What is a qualified teacher?
Postbox letter from Concerned in Chonburi
As things stand, I hear from a recruiter that the authorities are visiting schools - government schools at that - and rooting out teachers who do not hold both a PGCE and a Bachelor's degree.
Let's wait and see what happens
Postbox letter from John
It is very interesting to read all the gossip and drama surrounding the new visa rules. I think 'apparently' is the correct word to use during this debate because I think people need to look at this situation realistically.
At least nobody died
Sometimes just be thankful that's as good as it gets
I'm now in my third year as an English teacher at a secondary school in Thailand. I guess you could say I'm a veteran now, though this is a job which 'veteran' doesn't mean much
No thank you U-NET
The latest brainwave from NIETS
Not content with creating incomprehensible, inaccurate and often absurd examination questions for primary and secondary school students, NIETS are now planning a standardized exam for all students finishing university
Time for a change
I've had enough of the Thai government school system thank you
I’ve managed to locate my frustration and work out a solution - the Thai education system just isn’t for me. Not the government schools anyway, or at least the school that I have been teaching in for the past 18 months. So I’ve decided to get out. Not out of Thailand, just out of the system.
Dear NIETS
An open letter to The National Institute of Education Testing Service
I had hoped to send this letter to you directly but I suspect your offices are besieged by angry protestors, frustrated with corruption and incompetency. So it seemed a better idea to write you an open letter. I am writing this in the hope that this year's O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) examinations will better assess the Mathayom 6 students than previous efforts have done.
Why is English so poor in Thailand?
Students are simply just not 'taught' here
Recently I read an article that stated adults in Thailand are ranked 55th from a list of 60 countries on their English proficiency skills. From what I have seen as an English teacher working in government secondary schools over the last 10 years, I'm not surprised,
Understanding SEN
An explanation of what SEN means and involves
Special Educational Needs or SEN - the acronym it goes by - is an interesting part of international education. The last couple of years, there has been an explosion of understanding around SEN and a race to employ SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-coordinators)
Thai students and the fine art of copying
I couldn't believe what was going on in the classroom
I come from a society and a culture where the copying of anything in or out of a classroom is simply looked on as cheating. Not only cheating the whole idea of education but cheating oneself out of any possibility of learning, not to mention a total disrespect of the student who goes to the trouble of learning the correct answers in the first place. So I was appalled beyond measure when I saw my first example of copying in my classroom at my first school in Phuket.
Amazing Thailand
Postbox letter from Russell
Those of us that have been here some years all know how this country has changed in the past 5 years. And most of us with balls would say it’s not for the best.
