I've written here a little bit about teaching in Thailand at the
different grade levels. I've found some methods that seem to work
well and allow me to keep my sanity. It's quite a trick to remain
calm sometimes when it's last period and the kids are wound up from
some event that occurred prior.
I've taught for a year and a half here in Thailand and I'm just starting work at
my 3rd school. First school – Government school – I taught Prathom
3. Second school – Private "Christian?" university – a College where I taught Prathom 2, 3, 5, 6 and Mathyom 3 and 4. Third school is a
large and they say "well-respected" government school comprised of
Mathyom levels 1-4. This is equivalent to the 7th through the 10th
grade but in truth you'll find kids 17 and 18 yrs old in the M4
level often times. I'm teaching M3 math at this school. I was never a teacher in the U.S., but I did coach soccer and I did
work with kids that were quite a handful in the mental health
system. Kids and teens with severe depression, manic-depression,
borderline personality disorder, paranoia, delusions, and the whole
realm. I have a good feel for what it will take to make a particular
kid behave or do what I want. I think I also have a healthy "screw
it" attitude when I've either exhausted my mental resources or I've
decided that I can't quite understand WHY it's so important for the
kids to learn during that one hour they seem to be freak alien
spawn.
The "screw it" attitude is important to have while
teaching in Thailand. As an American I think we have
less of it than perhaps some other cultures. In school we were made
to be good. It was not a democracy in the classroom. We didn't just
get rowdy as an entire class if we all felt like it . And I find it
hard to believe that we EVER got as loud as a classroom of Thai kids
when they get going. Picture 45 kids mainlining liquid crack via
intravenous during the class right before yours.
Yes, it's that bad at times. So, for us Americans I think it's hard
to just give up some days and say screw-it. All teachers need to see
the BIG picture. The big picture is that if the kids are fruit-loops
that day and you're at your wits end… just let it go. Well, either
let it go or make them put their heads on the desk and not make a
sound if you really can't stand the noise at all anymore. If they
stay like that the entire period – better for you and better for
them. You just earned some respect for having made them all do
something and especially for it being something stupid. While they
are quiet tell them something like how disappointed you are and that
their parents would be hurt when you start calling EVERY ONE OF
THEM.
An example of "screw-it" attitude. One time last year during second
term I walked into the Prathom 6 math classroom and they were all
watching the video playback of their parent's night performance… I
was already feeling like we hadn't done SQUAT that entire semester
and yet the kids probably wouldn't see it any other place so I let
them watch it. It lasted all period of course, but the kids were so
wound up after watching the first few minutes of it that I wouldn't
have been able to get anything through their skulls. I think the
class that day was to have been finding the area of circles,
triangles and other stuff. It would have been wasted effort so I
said "screw-it" and I watched the TV too.
We'd regularly have teachers come into the staffroom just blowing up
and incredulous that they hadn't taught ¼ of what they were
scheduled to teach for that 2nd term. The amount of extra-curricular
stuff that goes on is bewildering to foreigners. The 2nd term is a
complete blowoff term! In America we have one students' show a year.
There were 3 shows in the second term alone at this school. I
wouldn't be lying if I told you that overall among all my classes I
got 1/3 done what I thought I was going to get done. Some of my
classes I was scheduled to teach on only Mondays and Fridays. Those
are the classes that were cancelled often for holidays, practicing
for something... I think those classes got less than 1/6th of
what they were scheduled for!
Screw it! It's the Thai system. The Thai teachers understand what
happens during this term. It happens EVERY 2nd semester. We as
foreign teachers need to understand it too. We won't change the Thai
education system as much as we think we can or should. I think
personally that we shouldn't. Who are we to put our beliefs about
the education process before theirs? We're in THEIR country. We need
to assimilate. They don't need to change to ours.
The Thai teachers can command a level of respect that most of us
foreign teachers will never get from the kids. Something about being
able to remind them of their upbringing and respecting teachers and
being "polite" (soo-pahp). Many Thai "co-teachers" can be of
immeasurable help in the classroom. They may not always be able to
follow your lesson about Factoring Polynomials but they can get the
kids to shut up pretty quickly. Don't turn down the offer if you
have the chance to get their assistance for some or all of your
classes! I realized after teaching Prathom 3 at the first government school
and watching some of the older kids in the Prathom 5 and 6 classes
that I needed to have a plan. The kids are quite different from
American kids at the young age. No, American kids are not angels. In
fact… I would say that after 6th grade everything goes to hell with
kids in America. I'd never in my life teach 7th grade (or older)
kids in the states. I learned that the most important tool we have for keeping control
of the classroom is the Thai "co-teacher" as mentioned before. As
far as I can figure out the 2nd most important tool we have is US.
We need to present as a consistent person that has clear rules that
don't change. A personality that doesn't change. The third most
important tool is using this thing that Thai people cherish…the
concept of "face". The worst thing to a Thai person is "losing
face". It's a complicated idea at times, but Thai people kill for
it, kill themselves over it, and hire people to kill others over it.
Kids are well aware of the importance of preserving face for
themselves and their families. You can see it in the classroom when
classmates will cover for their friends no matter WHAT the issue.
They will ALL blatantly lie to cover for someone. Often too they
will say, "I don't know." When, they do know, they are just
preserving face by saying that they don't.
Foreign teachers need to learn to understand the concept of face and
apply disciplinary measures designed to directly affect "face". Now,
young Thai kids won't kill you over it. But, I would NOT recommend
doing anything too harsh if the kids are over the M3 level. After
this level the kids are pretty much adults and can make decisions to
exact revenge. It's a very serious issue as the kids reach adulthood
and anything can happen at this stage of the game. There are
horrible fights. There are bottles to the back of heads (never to
the front it seems), knives in the back, clubs to the back or
machetes to the back of motorbike riders.
There are levels of hierarchy in the classroom. Especially in the
higher grades (Mathyom 1+). These are social levels or levels of
respect. It's most easily seen among the boys. There will be boys
that are at the TOP of the totem pole. They are usually supported by
other boys at the top. They are more cocky. They may have (usually
have) families that are more important in the Thai social strata
than other Thai families. More money, more prestige, more power… The
parents or a parent may have a high government position… military
position… political position. The kids have grown up feeling like a
big dog. They say more things when the teacher's back is turned.
They outright lie about whether it was them that said it. They are
very interested in keeping the status quo. The status quo that
leaves them at the top.
However, when I come into the classroom I am now the big dog. There
is no other big dog. I don't allow it. There are just little dogs
and no little dog is any more special than any other little dog. I
won't have it. Most of the little dogs understand and get in line.
However, there will be a brief power struggle with members of the
previous big-dog crew.
Here are some things I believe about the different grade levels. My
experiences may not be the 'norm', but I'm guessing that they're
close. You may find some things you can relate to or you might use
them as a starting point if you are a new teacher and have no idea
what to expect.
Prathom 1, 2 and 3…
Very easy to deal with the kids. Easy to be nice and then demand
respect at will. The kids are fun, respectful, eager to learn and to
please… eager to make the teacher laugh if the teacher will allow
it. I had some of the greatest experiences teaching these levels.
Example… The kids are to complete their workbook – coloring and
filling in different English words and then present the book to me
when they are finished with the page… I then have to check the
bottom box with a red checkmark and they can consider it a good job
and move on to the next page or the next activity. Well, one girl
decided it would be funny to write some extra words at the bottom of
her paper when she handed it in… it said, "Fat Mr. John (name
replaced for preserving anonymity)". I saw it as I was checking her
paper and she was watching my face to see what I did. When I saw it I TOTALLY overreacted and blew the issue way out of proportion in a
fun way… "WHAT IS THIS??? WHO DID THIS??? I CAN"T BELIEVE THIS! Etc.
And I had crazy expressions on my face… the kids were all thrown for
a loop… The girl was smiling so big, she had got the reaction she
wanted, and more.
The rest of the class was wrecked by kids bringing up their papers
with things like "red mr. John", "Mr John long arm", "Mr. John fat
foot" and other things. Their vocabulary was limited to body part s,
colors, and sizes of things but they were ingenious in combining
them. One boy, the most "off" boy in the class… the skinniest kid…
with the funniest expressions… and the most off-base answers and
actions… came up just as class was ending. He had been watching with
amusement the whole scene… he was watching what his friends wrote
and handed to me… he was loving my reactions… he had nothing written
on his paper when he handed it in at the end of class. I was VERY
surprised. I expected SOMETHING.
Then he hands me something with his other hand… a folded up little
piece of paper about 1 inch by 2 inches that didn't say anything. It
was just a picture of a pile of steaming turd. It was his way of
saying, "Mr. John is a pile of shit". I laughed until I couldn't
breathe… all the kids insisted on him telling them what it was, but
he never told… he just sat there with this smile on his face that
was worth 30 bat of gold.
So, I found these levels very easy to teach and the most fun…
Prathom 4, 5, 6 I have not taught Prathom 4, however, the horror stories I heard
about them was enough. The Prathom 4, 5, and 6 kids seem to be
experiencing the crack phenomenon about every 3 days or so on
average. If you have a large class – over 25 of them, heaven help
you. My P5 and P6 classes were both with 30 kids and they were quite
a handful. I was teaching math so quite often the lesson was wasted
because they were too wound up to get anything out of it. I was able
to get maybe 80% of my lessons done in a meaningful way with these
grades because of the tactics I'll share with you later. Some
teachers came to the staffroom in tears multiple days because if you
let them run wild from the start , they will run all over you and
tattoo your skin with the treads in their converse.
Don't make the mistake of naming the kids "Monkey number 1", "Monkey
number 2", etc all the way up to 8 as I have done in the past with a
Prathom 5 class (grade 5). They actually get WORSE so they can outdo
each other. All the monkeys want to be "Monkey number 1" for some
reason. Lesson learned. I thought it would be a good way to
embarrass them since instead of their name I would disrespect them
by calling them this other more creative name. Go figure…
Mathyom 1-2 I taught a few lessons to cover for another teacher's absence. I
found them to be generally OK. The "attitudes" really start in this
group. The silent treatments, the passive aggressive stuff. I was
able to completely control this group and I think long-term probably
same result. They weren't yet confident enough to challenge me
multiple times.
Mathyom 3-4
Mathyom 3 and 4 I taught nearly everyday. They have the potential to
control YOU and the class. They are smart , they are strong as a
class… they back each other up on things so it's you against 20 – 30
of them. 50? Good luck. I was able to control these guys about 95%
of the time. The classes were not always fun, but we had our share
of very good times in each class. It's a power struggle and if they
win you're in for a long year.
Here's what I did to control the older kids. You might not agree.
You might think I'm an idiot. A control freak. A barbarian. Jai Dam!
(Cruel heart ). I am none of these… I just realized quickly that I
needed to be the big dog in these older classes and the only way I'd
be able to STAND teaching these levels were if I was the big dog and
we got a lot of teaching done and didn't deal with too many
attitudes or problems. I decided to be as strict on them as possible for the first couple
weeks of classes. I walk into the class. The kids shut up because they don't know me
yet. They have NO idea who I am, what I'm like, whether I'm a push
over. They may have seen me laugh with other teachers or kids on the
school grounds, but here in class they just don't know "me" yet.
That's a good thing, because if they already knew me they'd know I
like to laugh, joke and have more fun than THEY do… just not in the
classroom. ANYWHERE else, yes. I love it. Classroom, no. I put my stuff on the desk and stand at the front in the middle. The
kids get up and give the standard greeting. If it isn't earnest
enough I make them do it again. Already they are looking out of the
corners of their eyes to their friends. I can see them thinking…
Something isn't right… nobody ever made us do it again... I haven't smiled, and won't until the end of class
and only briefly. I tell them to sit down and get out some paper,
pencil. I start writing the rules on the board. I say, copy these
NEATLY in your notebook now.
Invariably someone says something. I turn around and ask WHO said
it. Sometimes they admit and sometimes not. If the offender admits
his guilt I go up to him and tell him clearly while looking 1 foot
from his eyes – When I'm talking or when my back is turned, YOU
DON'T TALK. Do you understand? I make him say, "Yes, I understand." I return to the board. Here are the rules I write…
When I'm talking nobody is talking, laughing, playing games.
When my back is turned, nobody is talking, laughing, playing games.
If I tell you to do something you must do it as quickly as possible
and without talking.
If I tell you to go outside you stand up quickly, pick up your
papers and pencil, and walk outside. You stand with your nose
touching the wall until I come out to talk to you. (I bring a kid up
to the front to demonstrate how to stand outside.)
If I tell you to go outside you don't say a WORD outside.
Nobody touches, hits, pushes, jumps on, anyone else in class.
No sports balls are allowed in the classroom.
If I give you lines to write you will copy them EXACTLY. If there
are mistakes you do them again. I want the lines on my desk at 8 am
the next day.
You call me "teacher", NOT AJARN, NOT AJARN FARANG.
If you have an answer you raise your hand.
When I'm done teaching and you have your assignment for the day you
can talk quietly with your friends to get it done or raise your hand
if you have questions for me to answer or if you want me to show you
another example.
What you see hear, hear here, stays here when you leave here.
Now, the rules are pretty standard. For the first class maybe first
couple classes the kids tested me. Talking when my back was turned… I watched the Thai teachers… they cracked their knuckles with a
ruler or short piece of bamboo. Well, the Thai teachers did it with
the younger kids up until about P6. I extended it all the way to M3.
The kids at that level, when they get hit with a ruler aren't used
to it. They thought that craziness was over. They were wrong. I
crack them good for things like "drumming on the desk", hitting
someone, throwing something, or other small things. I'm not really
sure the total effect that this has, other than they fear me which
is all I really need at the moment. I think with Thai kids the embarrassment option is much more
effective.
If a kid is talking when I'm talking I will make him stand up where
he is. I will get about 6 inches from his face and ask loudly why he
is talking and what he is saying. I will then decide whether he
should stand in the back of the room with his nose on the wall or go
outside. If it's especially hot or the sun is hitting the outside
wall I'll usually opt for the outside. I let him bake out there.
Thai kids love the Air conditioning and hate to get dark so I'm
actually hitting him 3 ways… it's hot, he's getting dark, and he's
loosing face in front of his friends. The standing in the sun option
works very well for light skinned girls! VERY well.
If the problem kid doesn't stand up immediately after he's told and
I'm able to get to his chair before he does I pull him up by the
shirt at the shoulder. These uniforms are remarkably strong and I've
never ripped a shirt. I did hear the threads strain a few times. I
pull him out of his chair and walk him to the door and stand him at
the wall and tell him where to put his nose. A kid doesn't need too
many of those. M3 students are blown away when I do it to the
biggest kid in class. In America the kid would hit you – no doubt.
Here, never. I'm not a huge guy, almost 6 foot and 180, but no kid
has EVER resisted in the slightest way.
If the kid is giving me multiple problems, like maybe talking once
outside, or making faces through the window I will stop class, make
everyone put their head down. I'll go outside and jack that kid up
by yelling at him and getting in his face… threatening to bring his
mom and father in NOW to see what a buffalo he is and everyone thing
that comes to mind… often times he is on the verge of tears. I
usually don't EVER have to do it again if he comes close to tears.
It's easier to get the kids to that point than you might think. They
are not used to being yelled at by ANYONE.
Of course every kid in the room has heard the abuse and the class
usually goes very smoothly from that point on for a few days until
someone else decides to act up for some reason.
After a couple of weeks I am able to start to smile a bit. Joke once
in a while. Let the kids laugh. In P5/P6 I let them get a little too
loose and won't make that mistake again. I began to have more
trouble keeping them in line because naturally I just like to joke a
lot. They realized they could really push me when I was in that mood
and soon they wanted to push me everyday. I had to reinstitute the
drill-instructor mentality and they slowly got back in line…
One trick that works with Thai kids. Often times you'll hear someone
talking behind your back. You don't know who. Could be any one of
8-10 different monkeys. If nobody will admit it… I do this. I pick someone at random. Usually one of the monkeys and tell the
kids that THIS monkey is going to suffer because the REAL monkey
causing the trouble is not admitting it. When the real monkey admits
it then the THIS monkey can go sit back down. I then send the
innocent monkey outside to stand but not with his nose against the
wall – just stand. The kids in the class don't know though because I
go out WITH the kid to tell him – just stand there, I'm not mad at
you, etc…
When I go back in the class there is some serious issue with this…
the kids are shocked, they don't know what to do… they insist it
WASN"T that monkey… and I say I don't care. Which monkey was it? If
they don't say, I just continue teaching… eventually it comes to the
point where the real monkey admits it. EVERY TIME the real monkey
has come forward. If he doesn't he will the next time because his
friends think he's an ass for not admitting it to start with!
Try it!
Ok, I'm out of material. I'm not really, but I'm out of finger
energy to type this anymore.
Hope it gives new teachers something to start from and experienced
teachers something to laugh at.
I've started teaching for this new year and I have changed tactics a
bit. The kids know me after a ROUGH first semester at this new
school and now they understand WHEN to be quiet and when they can be
a little loose. I decided to make it easier for them.
I walk into every class and put "Seriousnes" on
the board - and a number under it. 1-10. If it's 10 - they
know that the first kid out of line is going to get the reaming of
his life. If it's a "3" or a low number they know they have
some latitude and we'll have a fun class. If I need to teach a
lot and the kids are fruitcakes when I first walk into class I'll
put a 9 or 10 up.
I also write "Lines" on the board and 2 numbers
underneath. Usually I write 100-200. The first time I
give lines that day it will be "100". If you keep screwing up
- you'll get 200. My lines are really works of Art . I'm proud
of them because they make me laugh everytime I read some the kids'
hand in. Usually they go something like this...
"Hello. My name is ____________. I don't
know what came over me this morning, but I decided to talk while Mr.
John was teaching, even after he told me 3 times to be quiet. I must
have thought I was smart er than Mr. John today, but that won't
happen again."
Usually about this many lines constitutes "1"
line. I write the line on the board for everyone to see and leave it
there in case anyone else wants to clown around that day.
I now have a point system as well. Each kid
has 3 points that day. That's an "A" everyday. It is possible for a
good kid to get a hell of a boost in grade at the end of the year
for getting an "A" everyday. But, for the bad kids - if they
lose even one point - they are already down to a "C" grade for the
day. Lose 2 points or 3 points and the kid is at an "F" level.
This last semester is going really well. I rarely
need to put someone in line more than losing one point - 2 points
and writing some lines. Only 3 kids in a month have stood outside
with their nose on the wall.
Anyway, hope this helps.
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