Major Problems With My Teaching Colleagues.

[MarkStevens]

Hello,

It's my first time on the forum but I have a problem I need advice on. I've been working in a school in Bangkok since the beginning of term (May) and have a lot of issues with the other foreign teachers I work with.

I have definitely been unlucky with the co-workers in my school because most of them are lazy, undedicated, undesirables who should have no place working in education. I am ashamed to work among them and am not too sure what to do. They often don't show up for work citing 'I was pissed up down the whorehouse' as an excuse to the rest of us and all have a laugh about it. They talk about Nana and Cowboy openly in the office which is also shared with some of the English teaching Thai teachers! I have to get up and walk away gritting my teeth. Most of them are lousy teachers who don't care about their job or their students. These people are teachers? I ask myself, it's sickening.

Anyway, the final straw came last week when one them was showing another one a bag of pot he had – in the office. I'm not sure what to do, call the police, inform the DoS, I don't know? These people are disgraceful and the school and students would be better off without them. Not only are these 'teachers' involved in drugs, they are bringing them onto school premises without a care in the world! It nearly makes me want to explode!

What do ye think I should do?

Edited August 30, 2008 by MarkStevens

[mizzi39]

Hello,

It's my first time on the forum but I have a problem I need advice on. I've been working in a school in Bangkok since the beginning of term (May) and have a lot of issues with the other foreign teachers I work with.

I have definitely been unlucky with the co-workers in my school because most of them are lazy, undedicated, undesirables who should have no place working in education. I am ashamed to work among them and am not too sure what to do. They often don't show up for work citing 'I was pissed up down the whorehouse' as an excuse to the rest of us and all have a laugh about it. They talk about Nana and Cowboy openly in the office which is also shared with some of the English teaching Thai teachers! I have to get up and walk away gritting my teeth. Most of them are lousy teachers who don't care about their job or their students. These people are teachers? I ask myself, it's sickening.

Anyway, the final straw came last week when one them was showing another one a bag of pot he had – in the office. I'm not sure what to do, call the police, inform the DoS, I don't know? These people are disgraceful and the school and students would be better off without them. Not only are these 'teachers' involved in drugs, they are bringing them onto school premises without a care in the world! It nearly makes me want to explode!

What do ye think I should do?

Well OP, I would be very hard pressed working under those conditions too. If I was in your situation, I would look for another job.

How many teachers are behaving like this? When you say "the rest of us" are there other foreign teachers besides yourself being affected by these undesirables?

You need to evaluate your situations and weigh out the pros and cons as to what you should do. The last thing you want to do is make a bad problem worse. What is your relationship like with the director? Does he/she condone this behavior?

You sound like you care about your students which is very noble, but with that said the responsibility for your students lies with your director and school administration and this is where you need to address these issues. Be careful though, because if you expose this issue and administration fails to act, you could be shooting yourself in the foot or worse.

My advice? Find another job!

Good luck OP.

[PeaceBlondie]

If I actually saw and smelled more than a gram of pot, I would tell my boss I saw it and say that I was not going to do anything about it; it would be her problem, a Thai problem. I would have minimal conduct with the coworkers, keep out of controversy, do my job, and find another school ASAP..

[poshthai]

I thought most of the teachers were like that anyway.

[TexasRanger]

In this country stay away from scumbags with drugs ! Far away, don't be guilty by association. Druggies, uurrgghhhh

[MarkStevens]

I feel I will probably move on to another school at the end of term. Half my problem is that 2 of the 'teachers' smoke pot, and the other half is that along with another 2 have no idea how to teach, no desire to learn, couldn't care less about any kind of professionalism and only seem to care about discussing girls and having a laugh about what they do to them. How the hel_l are they teachers here??? Why the hel_l are they 'teachers' here??? They talk about their classes like they're a hassle, that they get in the way.

As the for the Thai admin and bosses, they don't get involved with us, they don't seem to care as long as they're here, or someone can cover their classes when they're not.

They simple are not teachers. Should not be teachers and are a disgrace to those of us who are.

It's time to move on I think.

[koheesti]

Sounds like your "school" has low standards. If you can find a better place, go.

[poshthai]

These so called teachers are people that arrived in Thailand,loved the place but had no money for a long term stay and then decided to take a course and stay as a teacher.Many people complain on here when the teachers get slated,but the reality is that there are so many here that are useless.

[MarkStevens]

Sounds like your "school" has low standards. If you can find a better place, go.

Yeah, I'm going to hand in my notice for the end of term I think. It's almost as if simply having white foreign teachers is all that matters to them, as if they regard it more important than giving their students a decent and meaningful education.

[OxfordWill]

Yea that is all that matters to them (having white native speakers). You need to find a better establishment to teach in, they do exist. Anywhere which is cheaper for the students, doesnt vet you very seriously, will likely have a high concentration of layabout who teach because that is the only option they have to remain here.

[Scott]

Unless you know the Thai admin rather well, I wouldn't report the situation to them. They often have a mentality of 'kill the messenger.' This is especially true if you can't really prove it (sometimes even if you can). I could tell you some real horror stories over the years about bad teachers and good teachers who end up fired for trying to do the right thing.

There are a lot of schools with the same type of problem, so changing jobs may not completely help your problem. It's a case of a few rotten apples, spoil the lot.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

[mopenyang]

While you may run into the same problem someplace else, you may not. One thing is for sure and that is that you have run into it where you are presently. I would suggest moving on as quickly as you are able to do so. Why put up with such nonsense on a daily basis and why run the risk of getting caught up in something that really doesn't involve you but could by association if things go very wrong where you are presently?

[haltes]

Why does the school employ such detritus.

I have to ask whether the salaries means that is all they can attract?

[MarkStevens]

Quite possibly.

I'm on 52K, with a (pretty poor) housing allowance on top and 25K attendance bonus and 25K re-signing bonus.

The 'Boys' are on just under 50K cause they're new teachers and have the same bonuses - they can say goodbye to their attendance one though.

[mrtoad]

Is this school in Nontahburi per chance?

As already been said, why stay somewhere if you are unhappy.?I coudn't think of anything worse than being surrounded by people I didn't feel comfortable with for 5 days a week. There are plenty of good teachers around, and some decent schools. Sadly some of the 'dregs' are still kicking around, but you have the option to move if you don't like it. It says a lot about the standards of the school if they are allowed to act like you say they are.

[alaina]

There's plenty of sound advice on this thread and sticking things out until the end of term and leaving without looking back is a good plan.

Personally, I'd have some fun too and play a few pranks that your 'esteemed colleagues' so richly deserve. (As long as the fun doesn't harm the children.) Get some female friends to call their phones and pretend to be scorned. Collect empty whiskey bottles and hide them in their desks. Sign them up for the NORML newsletter, and what have you. But hey, the preceding is probably bad advice but hopefully fun to think about.

Is one of your potheads a Dr. M--- perhaps? He's been fired for that a few times around LOS.

[Ijustwannateach]

I thought most of the teachers were like that anyway.

The subforum guidelines have not changed, and one of them is the following:

3. It is inflammatory to refer to teachers in general or groups of teachers (by age, nationality, ethnicity, age, sexual preference, religion, or gender) in negative terms. It is also inflammatory to refer to the group of posters on this forum in negative terms. You may relate anecdotes about individual teachers who specifically deserve criticism in relation to some part of their identity as listed above, but such remarks should be carefully considered. The moderators reserve the right to determine if such statements about individual teachers remain on the forum.

This thread is treading on thin ice, especially if it becomes any clearer (at all) what school is being written about.

I join the others in suggesting you find a new place to work.

[southerndog]

MarkStevens, are you always this uptight? You sound like no fun.

[Beacher]

I agree that the type of behaviour the OP mentions is neither appropriate nor professional, but I can't understand why he lets it get to him so much. It certainly seems that he is working with some real jerks, and changing jobs will likely only expose him to more jerks doing the same things or other activities that he disapproves of. Perhaps he'd be best off just to worry about his own life and realize that there's not much he can do to change other people or the way the school's admin people run the show there.

So my friend, don't drive yourself crazy with this stuff -- just do your best job and take pride in that.

[huggybear]

MarkStevens, are you always this uptight? You sound like no fun.

I'm with you southerndog.

MarkStevens you need to be careful of the soapbox you are standing on. I in no way encourage or approve of the behaviour you are witnessing but I have a feeling these teachers you refer to are young people? Geez, believe it or not, a lot of young people don't think pot is harmful or that it should be illegal. A lot of these same young people post nudes of themselves and watch porn on Youtube and don't think anything of it. That you are offended by this more a view on your values. Twenty-somethings will be twenty-somethings......

So as suggested best you move on to a situation more suitable to your own views, try and refrain from casting stones.

[huggybear]

I agree that the type of behaviour the OP mentions is neither appropriate nor professional, but I can't understand why he lets it get to him so much. It certainly seems that he is working with some real jerks, and changing jobs will likely only expose him to more jerks doing the same things or other activities that he disapproves of. Perhaps he'd be best off just to worry about his own life and realize that there's not much he can do to change other people or the way the school's admin people run the show there.

So my friend, don't drive yourself crazy with this stuff -- just do your best job and take pride in that.

"Perhaps he'd be best off just to worry about his own life and realize that there's not much he can do to change other people or the way the school's admin people run the show there."

Here, here, good post !!!

[Ijustwannateach]

That's enough of the trolling. This is a (mostly) professional site. OP, if you had any professional self-respect at all, you'd quit right now- the fact that you seem so 'into' the salacious detail only leads to two conclusions: troll, or 'methinks the lady doth protest too much.' Don't start more of these threads here. Prostitution-related posts will be deleted and warnings given.

Thread closed (and high time).