Does the culture need to change?
My friend, who is Thai, has recently qualified as a teacher and got her first job in a provincal school in southern Thailand. She is a sweet, kind and funny girl, keen to be a good teacher and loves kids.
Recently I spoke with her about how important and satisfying it must be to be able to nurture, support and guide young people through the learning process. Unfortunately she was horrified at the thought of this, "no no no, we are not allowed. We must be strict and control the students" she has, in the first few days, seen teachers hit a student and another teacher call a young child 'crazy' because they didn't understand the question and asked for help. Is it the teaching system that needs to change or is it the culture of the teachers?
Philip
