Witnessing fake education

[AustinRacing]

Today, our second grade boy at a so called top private school had class from home online due to some kids being sick. Notebooks open, teacher reads the questions, students answer. Two issues: 1) she never provided an explanation (ie teach). 2) parents in the background can be heard relaying the answers to their kids. Once an answer is shouted by a kid the teacher responds “very good”. Moved to next question. 
Ignoring the fact that 2nd graders are dealing with divisions and multiplication, I got the impression that she just wanted to move fast finishing the session. It was made to look like a race of who can answer (or whose parent could answer) first. 
Spelling or word lessons no different. Mixture of simple three letter words like “red” are taught together with words like “acknowledge”. Kids end up memorizing difficult words rather than learning to sound them. 
Classic example of pretending to be high achievers is as good as being one. 
No shame!!!!

[youreavinalaff]

10 minutes ago, AustinRacing said:

Today, our second grade boy at a so called top private school had class from home online due to some kids being sick. Notebooks open, teacher reads the questions, students answer. Two issues: 1) she never provided an explanation (ie teach). 2) parents in the background can be heard relaying the answers to their kids. Once an answer is shouted by a kid the teacher responds “very good”. Moved to next question. 
Ignoring the fact that 2nd graders are dealing with divisions and multiplication, I got the impression that she just wanted to move fast finishing the session. It was made to look like a race of who can answer (or whose parent could answer) first. 
Spelling or word lessons no different. Mixture of simple three letter words like “red” are taught together with words like “acknowledge”. Kids end up memorizing difficult words rather than learning to sound them. 
Classic example of pretending to be high achievers is as good as being one. 
No shame!!!!

That's how private schools work. Kids get good grades, even if they haven't earned them, parents are happy and pay for another term and pay teachers for extra lessons.

[johng]

Might as well save the money and just send hin to the free government run school...pay a much smaller fee for private tuition in the subject/s he likes or you think are lacking.

[AustinRacing]

8 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

That's how private schools work. Kids get good grades, even if they haven't earned them, parents are happy and pay for another term and pay teachers for extra lessons.

Good point. Most of the kids are also getting private tuition due to lack of proper learning in class. 

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

That's how private schools work. Kids get good grades, even if they haven't earned them, parents are happy and pay for another term and pay teachers for extra lessons.

 

No they don't...    Depends on the school of course... but at the Top Tier International Schools (if thats what the Op means by top private school) - the standards of teaching are exceptionally high, and what the Op describes is far from anything I would accept as a parent, or have encountered as a parent. 

 

But.. what school is this ?...  because is not NiST, ISB, Patana, Harrow, Shewsbury, St Andrews, Prep etc.. 

15 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

That's how private schools work. Kids get good grades, even if they haven't earned them, parents are happy and pay for another term and pay teachers for extra lessons.

 

... and no...   There is no need at all of any extra curricular schooling for children at a Top Tier International School...  

The only time that would be necessary is for dedicated 11+ or 13+ prep for entrance exams to others schools (such as UK Private Schools etc)...

 

 

It could be just a case of the Ops child has a very poor teacher - but usually the oversight in schools is strong enough for such examples to be extremely rare...  IMO of course, as a parent with a child at an International School, who's looked at a lot of International Schools here, with friends whose children are at International Schools here... 

 

OR... Does the OP mean something else by 'Private School' ????  (such as Bangkok Christian College and Assumption College etc)... 

 

 

[youreavinalaff]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

No they don't...    Depends on the school of course... but at the Top Tier International Schools (if thats what the Op means by top private school) - the standards of teaching are exceptionally high, and what the Op describes is far from anything I would accept as a parent, or have encountered as a parent. 

 

But.. what school is this ?...  because is not NiST, ISB, Patana, Harrow, Shewsbury, St Andrews, Prep etc.. 

 

... and no...   There is no need at all of any extra curricular schooling for children at a Top Tier International School...  

The only time that would be necessary is for dedicated 11+ or 13+ prep for entrance exams to others schools (such as UK Private Schools etc)...

 

 

It could be just a case of the Ops child has a very poor teacher - but usually the oversight in schools is strong enough for such examples to be extremely rare...  IMO of course, as a parent with a child at an International School, who's looked at a lot of International Schools here, with friends whose children are at International Schools here... 

 

OR... Does the OP mean something else by 'Private School' ????  (such as Bangkok Christian College and Assumption College etc)... 

 

 

The OP said private school. Not international. I doubt very much any of what happened would go on in an international school.

 

The OP didn't even say the school is in Bangkok so, you could add several hundred school names to the two you mentioned.

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

The OP said private school. Not international. I doubt very much any of what happened would go on in an international school.

 

Yep... thats was my thought, hence my reason to clarify the distinction.

 

I don't think there is any harm in naming such schools when these observations are made - the clarification removes any ambiguity and as the information does serve the greater good of the public this cannot be classified as 'defamatory'... 

 

 

[AustinRacing]

For some clarification it is in bkk. Not sure if appropriate to name it. It has Christian roots apparently, named after a saint. I’ve spoken to some Thai parents in the past. Their kid cannot spell simple English words so they end up forcing them to memorize lines in story books to present in front of class. 

[novacova]

Fake teachers are nothing new here. A friend of ours went to a technical college here in cm where the so called teacher handed out printouts of homework and she occasionally ask for help with the English studies, the grammar on the printouts were horrendous, asked if the teacher was Thai, she said no, farang French. 

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, novacova said:

Fake teachers are nothing new here. A friend of ours went to a technical college here in cm where the so called teacher handed out printouts of homework and she occasionally ask for help with the English studies, the grammar on the printouts were horrendous, asked if the teacher was Thai, she said no, farang French. 

 

One wonders how you'd know ?   

 

 

[novacova]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

One wonders how you'd know ?   

 

 

Typical f-t@rded response from you.

[JAG]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

... Does the OP mean something else by 'Private School' ????  (such as Bangkok Christian College and Assumption College etc)... 

I have seen some of the textbooks and materials produced for Assumption, ( I taught at a Catholic School, and they supplied some) and they were at the better end of the scale.

 

That said, if there is a Seventh Circle of Hell in Academia, it is reserved for those (with a plethora of postnominal initials) who write English Language textbooks for Thailand!

 

The amount of freebies and kickbacks available to the (Thai) teachers responsible for selecting and buying textbooks is remarkable!

[HappyExpat57]

I've worked at a dozen schools in LOS. The foreign teachers in the largest school system in SE Asia taught all lessons the same. When I first got there I was told "You don't teach here, you just give the appearance of teaching." They used that "All Pass System" approach. No one ever failed a course, and by the time students got to grade 4-ish they figured it out.

 

Now switch gears over to Regents and St. Andrews international schools. The administration would send out notices to all teachers if a student was failing in any subject so special attention was given to "encourage" the little cherub to ensure better studies, but failing the effort by said cherub, they would fail a student.

 

This is a well-known secret throughout the entire Thai educational system. That, along with shameful pay (pay peanuts get monkeys) results in Thailand being last amongst ASEAN nations in all studies.

[HappyExpat57]

I spent a few years teaching in Bang Bon. There was a university nearby where several of the teachers who were hired illegally (no degree) paid a fee, then at the end of the school year, picked up their "official" degree that was recognized by the Ministry of Education.

[HappyExpat57]

8 minutes ago, JAG said:

I have seen some of the textbooks and materials produced for Assumption, ( I taught at a Catholic School, and they supplied some) and they were at the better end of the scale.

 

That said, if there is a Seventh Circle of Hell in Academia, it is reserved for those (with a plethora of postnominal initials) who write English Language textbooks for Thailand!

 

The amount of freebies and kickbacks available to the (Thai) teachers responsible for selecting and buying textbooks is remarkable!

My first year teaching, I was selected with several other English teachers to go to a book fair to evaluate books for the following school year. We all agreed on one provider. We all got voted down because a severely inadequate competitor gave a better kickback.

[stupidfarang]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Yep... thats was my thought, hence my reason to clarify the distinction.

 

I don't think there is any harm in naming such schools when these observations are made - the clarification removes any ambiguity and as the information does serve the greater good of the public this cannot be classified as 'defamatory'... 

 

 

harm comes when you say something negative about the school and they see it and choose to sue you under the famous computer laws here.

[bkk6060]

Less then 1% of the people here to me are "educated".  Have knowledge of economics, history, finances, politics, technology, health, common sense snd how about simple driving safety rules.  The education system must be one of the worst I have ever seen.  A shame really, but sometimes I think the government wants it that way.  Keep the citizens stupid.

 

[richard_smith237]

56 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I've worked at a dozen schools in LOS. The foreign teachers in the largest school system in SE Asia taught all lessons the same. When I first got there I was told "You don't teach here, you just give the appearance of teaching." They used that "All Pass System" approach. No one ever failed a course, and by the time students got to grade 4-ish they figured it out.

 

Now switch gears over to Regents and St. Andrews international schools. The administration would send out notices to all teachers if a student was failing in any subject so special attention was given to "encourage" the little cherub to ensure better studies, but failing the effort by said cherub, they would fail a student.

 

Precisely this - students are assessed not only on an individual basis, but also through mid-year testing (typically around February) designed to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching within each subject. The aggregate results are analysed to identify any potential educational shortcomings or weaknesses in the curriculum.

 

Furthermore, as you rightly pointed out, if a student is underperforming, parents are informed, and the school takes targeted steps to support the pupil and help them reach the expected standards.

 

56 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

This is a well-known secret throughout the entire Thai educational system. That, along with shameful pay (pay peanuts get monkeys) results in Thailand being last amongst ASEAN nations in all studies.

 

Thai government schools are, regrettably, shockingly poor from an educational standpoint. It’s a real shame that so little seems to be done, suggesting a broader societal indifference to the issue. Teachers are deeply revered here, which makes it all the more perplexing given the persistently low standards within the system.

 

That said, there are still opportunities for the occasional 'diamond in the rough' to shine. I’ve known colleagues in my professional field who, despite having very limited opportunities and attending local government schools, managed to succeed against the odds - earning degrees from top Thai universities like Chulalongkorn or Thammasat, going on to complete MSc programmes, and eventually securing positions with international companies. These individuals are genuinely impressive, but one can’t help but wonder how many more slip through the cracks.

 

Of course, not everyone needs to pursue a university education - Thailand still needs its market vendors, 7-Eleven staff, drivers, builders, labourers, and waste collectors. But the education system ought to be one in which merit is not only more easily recognised, but where students have a genuine educational opportunity in the first place such that educational mobility is possible.

 

Cases like the one presented by the original poster only serve to highlight the deep-rooted, systemic flaws in a system that, quite frankly, appears to care very little.

 

 

[SlyAnimal]

A lot of pretty fair comments about the Thai education system, although for the OP, bear in mind that the class was online, when it sounds like the teacher doesn't usually teach online.

I know that not everyone likes the "keep the scores high" strategy of many Thai schools.  But most people misunderstand it, the objective isn't to give everyone high grades, the objective is to try and ensure that everyone learns.  Although admittedly keeping grades high does also help to reduce complaints from parents, as some parents associate poor grades with poor teaching.

Usually students who would have received are lower grade can do some additional work in order to change their grade, this pushes them towards additional learning rather than just punishing them for failing.  Unfortunately though, many teachers just see it as too much work to supervise that extra learning, and will instead just change the student's grade instead.