Not Into Hitting Little Kids With A Bamboo Stick…………………..

[lostinisaan]

Hello and a good evening,

I had to think a long time if I should write this but finally decided to give it a try. I always hated my Thai colleagues for hitting the kids with a bamboo stick, or a little clap on their hands with a metal ruler, or anything similar when they’re completely disrupting the class and misbehave in a way that teaching the class becomes almost impossible.

But last week it happened and I raised my hand and gave a boy a clap on his back with my hand. It did help, but only for a few minutes and all was “back to normal.” I felt so bad that I still regret it now and if I don’t find other ways to solve this problem I’ll rather quit my job and leave before I develop to a child hitting teacher from the West.

I know that Thai teachers do not speak well of foreign teachers, which might be one explanation why the students misbehave more than they do when with a Thai teacher. They know that the bamboo stick will get them and a few Thai teachers would be good for the Mossad's torture team.

We’ve got two “special classes” now, where the kids also learn science and math in English. One is a Prathom one, the other one a grade two class. I’m completely on my own, got the grade one kids around me all day long and really love the two classes of grade six I’m teaching once a week for an hour. That's like a holiday for me.

I’ve got some teaching experience, taught grade one and two when I started teaching 11 years ago, but also taught lower grades from time to time at my former school.

I’ve got plenty of games, programs, educational cartoons, etc., but it’s impossible to be the funny clown in each lesson and that all day long. Nor can you sing songs all day long and keep them happy with what they’d like to do if you take your occupation seriously.

By the end of the day, the parents and the admins of the school want to see results. The funny thing is when their Thai homeroom teacher shows up, they stop misbehaving and warn each other by saying: “Khun Kru maa leo.” That shows me how much they respect foreigners...

.Which means, the teacher shows up. That on the other hand only underlined my thesis that Thai teachers, in general, do not talk good about foreign teachers. If anything goes wrong, it’s much easier to blame a foreigner than to lose face.......

Our office consists of a room right next to the grade one classroom, connected with a sliding door that's always open. The turbines of three 747's can't be that loud to give you an idea what I'm experiencing day by day when I'm on duty.

In this room are also two Asian teachers who sit there in their free hours, but the kids do not show any respect to them at all, climb on chairs right next to them and try to climb out of the window, they act like the Asian teachers wouldn't even exist. (I know that some teachers and parents do all that they do not seem to deserve a nuance of respect.)

The gossip at my school is really outstanding and you hear bad things about almost everybody depending where you are.

The solution would be very easy to hire a teacher’s assistant just for the purpose to keep them quiet and if a kid gets sick it would be helpful to have somebody to take care of and call mom, or dad.

But 6 K for an assistant seems to be too much money for the boss of the institution and the castle he builds seems to be an expensive one. Hard to understand where the money comes from…..lol

I’ve checked online, talked to friends, but I’ve never met a guy who had to deal with similar circumstances. The whole schedule is already wrong, four hours of science, math, and English a day is just too much for six-year-old kids, but also for a foreigner who’s trying his best to teach them.

Six contact hours on two days, but three days with only two, or three doesn’t make much sense to me, but it seems to be convenient for some of my colleagues that they have an afternoon off, go home and come back to fingerprint out at 4.30, or later. Looks better when they sign out at six o’ clock if there’s a check.

Now, I’m not asking for any teaching material, programs or any worksheets, I’m honestly and with all respect asking people who are in a similar situation how they manage to “discipline” some totally out of order kids who in the first place shouldn’t even be in such an advanced program.

Of course am I the only one with the opinion that those kids who want to join in have to make an entrance test to ensure that they’re on the same level. But money rules and I’ve got a kid who was six years in the UK, who speaks such a great English that his Thai English teacher doesn’t get him. Nil. Zero.

But the smell of money makes the P’OO to a Chinese monkey. Doesn’t see, hear, or speak. Three more kids after only seven days of the second term is good money, but also insane because one class is already overfilled.

There are 39 kids in one special class now and you can hardly understand your own word when you walk into one, regardless what subject they had before and the first kids start to make their “may I go out, please game”. This game goes on and on and on.

There’s not even enough space that the homeroom teacher could sit inside if she’s there. Then she must sit outside in the heat. Holy buffalo dung, Maria and Joseph.

I’d be very thankful and would deeply appreciate if you would share your method(s) to keep them calm, how to calm them down and what some foreign teachers are doing to be able to do their job, without being constantly interrupted by some misbehaving kids.

As already mentioned, there are students who study science, math and English every Saturdays and Sundays and they’re usually great students and those who struggle to remember the ABC and some of them can’t remember how to write their own nickname while you’re teaching the rest some scientific stuff.

Thanks a lot in advance for any sincere posts.

If things do not change there is only one solution for me. And that's to quit my position before the bamboo stick hit- way.

Edited November 14, 2015 by lostinisaan

[Brit_Doggie]

Maybe the kids think your boring and act that way, the post certainly bored me please try to state the issue with as little words as possible, but you do have my sympathy all the same farang versus thai never a good combo.

[oncearugge]

Just one question.

Are you a degree qualified Teacher or a "teacher" who would not find employment at home ?

[SoiBiker]

You want them to hire an assistant to keep the kids under control?

Shouldn't that be your job?

[CharlieH]

Post removed.

7) You will respect fellow members and post in a civil manner. No personal attacks, hateful or insulting towards other members, (flaming) Stalking of members on either the forum or via PM will not be allowed.

[lostinisaan]

Just one question.

Are you a degree qualified Teacher or a "teacher" who would not find employment at home ?

Just one question.

Is your name Richard?

Oh.... and another question. Why does someone, who has posted 300 times per month over the past 8 months feel he can be so condescending towards the OP.

This guy is having a crisis and you offer nothing. Lost In Issan may not be a NES teacher but I know he cares about his students.....a lot. He also has a wealth of experience in Thailand schools. Yes, he has a degree and he is a lot more qualified than some 22 year old with a BA in Education.

You are an arse.

Thanks a lot for your nice post, I really appreciate your kind words.

It's really very sad that you can't even ask - a for me very serious question- in the teaching forum without getting some nasty replies?

And for the record. I grew up in a bilingual environment, using American English and German from earliest childhood on, got a BA in social pedagogy plus teaching related experience in Germany.

I also made highly classified translations for the Armed Forces Europe from English into German and vice versa.

Why are foreigners living in Thailand the biggest enemies of other foreigners? There's so much hate on this forum.

If you don't have something to say, then please keep it for you. I was asking an honest question,

I apologize for the long post I thought it's useful to know the whole story.

[lostinisaan]

You want them to hire an assistant to keep the kids under control?

Shouldn't that be your job?

Some Thai teachers do not show up for their lessons and I have to "jump in." And that happens quite often.

The homeroom teacher has to give lessons in the ordinary program...

Don't you think that I deserve at least an hour lunch break without some noisy kids around me?

My point being is that there must be somebody around when my Thai colleague and I have to teach other classes.

Especially when nobody tells you that a subject teacher can't make it and the kids are on their own.....

[oncearugge]

Just one question.

Are you a degree qualified Teacher or a "teacher" who would not find employment at home ?

Just one question.

Is your name Richard?

Oh.... and another question. Why does someone, who has posted 300 times per month over the past 8 months feel he can be so condescending towards the OP.

This guy is having a crisis and you offer nothing. Lost In Issan may not be a NES teacher but I know he cares about his students.....a lot. He also has a wealth of experience in Thailand schools. Yes, he has a degree and he is a lot more qualified than some 22 year old with a BA in Education.

You are an arse.

Thanks a lot for your nice post, I really appreciate your kind words.

It's really very sad that you can't even ask - a for me very serious question- in the teaching forum without getting some nasty replies?

And for the record. I grew up in a bilingual environment, using American English and German from earliest childhood on, got a BA in social pedagogy plus teaching related experience in Germany.

I also made highly classified translations for the Armed Forces Europe from English into German and vice versa.

Why are foreigners living in Thailand the biggest enemies of other foreigners? There's so much hate on this forum.

If you don't have something to say, then please keep it for you. I was asking an honest question,

I apologize for the long post I thought it's useful to know the whole story.

So to summarize ........... You are not a Qualified Teacher.

Correct ?

[bangmai]

Pointless; counter-pointless.

[Briggsy]

lostinisaan

You are viewing this from a Western perspective. You have included a lot of ethical considerations and you have considered outcomes for the student. Then later on in your rather lengthy post you complain about many things in the school, the gossip, the corruption, the insane timetable and the noisy environment, etc.

My viewpoint is that if you work in a very Thai environment like a Thai school (not an international company) then certain Thai traits will always be present.

Firstly Thai organisations are always like pack animals. There is a clearly defined pecking order. The over-riding priority for the Thais is to maintain their place in the pecking order. For a teacher, that means that other considerations like whether the children learn anything are pushed way down the list of priorities. How is status and position maintained? Thais have to subjugate those below them by using a variety of techniques and punishments including hitting, withholding grades, marching in the heat, humiliation, disdain and the list goes on. Thais also have to act in a sycophantic way to those above them, namely the headmaster, doing favours and jobs for him, praising him, bringing in revenue, etc. Thais, even the children, pick up on this system very quickly. They have sensed you do not understand the system and thus have sidelined you.

Secondly, your list of complaints tell me that things in the school environment frustrate and annoy you.

I would say that neither the priorities of Thai teachers nor the school environment will change.

So, perhaps you should consider what it is that YOU could change in terms of your environment. These might include

Within your current school

Moving classrooms.

Introducing more practical work into the science

Outside your current school

Setting up your own "tutoring school".

Leaving your job.

Wider life changes

Retrain.

Seek work in another field.

But whatever you decide, you need to accept the Thai school system will not see great reform or improvement in our lifetime. It is part of a wider culture.

[lostinisaan]

lostinisaan

You are viewing this from a Western perspective. You have included a lot of ethical considerations and you have considered outcomes for the student. Then later on in your rather lengthy post you complain about many things in the school, the gossip, the corruption, the insane timetable and the noisy environment, etc.

My viewpoint is that if you work in a very Thai environment like a Thai school (not an international company) then certain Thai traits will always be present.

Firstly Thai organisations are always like pack animals. There is a clearly defined pecking order. The over-riding priority for the Thais is to maintain their place in the pecking order. For a teacher, that means that other considerations like whether the children learn anything are pushed way down the list of priorities. How is status and position maintained? Thais have to subjugate those below them by using a variety of techniques and punishments including hitting, withholding grades, marching in the heat, humiliation, disdain and the list goes on. Thais also have to act in a sycophantic way to those above them, namely the headmaster, doing favours and jobs for him, praising him, bringing in revenue, etc. Thais, even the children, pick up on this system very quickly. They have sensed you do not understand the system and thus have sidelined you.

Secondly, your list of complaints tell me that things in the school environment frustrate and annoy you.

I would say that neither the priorities of Thai teachers nor the school environment will change.

So, perhaps you should consider what it is that YOU could change in terms of your environment. These might include

Within your current school

Moving classrooms.

Introducing more practical work into the science

Outside your current school

Setting up your own "tutoring school".

Leaving your job.

Wider life changes

Retrain.

Seek work in another field.

But whatever you decide, you need to accept the Thai school system will not see great reform or improvement in our lifetime. It is part of a wider culture.

Thank you very much for your genuine post which is really appreciated.

This is my fourth school and I've never experienced so many incompetent people who're trying to run a school.

I've quit two teaching positions before and the only solution to all these problems is to leave this place by the end of the second term.

Enough time to think about my future, but I won't let the students down. Problem(s) solved.

[Briggsy]

"so many incompetent people"

How are you measuring their "incompetence"? Is it by learning outcomes for the students? This is the traditional Western outlook, to judge an institute by its performance. Is any regulatory body such as the regional educational department concerned? Do they issue reports available to the public on school performance? I doubt it.

However, these "incompetent people" may have competencies in other areas, less ethical areas. This may be the reason they work at the school, to feather their own nest. Therefore your viewpoint may possibly only lead to you feeling frustrated. Because nobody else at the school really cares about student outcomes.

I understand. It is difficult to abandon values, such as a work ethic and integrity, that were instilled in you as you grew up in Farangland. I too feel frustrated sometimes. You will need to reach a compromise with yourself somehow if you want to work here.

[lostinisaan]

"so many incompetent people"

How are you measuring their "incompetence"? Is it by learning outcomes for the students? This is the traditional Western outlook, to judge an institute by its performance. Is any regulatory body such as the regional educational department concerned? Do they issue reports available to the public on school performance? I doubt it.

However, these "incompetent people" may have competencies in other areas, less ethical areas. This may be the reason they work at the school, to feather their own nest. Therefore your viewpoint may possibly only lead to you feeling frustrated. Because nobody else at the school really cares about student outcomes.

I understand. It is difficult to abandon values, such as a work ethic and integrity, that were instilled in you as you grew up in Farangland. I too feel frustrated sometimes. You will need to reach a compromise with yourself somehow if you want to work here.

Thanks for the great reply. Hmm, let's see, the definition of incompetent people at a school in the sticks.

There's the # one guy with his Doctorate degree, written by my ex-neighbor, who's an old friend.

Too cheap to register 11 employees at the SS office, all money pops into his new castle and the new car that’s already ordered.

His Fortuner isn't his status symbol any more, because two teachers drive one as well.

Then three ass. Directors (sorry didn't mean <deleted>) No idea what their responsibilities really are. But it seems that they don't know it either.

There're countless meetings, even the ones where all of them are English teachers, are conducted in Swahili Thai.

Nobody has 20 contact hours, but I do. I've got to create loads of worksheets, give two classes their daily homework and correct all of it? That’s only possible when I take some stuff home…

When I was asking why I've got two additional grade six classes on my schedule, I received an insane answer.

Their O-net test results were much higher than the other two classes taught by an Asian teacher. And I "make so much more money" that... .......okay, enough, got your point.

The two, or three NES teachers they wanted to hire this year have never arrived.

I'm measuring their educational knowledge by listening to their ideas regarding any changes that should be beneficial for the students.

Well, yes, I am a sort of frustrated, because every step forward basically means three steps backwards.

Do I have a problem to keep some PC's running? No, because I already see it as my responsibility, because I need them for the two IP boards nobody else is using.

And there's no light at the end of the tunnel. If I wouldn't have my sense of humor, I'd just stay at home and wait for Godot....

[MaeJoMTB]

Children can pick out weak teachers in a second.

You just don't appear to be suited to the job.

Sorry, I have no other answers for you.

Seen it happen to many teachers in the UK.

They either find new employment or quietly go crazy.

It was the same for me, I wasn't very good either, but could bluff my way through for a while.

It's a skill you either have or you haven't.

As everyone else used to say, once you have lost control of a class, very little chance of ever getting it back.

Even the really good teachers would have one class that would make them want to call in sick every week.

In the end I specialized in that 'one class' as a substitute.

But somehow knowing I didn't ever have to teach that class ever again made it work for me.

Edited November 15, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[Briggsy]

lostinisaan. Thanks for the reply.

I will stick a category label on the characteristic you are highlighting.

1. Unethical (plagiarism)

2 & 3 Unethical (corruption)

4. Inefficiency (no job description)

5. Unfair Treatment (Marginalisation of you!)

6. Unfair Treatment (workload)

7. Unfair Treatment (discrimination)

8. Inefficiency (lack of teachers)

9 Incompetence (subjective)

10. Inefficiency (failure to maintain I.T. equipment)

There appears to be only one complaint of incompetence but it is not supported by even anecdotal evidence.

However the other 3 categories are far better-represented.

Inefficiency. Thai public sector is infamous for this. If nobody is measuring outcomes against resource usage, then inefficiency will be the result.

Lack of ethics. Again this is symptomatic of the Thai public sector. Corruption is normal and qualifications are simply seen as a means to an end and how they were obtained is seen as irrelevant.

Discrimination against you features heavily in your list. It may be real. You have certainly backed it up with hard facts and statistics. I will come back to my pack animals theory. You are without allies in the pack so you get pushed down the pecking order. You are last to feed and will not be permitted to mate with the females. That last sentence is the analogy for your salary, workload and working conditions. If you are unable to access any levers of power within the school, then your situation may not improve. Can you do a dodgy deal with the school director to split the proceeds of an after-school English program for which the parents have to pay extra? This would endear you to him.

Only you can weigh up the factors and decide if this inefficient, corrupt and discriminatory environment is one you can stick with for another academic year.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Briggsy

[FruitPudding]

It is not them, its you. That is the bottom line.

I have had problems like you have. I have also had great success. It is matter of classroom management. It is not easy to figure them out and difficult to do consistently.

I will agree with you that it seems to be an uphill battle for the non-Thai compared to the Thai teacher, but not in every case.

Recently at my school, a boy escaped the Thai teacher's classroom to go an talk with the headmaster to complain that he didn't like that teacher and didn't want to study with her anymore. She is an emotional person who cries a lot a work and it doesn't surprise me that a P5 did that to her, especially that boy.

He never did anything as disrespectful as that to me though.

And when i arrive at the room, most of the time, they say "Teacher Maa Laaew" as well and get prepared to study with me.

I have only been teaching a year and I have a long way to go, but I know it is more about me than them cos I have seen them give me absolute perfection (usually the first 2 weeks of the semester, when I am fresh and so are they) then things start to slip a little (when being back at school is boring again), but you have to anticipate that and take steps to prevent it.

Edited November 15, 2015 by FruitPudding

[ghworker2010]

OP, why don't you just stop teaching - you never stop complaining about it ?

I feel very sorry for your low IQ and hope that you'll grow some testicles to be able to see the real world soon. Must be nice to attack people behind a keyboard.

Do you jagg off when you write such a post?

no offence lostinissan but your reply is vulgar and inappropriate. Are you 18 years old in mentality? You have a child dont you? I remember reading another post of your many months ago about the issues with your childs homework. Would you want your child to speak like that? Sometimes I think the farang in Thailand are extremely low quality...

[lostinisaan]

lostinisaan. Thanks for the reply.

I will stick a category label on the characteristic you are highlighting.

1. Unethical (plagiarism)

2 & 3 Unethical (corruption)

4. Inefficiency (no job description)

5. Unfair Treatment (Marginalisation of you!)

6. Unfair Treatment (workload)

7. Unfair Treatment (discrimination)

8. Inefficiency (lack of teachers)

9 Incompetence (subjective)

10. Inefficiency (failure to maintain I.T. equipment)

There appears to be only one complaint of incompetence but it is not supported by even anecdotal evidence.

However the other 3 categories are far better-represented.

Inefficiency. Thai public sector is infamous for this. If nobody is measuring outcomes against resource usage, then inefficiency will be the result.

Lack of ethics. Again this is symptomatic of the Thai public sector. Corruption is normal and qualifications are simply seen as a means to an end and how they were obtained is seen as irrelevant.

Discrimination against you features heavily in your list. It may be real. You have certainly backed it up with hard facts and statistics. I will come back to my pack animals theory. You are without allies in the pack so you get pushed down the pecking order. You are last to feed and will not be permitted to mate with the females. That last sentence is the analogy for your salary, workload and working conditions. If you are unable to access any levers of power within the school, then your situation may not improve. Can you do a dodgy deal with the school director to split the proceeds of an after-school English program for which the parents have to pay extra? This would endear you to him.

Only you can weigh up the factors and decide if this inefficient, corrupt and discriminatory environment is one you can stick with for another academic year.

Mr. Briggsy, thank you for your wise words. You seem to know what’s going on behind the curtains and your post is indeed a great one. It seems that you’ve got a load of educational experience and all your statements are absolutely correct.

I’m not even complaining about any unfair treatment, there are 10 others, all of them Thai nationals who are being treated much worse. Their salary is 6 K/month and most of them have a family to feed. These are so called teacher’s assistants who really do the work while the “real teachers” sit on their chair and update their farcebook status…

….

They’re nice people, but do not have the right to have a little bit of security in form of the Thai SS. No chance to have a pension when they’re 60, no money when they lose their jobs, no 600 baht per month for their younger kids.

It’s my own fault to leave my former school in a neighboring province, where I was the foreign head teacher. I had the biggest house on campus and even a nice carport. The director was more a friend than my boss. I left him in the rain, just because I thought a few more baht per month and sleeping in my own bed every day would be a dream. I had 16 contact hours, teaching grade six, two hours per week and class. I could sit in my house and do whatever I wanted to in my free time.

They tried hard to find somebody to start this program at my current school and I was chosen out of a lot of applicants. I remember when they phoned me (no idea where they had my number from) and invited me to an interview short before the school started. Okay, I hadn’t signed a contract yet for my former school, but my photo was in the new brochure and nobody would have thought that I’d leave.

It was a joke from the beginning when they offered me less money what I already had as a salary, then they even tried to pay me only for ten, then 11 months. I stood up, took my bag, my wife and I took off, without saying much. I drove around the corner, the phone rang and a woman apologizing, really pleased me to come back, the director “wanted me.” My biggest mistake was to come back and finally signed up making only slightly more. That’s about the amount I need for my Diesel oil to get back and forth every day.

It started well, but many things were just not right from the beginning. No money for visa and work permit, but in the “interview’ they said the school would pay for. I didn’t listen to the warnings of my wife and my own negative feelings. I felt like a thief when I resigned my former job sending an e-mail and a letter by post. I still feel very stupid for what I did just to find out that nothing is as they promised me.

I’ve spent a lot of time at my current school to keep things running, fixed computers after school, put new programs on and when the printer stopped working they told me to take it to the capital city to get it fixed.

I don’t want a thank you, but I truly believe that doing all these “extracurricular activities” including finding new teachers for them using my own phone money and my free time to keep in touch with applicants, should at least be honored.

My thread was indeed a cry for help, but there are too many things that can’t be fixed and I’ll finish my contract, give them enough time to find a replacement and then take off. I’ve made a commitment and I won’t let the kids stand in the rain by having a new teacher now who wouldn’t know where to start.

Finally, I should mention that it’s not just a disliking foreigners phenomenal that I’m experiencing. There’s so much jealousy regarding the two Thai homeroom teachers and me because some of the teaching staff might think that we don’t really work hard and we’ve got air-conditioned classrooms….

The decision that the homeroom teachers have to teach other classes seem to cause the problems I was talking about. I made the math and the 33 K they pay me per month leaves them about 1.8 million baht per year cash. The water dispenser (only one on first floor broke down already end of last term and I even tried to find a place to get it fixed, but nobody in this village can do such a job. Now I won’t do such things again. The parents should know how important their kids for the director really are.

The kids come to me and tell me that they’re thirsty, 3,800 baht for a new one seems to be too much money for the kids, but also some teachers might want to have some cold water. Again, thanks a lot for your wise words, I really love your pack animals theory and agree that I’m in no way the Alpha male. But when I come home from work after a stressful and very loud day, my lovely wife and my Siberian Husky Lucky are waiting for me.

Without them, there’d be no reason to continue what I’m going trough now. Have a great start tomorrow, wherever you are. Kindest regards from lower northeast. Cheers.-

[gerryBScot]

Yeah you'll go crazy if you get caught up in what others are doing and I've been there too. I really focus on the class I am teaching. I aim to do my best on a class by class basis. Works a treat. No stress. Yeah I have to work hard at times to manage the students - hell, they are G5 & 6 and they spend most of their time at school chained to a desk. No surprised most of them are like dogs that have been locked up for 24 hours. So I try to get them out the classroom or up and about and doing stuff. Tough job being a foreign teacher in Thailand!

[bangmai]

broken water fountains are a global education problem. Remind them to bring their own water bottles. I've had discussions about water with Admins making 140K usd per year...it didn't end well.
In the heat..humans need 1 liter for every 25 Kg of body-weight, per 24 hours....and that doesn't include exercising. So, when they have a 15 or 20 liter container for a whole class or grade level; they aren't even scratching the surface. Educrats hate to be shown the Math....but guess, who will get blamed if Somsuk or Ratachit have a heatstroke?

Edited November 15, 2015 by bangmai

[onlycw]

Does your school understand the nature and psychology or very young learners? Doubt it!

* Short attention span

* the need to run and scream and to learn, to do it while playing

If it only was that simple. Qualified teacher => has magic tricks for such situations.

Kudos for the OP's honesty.

[JHolmesJr]

Couple of decades ago it was very normal for teachers to go by the 'spare the rod and spoil the child' dictum.

All that shit has changed since whiny little bitches with smartphones started taking videos and putting them on youtube.

[bangmai]

I was drugged by my parents.

[TuskegeeBen]

Just one question.

Are you a degree qualified Teacher or a "teacher" who would not find employment at home ?

Just one question.

Is your name Richard?

Oh.... and another question. Why does someone, who has posted 300 times per month over the past 8 months feel he can be so condescending towards the OP.

This guy is having a crisis and you offer nothing. Lost In Issan may not be a NES teacher but I know he cares about his students.....a lot. He also has a wealth of experience in Thailand schools. Yes, he has a degree and he is a lot more qualified than some 22 year old with a BA in Education.

You are an arse.

Thanks a lot for your nice post, I really appreciate your kind words.

It's really very sad that you can't even ask - a for me very serious question- in the teaching forum without getting some nasty replies?

And for the record. I grew up in a bilingual environment, using American English and German from earliest childhood on, got a BA in social pedagogy plus teaching related experience in Germany.

I also made highly classified translations for the Armed Forces Europe from English into German and vice versa.

Why are foreigners living in Thailand the biggest enemies of other foreigners? There's so much hate on this forum.

If you don't have something to say, then please keep it for you. I was asking an honest question,

I apologize for the long post I thought it's useful to know the whole story.

Great post Fraulein. You obviously felt lonely, and needed a platform to vent your frustrations. Please try to understand, that there will always be a few angry,

miserable people on theis forum, who haven't accomplished much in their own lives (back home) .

Those are the same posters who surf-troll the forum like viruses, seeking to infect their self-hatred & negativity upon every OP topic that provides them the opportunity to do so. Just ignore them.

Obviously, you were looking for some friends here, who would simply lend you their ears (so to speak), then give you a brotherly or sisterly hug, without all the value-judgements and lecturing about how long your post was

Anyway, have you considered seeking a teaching position in either Japan, or Korea, as Asian alternatives? The pay is much better, the people are much less "gossipy" (as a culture), the children are far better raised,

and disciplined. Plus, your local colleagues will be much better educated. Think about that!

Good luck, and best wishes for a pleasant professional environment, in your future. Auf Weidersehen

[TuskegeeBen]

Just one question.

Are you a degree qualified Teacher or a "teacher" who would not find employment at home ?

Bloke, that reply to the OP was mean-spirited and totally uncalled for. Shame on you!

[Scott]

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[Rhys]

Trust you figured this out and came to some resolvement.. cheers mate

[aidenai]

Many others said it before,

lostinisaan

It's time for you to retire.

You can't handle teaching in Thailand anymore.

It's all too much for you.

Take care, buddy and rest in peace.

[nikmar]

I faced similar. I think many foreign teachers in Thailand can understand.

The way I was led to understand it, an assistant was to be with me in every class to help with the students understanding and control.

I met her on the first day for an hour and never saw her again.

In the end, as far as discipline is concerned, being angry will never work. They win.

I found that giving a bit back, ie. if they had a pop at me, I had a pop back but in a funny way. I got the class to laugh at the bad boy, hence he lost face and kept quiet.

It works both ways. Give praise when its due, I even got said bad boy to help out a little as the class looked up to him. He gained face back and actually started to learn a bit.

Ive been doing this for 10 years and it's never going to be ideal. But I do make a difference to some. I believe that's the best I can do.

[Scott]

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