We are Thai people - we don't need to learn English

[masuk]

Very eloquently put. Not.

 

I thought insulting and derogatory remarks were not encouraged on this forum, let alone refer to a prohibited political party.

[Thailimpan]

If that is what they think, which I don't think they do (besides ignorant Thais) God bless them if I am wrong, when it comes to global competition they would be lost

Edited August 26, 2016 by Thailimpan

[simon43]

To reply to several of the useful comments/questions:

 

I should state that the 'We are Thai people, we don't need to learn English' comment came from the boss of 2 separate Prathom schools in my locality in north Phuket.  The parents of those young students may possibly (strongly) disagree with these school bosses.

 

My attire was smart (jacket, long-sleeved shirt etc) and I speak fairly fluent Thai. It is with regret that my body seems too old to grow a ponytail

 

I do have nieces at the local high school, where English is taught, (albeit to a rather unwilling class). 

 

Perhaps I should have mentioned ASEAN to the Prathom bosses?  Then again, I don't think any logical argument from a 'farang' would alter those bosses' stance on learning English.

 

Quote

 

didnt want to buy what you were selling
 

 

 

I wasn't selling anything, (as my business card in Thai language  and my verbal comments explained).  The English classes were completely free of charge and without obligation for Prathom grades.

 

Quote

 

Thais definitely need English if they want to become surgeons, airline pilots or air traffic controllers
 

 

 

LoL, off-topic, but I live next to Phuket Airport and sometimes listen in to the ATC radio comms.  I thought it was mandatory for both ATCs and pilots to converse in English.  That rule seems not to apply to the Thai ATCs and pilots 

Edited August 26, 2016 by simon43

[mikiea]

On 8/24/2016 at 9:16 PM, JHolmesJr said:

I have to grudgingly respect how the thais don't give a toss about the rest of the world.

yea  , with that respect and a dollar or 2 they can call someone that cares . the Thai man  is not to swift on the uptake , the Chinese will be walking all over them in a couple years anyway . so english  is out chinese is in .

[ukrules]

10 minutes ago, mikiea said:

yea  , with that respect and a dollar or 2 they can call someone that cares . the Thai man  is not to swift on the uptake , the Chinese will be walking all over them in a couple years anyway . so english  is out chinese is in .

 

On another note... They are Thai people, they don't need to speak Chinese...

[gemguy]

What you mean to say is:

I ran into some of the arrogant and smug percent of Thai people that are actually somewhat clueless while they conduct themselves in a Clever manner rather than smart or intelligent manner.

 

You can add that to your list of lesson learned.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Seraphina]

*Removed post edited out*

 

I don't think facts can be derogatory. You've clearly read what you want to read into the original text. British people make mistakes that grind as well.

 

As a university examiner in a former life, I do indeed know what phrasal verbs are. I also know that they're NOT 'outmoded' as you put it. English language teachers who speak and poorly model English are not uncommon in my experience. I have actually witnessed a DELTA teacher write down the sentence, "We need site of your Degree". So much for teaching 'sight words'! 

 

I don't find it difficult to understand why learners make mistakes when using phrasal verbs because most have to be learned by heart, just like idioms. However, Americans are supposed to speak English and that's why I find it difficult to understand why media presenters make so many mistakes in a single short broadcast.

 

Talking of errors, you would do well to look up the words, 'obscene' and 'eloquence' in the OED so you can use them appropriately in the future.

 

English language teaching is a skill, not just a competence and there are can be many different objectives. Speaking can, for example, be a priority over writing, especially for languages such as Thai, Arabic and Chinese. However, I don't know any examiner who will accept 'good' in response to, "How are you." So, if you are an American - as I suspect you are - then perhaps you won't mind explaining why a teacher might correct the grammatical error, but not the spelling error (mentioned in this post) to all the non-Nazis on this forum. 

 

Lastly, and I admit, this IS a subjective statement, in my experience, the only people who don't care for exams are the people who fail them.

 

[Grubster]

I wish they spoke more english here but thats my problem isn't it?  I must say though that I have a Thai teacher friend who speaks very fluent English, and he is teaching math and science at a school where burt out old English guys that can speak very little Thai are totally failing at teaching english. I told him he should be teaching english and he said no its much better to have English teaching English. Am I missing something here.

[muzmurray]

3 hours ago, Grubster said:

I wish they spoke more english here but thats my problem isn't it?  I must say though that I have a Thai teacher friend who speaks very fluent English, and he is teaching math and science at a school where burt out old English guys that can speak very little Thai are totally failing at teaching english. I told him he should be teaching english and he said no its much better to have English teaching English. Am I missing something here.

 

Two trains of thought on this issue, should L1 be used in the classroom when teaching L2? Personally, I am in the "never" camp. Re-phrase, re-teach or teach - do not resort to L1.

[eldragon]

On 8/24/2016 at 9:20 PM, surangw said:

over the years I get the impression they feel the rest of the world is out to cheat them.

 

You really see this when you start talking about a business venture that will... also make you money.

[AlexRich]

If a Thai person is content to stay in Thailand for the rest of their lives and will be working in a job or profession that does not involve interacting with foreigners then I think it is perfectly acceptable not to be that interested in speaking English, or any other foreign language for that matter. However, if they want to work internationally or within Thailand in an organisations that exports or deals with tourists, then it makes sense to learn a key foreign language ... English and Mandarin come to mind. Each to their own. 

[ev1lchris]

They need to stop bitching about how much money foreigners can make then.