1St Semester

[skylark]

I just finished teaching my first semester at a govt high school in north Thailand. I have some obversations and was wondering is this the norm?

1. BUDGET: The school just planted new grass for the soccer pitch, installed new goal posts, bleachers and 2 concession stands, yet the teachers here have to purchase our own chalk, white board markers and the school needs many more computers for both staff and students. Also basic construction work holes in the floors, toilets not working etc.

2.I teach m1-3 12 classes 4 levels for total of 340 students. On average is this a hard group to teach? being a first time teacher I have nothing to comare it to.

3. My tefl teachers told us to never bend or kneel to student level in Thailand as teachers hold a lot of respect and should be seen at a higher level. But I found that to be total bs in fact when i kneel and talk soft the students smile and respond, they consider me to be very kind and it seems to be paying off based on their work/grades.

4. The director loves to hold meetings some last 4 hours or more, And we must attend even if I have no idea what he is talking about (meetings are in thai) But I did have a fellow teacher translate part of one meeting and he said the director mentioned the school is behind in academics this took 5 minutes however the director spent 30 minutes telling us about the Budda run where all the students race to this buddha statue, he wanted the teachers to observe, monitor etc .

5 TATTOOS The director prefers I wear long sleeve shirts and I do but a couple of times they were being washed so I wore short sleeves. Well the students would ask questions in English about my Tattoos. and not just my good students but my ''sweathogs'' as well .

6. GIRLS With english the girls for the most part are light years ahead of the boy's .

7. LADYBOY'S many in my classes and they make me laugh. I see Thailand is much more open than the west. I do wonder is this just a passing phase for many of them.

thanks

sl

[beano2274]

No. 3 - Total b/s. I kneel down whilst talking to my students, down to their eye level, I hate looking down and the students hate looking up. It is seen to be friendlier.

No. 5 - I also have a tattoo, but it is only small, it can be seen through my shirt, the students like to talk about it, and it is a topic we can use in the classroom for discussions (I teach at a University).

No. 6 - Very true

No. 7 - Again very true, in fact I find them to be more friendly and we do have great laughs in the classroom. For most it continues into University and later life, for others they seem to grow out of the phase, but this is a minority.

[Scott]

Your observations seem to be pretty correct. There is some stuff about keeping your head higher than students. I don't know that it is a big thing, but it does crop up every once in a while. I had a Thai teacher who made the kids crawl on the floor to me because I was on my knees, while trying to listen to them pronounce words! She said their head has to be lower than mine (this was about 12 years ago, by the way).

M.1 students are usually not too bad--new to High School and a little more obedient. The M.2 students are usually worse, especially 2nd semester (I think it's a hormone thing). M. 3 can be overwhelmingly scary at times. Interestingly, by M.4 most of them are a little better (in my experience).

Thanks for posting your observations.

[BruceMangosteen]

4. The director loves to hold meetings some last 4 hours or more, And we must attend even if I have no idea what he is talking about (meetings are in thai) But I did have a fellow teacher translate part of one meeting and he said the director mentioned the school is behind in academics this took 5 minutes however the director spent 30 minutes telling us about the Budda run where all the students race to this buddha statue, he wanted the teachers to observe, monitor etc .

We are required to attend these meetings as well, but don't. There isn't a penalty. There isn't a merit system in any Government school I've been associated with or worked for. Renewal of your contract is based on student evaluations and if the Thai staff likes you(how you look, how old you are, stuff like that). The wage increase, if any, is a fixed sum of money not related to performance or inflation. You can ask those you work with if this is true at your school.

Edited October 25, 2010 by BruceMangosteen

[BruceMangosteen]

M.1 students are usually not too bad--new to High School and a little more obedient. The M.2 students are usually worse, especially 2nd semester (I think it's a hormone thing). M. 3 can be overwhelmingly scary at times. Interestingly, by M.4 most of them are a little better (in my experience).

Exactly the same experiences. There must be a reason. If only I could be young again figure it all out. M.5 is also okay. But, M.6 is bad once again along with a lot of skipping and unanounced activities and meetings which disrupt your lesson planning.

[Xangsamhua]

1. BUDGET: The school just planted new grass for the soccer pitch, installed new goal posts, bleachers and 2 concession stands, yet the teachers here have to purchase our own chalk, white board markers and the school needs many more computers for both staff and students. Also basic construction work holes in the floors, toilets not working etc.

"Window-dressing" - not exclusive to Thailand, but perhaps more obvious here.

4. The director loves to hold meetings some last 4 hours or more

The bane of teachers' lives. If you are the only foreign teacher on the staff and you are seen as conscientious I'm sure no one will hold it against you if you don't attend. Just absent yourself once and see what happens. Make an excuse if anyone asks; just don't be confrontational.

5 TATTOOS The director prefers I wear long sleeve shirts and I do but a couple of times they were being washed so I wore short sleeves. Well the students would ask questions in English about my Tattoos. and not just my good students but my ''sweathogs'' as well .

If admin are sensitive about the tatts perhaps you could cover them with a sports bandage, then the kids can ask you about that, and why etc..

Some thoughts ... it depends on the particular circumstances you are in. Sometimes, as long as you are courteous, conscientious and friendly, being assertive can achieve good results and no one suffers or loses face.

[Scott]

I think the reason is hormonal. M1 (boys at least)really aren't in the full throws of adolescence quite yet. It's about semester time of M2 that this kicks in (give or take). M3 is basically welcome to the hormone zone--I am more interested in my penis than studying, I don't have to listen to anyone, I don't have to go to bed, do my homework etc. It's a whole world of discovery that focuses on their body. By M4-5 they are used to it and deal with. By M 6 they are planning the rest of their life and this doesn't include high school.