Kindergarten teachers bound and blindfolded five year olds "to teach them to concentrate"

[webfact]

Kindergarten teachers bound and blindfolded five year olds "to teach them to concentrate"

 

Picture: Sanook

 

SURIN: -- Two kindergarten teachers in Surin have been exposed on social media after they bound and blindfolded two five year olds.

 

They said they administered the punishment to teach the little ones to concentrate in class.

 

And initially the director of the school backed them after the incident went viral of Thai social media earlier in the week.

 

But now following a crisis meeting held at the school in Chumphonburi district of the north eastern Thai province the two female teachers involved have agreed to pay 40,000 baht in compensation reported Sanook.

 

They have also asked to be transferred to another area. But the matter is unlikely to end there as district education chiefs have ordered a further investigation.

 

The incident surfaced on Monday when pictures of a little girl called "A" circulated online. She had her hands bound with tape and was blindfolded with tape around her eyes.

 

Initially the director of the school said it was not hurting the students at all and he called everyone in to explain matters. The director agreed with the teachers that the punishment would be a good way to teach concentration.

 

But the parents of "A" and another five year old were furious. Yesterday a crisis meeting was held. It was attended by the director,  the parents, the two female teachers responsible for the first year of kindergarten and local police.

 

Sanook.com said that reporters were barred from the meeting.

 

Following the meeting the director said that both teachers had admitted what they had done and agreed to pay the parents of each child 20,000 baht. They also asked for a transfer.

 

But the matter will not end there. Narong Meuanchart, the deputy education department chief in Surin Region 2, said that a committee has been set up to investigate the matter further and take appropriate action against those involved.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-02-24

[Lingba]

What the "<deleted>" is the matter with this country and their stupid ass backward educational system?...This is hideous!..No wonder why kids come out of schools in this country so lost...

[Sphere]

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

They also asked for a transfer.

 

Hmmmm....what could be more inactive than a teaching post? 

[Bluespunk]

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

They said they administered the punishment to teach the little ones to concentrate in class.

Concentration comes with maturity and age. 

 

You can't teach it.

 

You certainly can't punish children into achieving it.

 

Sack them both.

[rwdrwdrwd]

Utterly disgusting. 5 year old kids... this sort of thing scars for life. Strip them of their teaching license and take them to court.

 

There needs to be a few examples made in the Thai teaching system, or it will never grow to be decent quality.

Edited February 24, 2017 by rwdrwdrwd

[greenchair]

Now that discipline has been all but banned in schools the teachers come up with ways that in hindsight were not a great idea. 

Ministries/ parents that do not discipline their kids, do not give teachers any alternative technics to follow. All of the children cannot learn and suffer greatly because of the one undisciplined child. In my country the teachers lost their jobs for locking the kids in a time out room. The story is. ..my kid is gifted, that's why he bites, kicks, runs around the class, refuses to follow the schedule. 

Or my kid is bored, she doesn't want to write or do math like the other kids  .  Or you must talk to him, explain why he is wrong, whilst 30 other kids are sat nicely waiting for the lesson.  In my day a kid stopped biting when the teacher bit them back. We got the cane on the palm of our hand. We were not allowed to play if we did not finish work and the parents wanted their kids well disciplined.

 

[Bluespunk]

12 minutes ago, greenchair said:

Now that discipline has been all but banned in schools the teachers come up with ways that in hindsight were not a great idea. 

Ministries/ parents that do not discipline their kids, do not give teachers any alternative technics to follow. All of the children cannot learn and suffer greatly because of the one undisciplined child. In my country the teachers lost their jobs for locking the kids in a time out room. The story is. ..my kid is gifted, that's why he bites, kicks, runs around the class, refuses to follow the schedule. 

Or my kid is bored, she doesn't want to write or do math like the other kids  .  Or you must talk to him, explain why he is wrong, whilst 30 other kids are sat nicely waiting for the lesson.  In my day a kid stopped biting when the teacher bit them back. We got the cane on the palm of our hand. We were not allowed to play if we did not finish work and the parents wanted their kids well disciplined.

 

Violence is not a solution either. 

 

Keeping children in in to finish their learning activity at break times however, can be effective with some children. 

 

With behaviour issues that is, it doesn't teach concentration. 

Edited February 24, 2017 by Bluespunk

[greenchair]

4 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Violence is not a solution either. 

 

Keeping children in in to finish their learning activity at break times however, can be effective with some children. 

Yes, then the teacher loses their break. 

Have a party with 30 kids for 6 hours with no break and no helpers.

Add 1 autistic child and 1 ADD child. 

Stir in a couple of crying  kids. 

Mix in some games, arts. Add writing, math and science.

Sing songs. 

Serve to feed all of them, brush their teeth, comb their hair.

More games, more arts.

Next clear all dishes, sweep the floor, mop the floor, clean the toilets, clean up the vomit, wipe up the piss . 

finally smile when the parents come late to give you a rest. 

do that everyday for a week. 

you will know the pressure kindergarten teachers are under. 

they all make mistakes sometimes. 

[billd766]

13 minutes ago, greenchair said:

Yes, then the teacher loses their break. 

Have a party with 30 kids for 6 hours with no break and no helpers.

Add 1 autistic child and 1 ADD child. 

Stir in a couple of crying  kids. 

Mix in some games, arts. Add writing, math and science.

Sing songs. 

Serve to feed all of them, brush their teeth, comb their hair.

More games, more arts.

Next clear all dishes, sweep the floor, mop the floor, clean the toilets, clean up the vomit, wipe up the piss . 

finally smile when the parents come late to give you a rest. 

do that everyday for a week. 

you will know the pressure kindergarten teachers are under. 

they all make mistakes sometimes. 

 

Well done in attempting to divert the blame from the teachers.

 

To my knowledge NO teacher works 6 hours without any break at all.

 

And the strange thing about it is that ALL teachers are volunteers. Nobody forces them to be a teacher yet people still do it.

 

I assume that you think it is OK to bind young children and to blindfold them. You must do as you didn't condemn the teachers and tried to find excuses for their behaviour.

 

There is NO excuse for what they did at all.

[Laughing Gravy]

20 minutes ago, greenchair said:

they all make mistakes sometimes

This is not a mistake it is abuse and anyone in education or even half of a brain, would/should never ever do this. Period.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Laughing Gravy
Forgot where I lived.

[IMA_FARANG]

When I was in first grade my teacher hung a note on my back that said, 'This stupid boy can not learn his  A B C's'.

She was wrong, not only did I know my A B C's, I could read that stupid note word for word.

My mother was a Teacher and a damn good one, she taught me to read and write at 5th Grade level in the summer vacation.

So when I went back to school after the summer vacation my  reading skills were 3 years ahead of my age group.

Once I  got started I never looked back and my reading got me to College.

My mother taught me  that it was fun to read and write your own stories, if it had been for my mother I would never have learned that from my first grade teacher.

Teachers, good or bad can affect a child's life.

 

[Bluespunk]

37 minutes ago, greenchair said:

Yes, then the teacher loses their break. 

Have a party with 30 kids for 6 hours with no break and no helpers.

Add 1 autistic child and 1 ADD child. 

Stir in a couple of crying  kids. 

Mix in some games, arts. Add writing, math and science.

Sing songs. 

Serve to feed all of them, brush their teeth, comb their hair.

More games, more arts.

Next clear all dishes, sweep the floor, mop the floor, clean the toilets, clean up the vomit, wipe up the piss . 

finally smile when the parents come late to give you a rest. 

do that everyday for a week. 

you will know the pressure kindergarten teachers are under. 

they all make mistakes sometimes. 

Nothing you say justifies your advocacy of caning to punish children. 

 

By the way I've taught nursery/kindergarten/early years 4 plus units so know all about the pressures. 

 

Patience not punishment/violence is what is required. 

[nakhonandy]

This is not normal, I would go ballistic if this was my kid. This is just abuse. 

 

Some saying corporal punishment worked in their day, it didn't always, not at all in my case. 

 

It is not easy teaching, some children can be a nightmare, usually due to lack of discipline at home! 

 

Parents are responsible for discipline, teachers should just teach. 

[jaltsc]

“They said they administered the punishment to teach the little ones to concentrate in class.”

 

Wouldn't teaching them how to meditate accomplish this goal? Doesn't compassionate teaching yield more desired results?

 

Does anyone practice Buddhism in Thailand?

 

Edited February 24, 2017 by jaltsc

[tukkytuktuk]

The interesting part of this child abuse case is that two teachers both agreed to bound the 5 year old girls. A team decision. It beggars the question what had they done to these harmless toddlers in the past year and other children previous years.

Although I agree with Greenchair that a female kindergarten teacher be allowed to discipline the Thai way.

My wife is always discipling my naughty son. When he was a toddler she would get a long stem out of a nearby bush, take off the leaves and whip his legs. Now he's 11 she occasionally gives him a wack with a clothes hanger. He also gives back a bit to. Thumping and kicking. It reminds me of when I grew up. Big brother beating me up any chance he could get and if you say got in trouble with the police your dad would take the belt to you.

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, tukkytuktuk said:

The interesting part of this child abuse case is that two teachers both agreed to bound the 5 year old girls. A team decision. It beggars the question what had they done to these harmless toddlers in the past year and other children previous years.

Although I agree with Greenchair that a female kindergarten teacher be allowed to discipline the Thai way.

My wife is always discipling my naughty son. When he was a toddler she would get a long stem out of a nearby bush, take off the leaves and whip his legs. Now he's 11 she occasionally gives him a sack with a clothes hanger. He also gives back a bit to. Thumping and kicking. It reminds me of when I grew up. Big brother beating me up any chance he could get and if you say got in trouble with the police your dad would take the belt to you.

I'm sorry but I must be misreading this...are you saying your son kicks and thumps your wife?

 

Sarcasm?

[elgordo38]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

But now following a crisis meeting held at the school in Chumphonburi district of the north eastern Thai province the two female teachers involved have agreed to pay 40,000 baht in compensation reported Sanook.

He was fast at testing the winds to see which way they were blowing. Realizing he was on the wrong side of the issue he changed sides typical. Yes the teachers were wrong but I am sure once the 40,000 bahts is spread around all will be well. Money here buys you just about anything. 

[Destiny1990]

Those teachers are extremely lucky that they are not mine children.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Destiny1990

[irishken]

How the hell does this sort of stuff keep happening and no does any jail time for it. 40000 baht and they walk. I know violence doesn't solve everything but if this was my kids I'd kick the <deleted> out of the teachers. 

 

My my wife must be one of the few Thai women who says they'd never let her kids live in Thailand due to this sort of stuff. 

[scorecard]

The actions of these 2 teachers is obviously very wrong and will never make the children concentrate, and a stated here already by several posters, kids at this age can't concentrate on one thing for long periods.

 

Teacher training, at least in  my home country, reinforces the fact that teachers, for this age group, need to change the activity / the focus / the approach after just a few minutes. 

 

Just out of idle curiosity I would like to hear the 2 teachers explain in detail how / why they believe their actions will make children concentrate. I rather doubt they could give any logical reason. 

[Prbkk]

Surprised they didn't add a gag for good measure.

[happyinthailand]

This really gets to me. The two teachers should be fired as they do not have the brainpower to judge right and wrong. They are just too stupid. The Principal should face criminal damages and prison (much more than THB20,000 per head  <deleted>) for child abuse.

[simon43]

I teach KG children.

 

At that young age, (4-5 years), they are unable to concentrate for more than perhaps 10 minutes on a single topic, and will get bored, get tired, start chatting and/or start playing up after that time period.

 

Any competent KG teacher knows this - there is even a formula used in teacher training that gives an indication of the concentration span at a particular age grade.

 

You cannot really extend that concentration span, (certainly not by punishment!) - your goal through classroom activity is to get each child to achieve the indicated concentration span, and then you switch to another activity, (while the going is good!).

 

What these 2 teachers did is not only an indication that they have failed as KG teachers, it also perhaps is yet another indication that their teacher-training (did they have any?) has also failed.

 

It is possible that the children in question maybe disrupt the class through their lack of attention span (ADHD perhaps).  But the teachers should be aware of this, and should apply positive and encouraging methods for these girls so that their classroom disruption is minimised - not tie the poor kids up.

 

The director agreed with the teachers that the punishment would be a good way to teach concentration.

 

As for the school director who initially supported the teachers' actions, he is nothing short of a moron, demonstrating his total ignorance of teaching methods.

Edited February 24, 2017 by simon43

[Bluespunk]

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I teach KG children.

 

At that young age, (4-5 years), they are unable to concentrate for more than perhaps 10 minutes on a single topic, and will get bored, get tired, start chatting and/or start playing up after that time period.

 

Any competent KG teacher knows this - there is even a formula used in teacher training that gives an indication of the concentration span at a particular age grade.

 

You cannot really extend that concentration span, (certainly not by punishment!) - your goal through classroom activity is to get each child to achieve the indicated concentration span, and then you switch to another activity, (while the going is good!).

 

What these 2 teachers did is not only an indication that they have failed as KG teachers, it also perhaps is yet another indication that their teacher-training (did they have any?) has also failed.

 

It is possible that the children in question maybe disrupt the class through their lack of attention span (ADHD perhaps).  But the teachers should be aware of this, and should apply positive and encouraging methods for these girls so that their classroom disruption is minimised - not tie the poor kids up.

 

 

 

 

As for the school director who initially supported the teachers' actions, he is nothing short of a moron, demonstrating his total ignorance of teaching methods.

Formula is age plus 5/7 minutes. 

[tukkytuktuk]

I'm sorry but I must be misreading this...are you saying your son kicks and thumps your wife?
 
Sarcasm?

Yes, when she's wacking him with a coat hangar round the legs she has a hold of him. My son punches and kicks out at my wife so she will release him. He's only 11, I don't think it hurts too much. I don't get involved. Daddy cool. Very, very rarely have I ever had to discipline him. My way is the best. I run after him, screaming and shouting "Come here, come here, I'm going to kill you!" He's faster and gets away. I go home wait and an hour later he's back home saying sorry. Obviously it upsets the neighbours a bit. But its a rare event.

[sandemara]

Approaches to what is laughingly referred to as "discipline" in Thailand's primary (young children's) schools is cause for despair.  The teachers' behaviour as reported in this instance is mild in comparison with the widespread reality.  Teachers will resort to violence without compunction or consideration. Interested visitors could see rods (metal or wood),  canes or other hard implements stacked neatly against many classroom walls ready for use.  The problem, of course, is that very few people care - or worse,  don't want to know - about what horrors are enacted against their child or their classmates in what passes for an education system here. In the first small rural infants school at which I taught I discovered in the first week that teachers had given the school bully (twice the size of the average in his age group) carte blanche to strap, whip or use canes against any other students when he saw fit. A great way to encourage institutionalised thuggery and a distorted perception of what is "ok" or not in a society. The links between this seeding of endorsed brutality in young minds and military coups in adulthood are, of course, completely imaginary until some qualified researcher draws conclusions and everybody agrees: "So obvious. Why didn't we realise sooner?" we respond.

The general approach to discipline in schools, in my 4 years of experience (a subjective view). is medieval, quite brutal.

[NextStationBangkok]

Mostly teachers are blamed for unruly children getting punishments like this.

 

Blame the parents allow kids to watch lot of TV programs, and play games on mobiles and tablets. And finally bring them to school and as of only teacher is responsible for every act of kids.

 

Class rooms should have CC tv cameras with the permission of teachers, and remove the kids from school if they don't behave well. Then parent will teach something good at home and send to school, rather than abronding them at schools as of society and schools are only responsible.

[Moti24]

Unbelievable!!!  Five year olds tied up and blindfolded, the parents complained and accepted 20,000 Baht, everything forgotten and back to normal!  

 

I hope the Ministry of Education has some bottle to sack these two teachers, and set an example to others.  Even better, they need to spend some time in a jail cell.

 

Obviously, the parents have no interest in their child's welfare, other than stashing some money in their pockets.  They're no better than the teachers, and should be ashamed of themselves.

[natway09]

I agree there is no excuse for what they did but looking at the other side of the equation I would not want to be a teacher

in this day & age mainly due to a lack of good parenting allowing kids to just about get away with anything 

at home, so when they arrive at school they are still acting the same way,

A slap on the hand with a ruler, stand facing the corner for 5 minutes  never did any harm 

[freebyrd]

Every time you think they have hot rock bottom in TL someone dreams up something even more despicable. What will be next?