An undeserved promotion
Foreign teachers are powerless to stop problem students advancing
Last year in my P1 class I encountered a student named Oat (not his real name). Within minutes of meeting this child it was apparent that he had some sort of behavioral problem. He was extremely active, running from room to room, disrupting classes throughout the whole school. The other teachers tried to control him but it was close to impossible.
Thai education and TEFL class management
A look at three practical examples to use in your classroom
Class management, although employing techniques, isn't so much a process as a mind-set requiring a separate skill set from that of delivery, a point often missed in progressive education orthodoxy.
‘Sanook’, games and the Thai EFL classroom
Should teachers be entertainers?
One would think that the Thais' love of ‘sanook' would make the EFL classroom an inviting place for new EFL teachers, but the situation can be frustrating.
Don't get angry, just have an escape plan
Postbox letter from Anon
Salaries have been frozen here for years, the cost of living has rocketed and the workloads have increased. I now have to work online too to make a decent salary.
Discipline in the classroom
The 800-pound gorilla no one talks about
On more than one occasion last semester when I was teaching at the local high school I walked out of classes because I wasn't able to control an unruly crowd of 35 teenagers.
Expensive desk ornaments
Let's figure out how to fix the education system
I fully expect the majority of farang teachers to disagree with me and the approach I'm advocating. If you don't want to participate, fine, go drink a Chang and reflect upon your superior knowledge.
I am just dust on the shoes
Postbox letter from David
I am routinely referred to as 'the farang' by a senior teacher. It took a major effort not to tell them to take this job and shove it.
25 teacher mistakes / rules to teach by
Postbox letter from James
25 teacher mistakes to learn and live by - especially if you are a teacher in Thailand.
Archaic ideas are holding the students back!
Postbox letter from Keith
I have been working in Thailand for two years now, and with regret I have decided to bid farewell to a country that I adore.
18 red flags
18 points to consider carefully when choosing a school
From unpaid mid-term breaks to having to pay for white-board markers. What are the things that turn teachers off the idea of working for a particular Thai school - and are they justified?
