To my students who think I'm rich and famous
Postbox letter from Kenny
You ask me if I’m rich, if I own a car, if I’ve been to Paris. I get it. Western media does a great job of selling that dream. But here's the truth: I don’t own a car. I own a bicycle and even that gets a flat tire every so often.
Why do technical school students fight in Thailand?
In Thailand, fights between students from rival technical colleges have been happening for years.
Movies, TV shows, and social media often glamorize technical students as tough and rebellious, making fighting seem cool. Some students see it as a way to earn respect or boost their reputation.
Good morning teacher, how are you?
The ritual of greetings in Thai classrooms
You might be tempted to shake things up, maybe throw in a casual “Hey, guys!” or an upbeat “What’s up?” But don’t. This is not the time for creativity. This is not the time for free expression.
Tales of Thai school discipline
When foreign teachers face the classroom troublemakers
I thought I'd tell you about a few of my memories of disciplining students from my (so far) 20-year teaching career.
Regaining control of your classroom
Some discipline tips for when things start to go pear-shaped
The famous yellow and red card system is often a winner. Get some coloured cards and every time a student is bad, present them with a yellow card, football-style. Two yellows equal a red and a punishment. Works especially well in all-boy schools.
How do students learn?
Creating a variety of lessons that will appeal to most of your students
Theory often comes near the bottom of the pile when it comes to teaching, but there are several things worth knowing about how people learn and how best you can teach them.
Strict discipline at Thai schools
Teachers aren't afraid to dish out the punishment if a student steps out of line.
The topic of school discipline came up in one of my classes a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty illuminating to me what happens in some schools here. I talked about it with some Thai friends over the weekend and they had pretty mixed views
Stop that noise!
8 classroom management strategies to regain control of your noisy classroom
With these 8 tips, I was able to feel more in control of my classroom, and I believe that they can help you too!
A better way to deal with class disruptions
What to do when students misbehave
This article is for teachers like me who don't have formal training to do what they do, but who nevertheless want to do the best that they can to enrich and improve their own lives as well as those of their students.
Thai education and TEFL class management
A look at three practical examples to use in your classroom
Class management, although employing techniques, isn't so much a process as a mind-set requiring a separate skill set from that of delivery, a point often missed in progressive education orthodoxy.
