Why teach in Thailand?
Postbox letter from James
Let’s be honest and say that professionally qualified or not, we are/were here because it’s a great place to live and let’s not pretend that altruism in helping children, or to improve the Thai education system is why we came here.
Fast times at Hitler High
What on earth are the schoolkids being prepared for?
For those who think that the students may have missed the lessons on Hitler and the NAZIS, or perhaps fell asleep during the lectures, I say the opposite: I say that these students were probably very much awake and were mesmerized by all things NAZI. By the looks of things, they seem to have learned quite a bit.
Farewell Thailand
Postbox letter from Keith Evans
Let me say that for the seven years I have been here, the first five were excellent, but I have seen a drastic change for the worse over the past two years.
Thailand, you have lost more than just another good teacher
Postbox letter from Mr Grumpy
People and cultures are judged on the way they treat outsiders and animals. Unfortunately, animals are often treated a bit better than foreign teachers. I am quite surprised to notice that after a long time, it is now starting to backfire.
What keeps us in Thailand?
Postbox letter from Keith Evans
I've been teaching in Thailand for seven years. Like most of my fellow foreign teachers here I've been through the visa and work permit mangle and all the other bureaucratic crap that the Thai Government can throw at a human being, but here I remain.
What damage exactly?
Postbox letter from Peelie
The damage that unqualified foreign teachers do to the Thai system is minimal. All the damage is done by the Thais themselves.
The damage done by unqualified teachers
Postbox letter from David
Of course "the number of qualified teachers willing to work in Isaan falls far short of the number required." It takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice and dedication to attend university for 7 plus years in order to become a qualified teacher.
Is it the teachers fault?
Postbox letter from James
We face an impossible task. You can’t force someone to learn and I flatly refuse to accept that it is all the teacher’s fault. The schools and managers would certainly have you believe that and it is in their own interests to do so.
Teaching in Issan
Postbox letter from Man in Issan
The letters about teaching in Issan without degrees are wide of the mark. For one thing Issan isn't the "out in the sticks" place that it used to be.
The dreaded letter grade
The anguish of having to evaluate progress with a single letter
I teach Pre-School, Kindergarten and Prathom 1, 2 and 3 and while I find it easier to dole out letter grades to my Prathom students, giving A,B,C's to my Pre-School and K's is much more difficult.
