http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/ Steve Schertzer on Ajarn.com en Ajarn.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-23T08:18:38+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/culture-of-insouciance/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/culture-of-insouciance/#When:08:18:38Z Many of the students in my class with their fancy clothes, laptops, I-phones, and I-pads, rarely experience an atmosphere where true learning takes place. Outside of the odd serious teacher they may have encountered along the way, they also live and learn in a rubbish dump, an educational one. Culture of insouciance Steve Schertzer 2012-01-23T08:18:38+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/fast-times-at-hitler-high1/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/fast-times-at-hitler-high1/#When:09:39:43Z 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. Fast times at Hitler High Steve Schertzer 2011-10-28T09:39:43+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/he-sleeps-in-a-storm/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/he-sleeps-in-a-storm/#When:07:10:05Z I really dislike job interviews. Not because of anything I do. I show up on time; I wear the right clothes; I'm polite; I listen and I ask the right questions. But when it comes to the interview and meeting other people in this industry, whether fellow teachers, administrators, principals, or directors, the ‘niceties' stop at my cover-letter. He sleeps in a storm Steve Schertzer 2011-09-11T07:10:05+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/business-as-usual/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/business-as-usual/#When:00:36:35Z I've been living and teaching in Phnom Penh Cambodia for six months now. I suppose I could write about the magnificent ancient temples of Ankhor Wat, the beaches of Sihanoukville, the Buddhist scriptures and artifacts, and the splendor of the Royal Palace. But I won't. What I would rather write about are the people. Business as usual Steve Schertzer 2011-07-11T00:36:35+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/unfinished-business/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/unfinished-business/#When:10:31:44Z I spend 12 hours a day at the school in which I teach. I don't have to, but I do. There is a two hour and forty-five minute break between the morning classes and the afternoon classes. That's common in Cambodia, I hear. The international schools and the language schools follow this pattern. Unfinished business Steve Schertzer 2011-05-08T10:31:44+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/the-enemy-within/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/the-enemy-within/#When:00:51:09Z It is a complicity of silence that sees many foreign teachers working hand-in-glove with a Thai administration that cares only about money and maintaining an educational system mired in cultural backwardness and social repression. The enemy within Steve Schertzer 2011-03-07T00:51:09+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/why/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/why/#When:06:56:28Z “Someone wrote on your blog that you are 'dangerous'. I say you are a neurotic loose canon and a liability for a school, working with children” Why? Steve Schertzer 2011-01-10T06:56:28+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/the-courage-of-arpaporn/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/the-courage-of-arpaporn/#When:00:24:35Z I would like to say that my latest writing assignment given to my grade 10 and 11 classes has given me hope; but I can’t. While some of the writing showed ‘glimmers of hope’, at least in my eyes, many of the opinions my students shared unfortunately matched the biased, ignorant, and bigoted statements made incessantly by many Thai adults. The courage of Arpaporn Steve Schertzer 2010-12-08T00:24:35+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/a-teacher-an-old-wise-man-two-punks-and-a-chicken/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/a-teacher-an-old-wise-man-two-punks-and-a-chicken/#When:04:05:12Z Every once in a while I get frustrated with my students. Yes that’s right; I’m not a perfect teacher. But the person I should get most frustrated with, however, is me. A teacher, an old wise man, two punks, and a chicken Steve Schertzer 2010-10-05T04:05:12+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/the-mismeasure-of-thais/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/steve-schertzer/the-mismeasure-of-thais/#When:12:33:13Z It is not the students’ fault that they are failing tests and exams. All students want to pass. They simply don’t know how since most teachers have never taught their students how to study effectively and to recognize the pitfalls of taking tests and examinations. The Mismeasure of Thais Steve Schertzer 2010-08-05T12:33:13+07:00