Hair cutting at Thai schools: Student attacks teacher at Loei school

[Bangkok Barry]

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The kids can't ask questions because the teacher doesn't know the answers.... When I was in school teaching I asked some teachers to explain something about a celebration and she didn't know what it was....just as an example..

I've always remembered when I was at school in London asking a teacher if the cables in the underground train tunnels included those for phones. She said she didn't know but she would find out. And she did, and they do. Can you imagine a Thai teacher admitting to a student they didn't know the answer? Unthinkable.

[scorecard]

8 hours ago, JonnyF said:

This doesn't surprise me. It was just a matter of time in fact. It also wouldn't surprise me if a gun is used at some point in the future.

 

They need to stop this humiliating practice immediately before someone gets seriously hurt, either by a student or a parent. People get killed here for a lot less than humiliating/assaulting someone's child.

About 4 or 5 dyas agao the Thai Education Ministry made a well published statement (with video) stating that teachers are totally absolutely forbidden to cut students hair. SHouldn't be too difficult to find the media report.

[scorecard]

7 hours ago, foreverlomsak said:

The Department of Education have stated many times that teachers should not cut students hair, or otherwise inflict marks in the students hair causing the hair to be needing cut. The first time I heard of this "hands off" policy was back in 2008/9 when I started studying for a Thai teachers license.

About 4 or 5 days ago the Thai Education Minister made a public announcement statement confirming that teachers are forbidden to cut students hair.

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-schools-told-they-cannot-arbitrarily-cut-students-hair/

 

The same report in on Bkk Post, Pattaya Mail and several other media sites. 

 

Seems that the school administrator has forgotten to keep teachers informed. Not surprised.

 

 

[spidermike007]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Take a deep breath.....    I should have used an emoticon to highlight my ‘jibe at the US’ for their disproportionate and outrageous number of shootings, particularly school shootings (27 so far this year)...

 

And of course, I agree...  events such as this can trigger disproportionate and extreme acts of anger, revenge and violence. 

 

 

I am American, and am quite ashamed at the moment. We could have done so much better, as a nation. The US is essentially fueled by reality TV, and social media. It is a society run amok. An out of control culture I am happy to no longer be a part of. 

[scorecard]

58 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I am American, and am quite ashamed at the moment. We could have done so much better, as a nation. The US is essentially fueled by reality TV, and social media. It is a society run amok. An out of control culture I am happy to no longer be a part of. 

Must be massive numbers of US parents who are terrified of a shooting at their kids schools. Which school is next?

Edited June 2, 2022 by scorecard

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I've always remembered when I was at school in London asking a teacher if the cables in the underground train tunnels included those for phones. She said she didn't know but she would find out. And she did, and they do. Can you imagine a Thai teacher admitting to a student they didn't know the answer? Unthinkable.

Well no, and the poster shares a valuable example.

 

On the other hand most teachers are not experts at everything, nobody expects them to be. And there's easy ways to take care of situation where the teaher doesn't know the answer and doesn't want to say 'I don't know'.

 

How? Teacher says 'what a good question, we'll make that question the homework for tonight. Everybody must do some surfing and come tomorrow with a possible answer'. See you tomorrow...

[itsari]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I've always remembered when I was at school in London asking a teacher if the cables in the underground train tunnels included those for phones. She said she didn't know but she would find out. And she did, and they do. Can you imagine a Thai teacher admitting to a student they didn't know the answer? Unthinkable.

Of course not . the cables are dangling from post to post on the streets as this saves work and makes life easy to replace after the weather has destroyed the cables . 

Get with it Bang Barry 

[Myran]

Well done by the student. Teachers drunk on power need to be put in their place.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

in trade school my teacher made me shave--dry--with a crappy plastic razor

 

i refused to shave for class(culinary)....that was no fun

[Andycoops]

Well done to the kid, it's about time these child abusers were given a taste of their own medicine.

[Iamfalang]

22 hours ago, foreverlomsak said:

The first time I heard of this "hands off" policy was back in 2008/9 when I started studying for a Thai teachers license.

I saw Thai and falang teachers hurt students around 2017.   Rulers, fist, hand, book.....cutting their hair?  don't remember, I don't think so.   This "hands off" policy was better before I finally left teaching, but other bad stuff was going on.   

 

I understand.  In USA, one out of 1,000,000 schools becomes dangerous, but then all schools have to live in fear.  and it's not cheap.  not good.   Here....it's not 1 out of a million that has problems.  pick your poison.  

[peter zwart]

Of course, this entire law is no longer up to date. But if you, as a teacher, want a student to cut his hair in this case, you tell him that his hair has to be cut the next day otherwise he will not be allowed in. But dont touch the kids.
 

[jvs]

I just can not believe the teachers are not aware of the rules.

Maybe some of them just refuse to give up their so called power.

This particular teacher learned the hard way,just wonder what the follow up will be?

Kick the kid out of school ? Maybe it is also better for the teacher to move on.

Violence should not be the answer but no real damage done this time,in our foreign eyes

anyways.

Big loss of face for the teacher,lots of chuckles for the students i guess.

I had a teacher (long time ago of course) and he was always giving me a hard time

he just liked to pick on me.

I had a friend who was rather big and who had a reputation,i told him one day about the teacher and he said he would go see him,he did.

Problem solved.

[Excel]

Just now, jvs said:

I just can not believe the teachers are not aware of the rules.

Maybe some of them just refuse to give up their so called power.

This particular teacher learned the hard way,just wonder what the follow up will be?

Kick the kid out of school ? Maybe it is also better for the teacher to move on.

Violence should not be the answer but no real damage done this time,in our foreign eyes

anyways.

Big loss of face for the teacher,lots of chuckles for the students i guess.

I had a teacher (long time ago of course) and he was always giving me a hard time

he just liked to pick on me.

I had a friend who was rather big and who had a reputation,i told him one day about the teacher and he said he would go see him,he did.

Problem solved.

I suspect it is the teachers enacting simply what they are told. Thais don't like to challenge  and that is just as true for the teachers so if a a school director is living behind the times, don't read or wish to follow recent government guidlines on the matter, and instead instruct the teachers to continue such humiliating actions against students, they will simply follow suit. Of course the school director will get of scot free as he/she will simply blame the teacher. It's the school directors that need clearing out and/or educating her as much as it is the teachers.

[spidermike007]

13 hours ago, scorecard said:

Must be massive numbers of US parents who are terrified of a shooting at their kids schools. Which school is next?

Maybe they will insist on change? Reform. Something has to give. Perhaps the 2nd amendment needs to be changed. Or deeper background checks. Something. Anything. 

[JayClay]

19 hours ago, hotchilli said:

teacher you just learned a valuable lesson..

It would be nice to think so but my guess is that he's learned nothing at all from this incident.

[brianthainess]

Imagine a hairdresser/barber forcing you to learn 'social studies' before cutting your hair. ????

[Excel]

13 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Imagine a hairdresser/barber forcing you to learn 'social studies' before cutting your hair. ????

Some of the barbers when I was a kid were keen on the boys learning other tricks ????

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

I saw Thai and falang teachers hurt students around 2017.   Rulers, fist, hand, book.....cutting their hair?  don't remember, I don't think so.   This "hands off" policy was better before I finally left teaching, but other bad stuff was going on.   

 

I understand.  In USA, one out of 1,000,000 schools becomes dangerous, but then all schools have to live in fear.  and it's not cheap.  not good.   Here....it's not 1 out of a million that has problems.  pick your poison.  

Sure but don't forget that in the US the much bigger threat is being gunned down (dead) along with 10/20 more 10 years old students by a person with a military style repeating rifle which basically anybody can buy nearby. 

 

[trainman34014]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:45 AM, ikke1959 said:

The kids can't ask questions because the teacher doesn't know the answers.... When I was in school teaching I asked some teachers to explain something about a celebration and she didn't know what it was....just as an example..

I believe you; My Wife has three friends who are supposedly 'teachers' and what they know about anything other than Food or Sanook you could write on a Postage Stamp.   They only took the jobs for the Pension and all the borrowing 'perks' available to them from the Banks.   The Kids learn absolutely nothing from them whatsoever !

[thaitom]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:09 AM, Hamus Yaigh said:

It was self defense by the student. Teachers doing this should be outlawed.

I recall reading here about the Minister of Education last year already made it illegal ? ( not sure of the term used) to cut students' hair. maybe someone can search for it.

[JayClay]

15 hours ago, thaitom said:

I recall reading here about the Minister of Education last year already made it illegal ? ( not sure of the term used) to cut students' hair. maybe someone can search for it.

I'm not sure if there's actually any specific law that covers it, but they've been told time and again not to do it.

[Tony125]

Teacher Who Cut Hair Taught Costly Lesson

 

https://www.obsev.com/life/teacher-who-cut-hair-taught-costly-lesson/?utm_source=lit_yahoo&utm_medium=HOMEPAGE_US&utm_content=429076286&utm_campaign=03cd_yg_a17242_auto_conversions_051822&lay=55

[herfiehandbag]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:45 AM, ikke1959 said:

The kids can't ask questions because the teacher doesn't know the answers.... When I was in school teaching I asked some teachers to explain something about a celebration and she didn't know what it was....just as an example..

I pretty soon gave up asking other teachers what or why!

 

I used to get the children to explain, in English, what and why.

I got some interesting answers, following Mr John's mantra that "mistakes are good, silence is bad!"

[richard_smith237]

On 6/3/2022 at 4:44 AM, jvs said:

I just can not believe the teachers are not aware of the rules.

Maybe some of them just refuse to give up their so called power.

I suspect teachers at Thai schools in Thailand enjoy the superiority they feel, society expects that they are revered and not to be questioned. 

 

As with many in positions of relative superiority / power they learn regulations not from training by from peer to peer. For example many of the police are unaware of rule and law changes, in many cases they are unaware of the laws at all and often follow ‘made up’ laws.... ultimately this is because professionalism is not valued. 

It is perhaps the same with teaching... new and improved methods are not taught, not accepted, regulation changes not passed down... as with the police much of the understanding of regulations etc is from peer to peer and thus, when it was announced that ‘it is no longer acceptable (or legal?) for teachers to cut Children's hair’ the teachers may not be aware... 

 

 

Then of course there is the 'ego facet’... having been told by society and peers that they are to be revered and respected they act with significant face and do not like being questioned... its a horrible system for children to be in..... but not just children, adults too who follow this ridiculous ‘face’ things... 

 

----------

 

I recall many years ago, I was dating a TG flight attendant...  her English was excellent, however, they all had to go to ‘English Class’....  I received a call from my Ex who was in the ‘English Class’, the ’teacher’ was giving them wrong words and mispronunciations...  my Ex had entered a debate with the teacher who insisted he was correct (when he was very wrong), my Ex called me up to confirm...  Of course, the teacher didn’t like this and told my Ex to get out of the class !!! 

 

Now, when I am on a Thai Airways flight I understand when half of the time the pronunciation of the inflight announcements are so hideous.

 

What chance do children have when the teachers, methods and cultural ‘face’ hinders development so significantly...  Of course, most of the teachers are doing their best, but this face of ’some’ limits the system so significantly. The better teachers are more likely to be the ones who engage and interact with the students, but they are forced to maintain subservience to those other teachers with ’stronger egos’... as there is no development as a result....

 

Just like driving in Thailand... for there to be any improvement there needs to be a nationwide cultural shift. 

 

Meanwhile, anyone with any money sends their children to international school... we end up with a two tiered society...  Those who were educated well (at international school), and those who were never given a decent opportunity in the first place and went to a Thai Government School.