ready to go as soon as the video finishes. Keep everything topic themed. If the school has books they insist be completed, make a spot in the class for that. Rotation and busy routine.

It's unfortunate that there are so many teachers here that think the day starts at 8am and finishes at 3pm - it's ONLY Mon-Fri.