| Q |
First off Rob, I think
many people might need a definition of a typical English camp. Usually how
long are they? |
| A |
Edutainment is the definition of a Dragonfly camp - Farang teachers
entertaining Thai Kids with encouraged conversation and activities. There is
no formal teaching on our camps - our team provides more of a show for the
kids and the activities are all good fun while trying to get the kids to
think for themselves. Typically camps are 2-3 days long but can be anything
from a single day to a month. |
| Q |
What would be the
typical ratio of teachers to kids? |
| A |
Depending on the budget of the school, 25 students to
one teacher is average, the smaller the group the more fun the camp is for
students AND teachers! Once when some teachers got pissed the night before a
camp and didn’t turn up, we had groups of fifty kids each - nightmare |
| Q |
It
sounds like hell mate.
Talk us through a typical day from when the students first rise and shine in
the morning |
| A |
Many schools have a nasty habit of waking the kids at
some ridiculous hour (5am) in the morning to do “ morning exercise”. We are
slowly but surely eradicating this madness.
Our camps start at 8am with breakfast, everybody’s favourite way to start
the day. The students will then congregate in the home room as and when they
are ready, where we will just have some homeroom fun. There is no other way
to explain a homeroom; an experienced MC will just have a whole load of
large group activities up his sleeve ranging from simple 20 second chants
that the kids join in with to large games of cat and mouse.
At 10am, after a quick water break, we will start a walk rally. This is
basically a rotation of the groups from teacher to teacher. There will be 5
– 15 bases, each with a farang teacher and an activity. The student will
spend 5 – 15 minutes at each base gaining points for their group as they go
(or not).
Lunch at 12 o clock followed by my favourite home room game which is not
being disclosed I'm afraid In the afternoon, 100% exclusively to Dragonfly,
the kids trek all over the camp following the “Treasure Hunt” for a couple
of hours before the time comes to prepare for the evenings talent show.
We leave the students up to their own devices for the talent show and it is
incredible to see what they come up with. Aside from the obvious singing and
dancing we have had blind date type affairs, break-dancing competitions,
magic tricks and my favourite activity - students taking the role of
teachers.
Bed time is around 10pm depending on how cool the teachers are and our last
job is to make sure all the students are accounted for, by that time we are
so knackered there is only one place we are going - bed. |
| Q |
Blimey, I'd be knackered. Do teachers
look on English camps as ‘bloody hard work’? |
| A |
English camps used to be hard work Phil but one of my
best attributes is laziness. Since I started running English Camps I have
developed them to be more and more teacher-friendly. The activities that we
use now are nothing like they were even a year ago and they get better all
the time.
At the end of the day when we promote camps to prospective employees or
volunteers as good fun, we are not kidding. No lesson plans or curriculum,
no set routine, just games and activities for kids who really wanna be
there. (That said - try being with the kids seven days in a row LOL) |
| Q |
What are some of the locations you’ve
organized camps at? |
| A |
In Thailand I have organised camps in Hua Hin, Pattaya,
Khao Yai National Park. Also various different purpose-built camp complexes
in and around Isaan and in schools all over Thailand. The best place was on
top of a mountain near Udon Thani which was incredibly beautiful; the worst
place was in Sri Saket in a field. |
| Q |
Is there such a thing as a full-time
camp teacher or is it very much a way to supplement your income with a bit
of weekend work? |
| A |
Dragonfly currently have 3 full time camp staff in our
team aside from Martin and myself. We all live together in a big house in
Korat. So yeah full time staff are needed but every weekend we have to bring
part time staff up to help us too. Also, once every month or so we choose
(No applications please) a very small rural school that could never afford a
camp, get one provided for free We like to think we are doing our bit for
the community. So from time to time we will have volunteers to help us too.
|
| Q |
Tell us a little more about the
Dragonfly organization? |
| A |
Dragonfly was Started by Martin and I earlier this year
to bring English camps to Isaan.
The Dragonfly Team members consist of 5 experienced English Campers. We all
have experience with English camps and we are all passionate about what we
do. And we all work together to improve the camps all the time. Between us
we have experienced English camps with 8 different companies and gained a
total of over 25 years experience. This means we have a solid base of people
who are serious about English camps, living in Thailand, and we know what
goes down well and what doesn’t.
We try to be as flexible as possible for our schools so that every school
can do one.
Your average local school cannot afford VIP air con buses so we will
organize 'songteaws' for them. Don’t get me wrong, we can arrange a wicked
camp in a 5 star hotel but we prefer to work with poorer schools where the
kids are more fun and appreciative and our work can be more beneficial.
Aside from camps we also organize teachers for schools in Isaan if anyone is
interested in teaching here, and we also place volunteers in home-stays with
Thai teachers in rural schools for those people that really wanna learn
something about Thai ways.
If anyone is interested in working part time on camps or full time teaching
please contact us at www.thai-dragonfly.com
|
| Q |
This is actually the third organization
you’ve worked for as a camp coordinator. You obviously enjoy the work. What
are the challenges involved? |
| A |
The first company I worked for doing camps was just as
an instructor, which is where I learnt the basics, then at Media Kids I
worked my way from Teacher to camp coordinator, where I made a lot of
contacts etc and decided that Thailand was ready for Dragonfly. Everyone who
comes to Thailand comes here to travel, but people with jobs here very
rarely get to do so. English camps however take us to the beach, to the
mountains and all over the country so there is never time to be bored.
I studied Events Management at university in England and that is essentially
what this is, making sure that the staff are ready, the food is prepared and
the kids are enjoying the event. The challenges involved – hmmmm. The
biggest task is trying to get staff to do what they are supposed to. For
instance we had a teacher from Bangkok up to do a camp and he decided that
it would be a good idea to take a group of 30 7yr olds for an hours walk in
the jungle without telling anyone – can u believe that??? The worst part is
that he didn’t even think he had done anything wrong. |
| Q |
Do some kids get homesick and cry for
Mommy and Daddy? I mean do you ever have to deal with some little sprog
dribbling piss and snot and crying his eyes out? |
| A |
In my experience Thai kids are impressively independent
and 'non-wimpy' compared to those back home. You can have 30 kids piled on
top of 1 ten yr. old covering him with powder and the guy will just stand up
and get on with it. Even if it hurt he will just carry on regardless. |
| Q |
My only experience of
camps goes back to my boy scout days. Can any of the Thais master the
infamous double sheep-shank? What about "Gin-gan-gooley" sung around the
campfire? |
| A |
Come on Phil, I don’t even know what a double sheep
shank is. Is it from the Karma Sutra?? - and Gin-Gan Gooley was buried with
my grandmother. No, to be honest some of our songs are really quite amusing
and some of them would have shocked my grandmother (The gin gan gooly
singer). |
| Q |
Do the kids actually
improve their English on these camps or is it just a chance to prat about in
the open air and be away from any strict parental control? |
| A |
The kids we run camps for are not from Bangkok. Most of
the kids we teach run a mile when they see 6 white faces arrive at their
school in the morning and our job is to reverse the action by the end of the
camp. We let the kids get to know the ferangs, socialise with them and
partake in activities based around encouraging the kids to speak even if
they speak incorrectly. Giving the kids the chance to use their English,
just once will then give them a reason to learn the otherwise boring subject
when they are in the classroom. |
| Q |
You must have become
quite adept at first-aid techniques? |
| A |
Yes I am thinking of becoming a paramedic. To be honest
our staff (Jake for instance) are far more prone to injury than most of the
kids. |
| Q |
You used to work for
Media Kids (as a camp coordinator) This company has come in for a fair
amount of stick on the ajarn.com forum. I won’t go into detail but what’s
your opinion? |
| A |
Proper Planning Prevents Pathetically Poor
Performances! But I must say that the people that run Media Kids do try.
They are lovely people and they mean well, really well. I enjoyed working
with MK and they gave me invaluable experience and training, but when it
comes to getting pissed in breweries… |
| Q |
With all that horrible
fresh air constantly going into your lungs, I guess that working in Bangkok
must be something you’d never ever consider? |
| A |
I sometimes wonder what it must be
like to work in that crazy place, I have been there once in the last 6
months for two days. If I have lots of cash it is a cool place to go out.
|
| Q |
And finally I must ask
this one. Do camp teachers make good camp teachers? |
| A |
Yes, Yan is one of our best, camp
teachers! |
| |
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