A great career but......
Postbox letter from Elisha
The element of autonomy in the teaching world was what appealed to me about teaching compared to other (employee style) careers.
What you can learn working with colleagues from different countries
Everyone has something to offer you
Overall, I really enjoy having a true international environment at work. The chance to work and meet people from so many countries has improved me as a teacher and allowed me to learn a lot about other cultures.
Cheating or helping?
Is it better to simply observe students and not try to fix things?
I learned a long time ago to not expect Thai people to think or behave the way we do in California. I've come to realize the futility of trying to impose Western values on this ancient culture.
Getting the kids hooked young!
My goal is to not frighten the lives out of my students
I'm stepping back from the serious, academic approach and working on making my classes something that kids look forward to - even if they aren't learning as much.
Who is worth working for?
In search of the holy grail.
Is there a Holy Grail of ELT jobs? Why are some teachers happy, while others suffer under a yoke of abuse? Who are these employers that are spoiling our fun?
Low test scores are no surprise
Postbox letter from Sheri
It is not a surprise that Thai students score so low on English tests because they don't sense any urgency in learning English.
The 'Hour of Code' is here
Computer coding is going to become an essential skill for all students
Simply learning how to use popular software applications is no longer enough for today's students. Other countries are waking up to this reality and education departments have reformed their computer studies curriculum to introduce students to the basic principles of computer science from an early age.
Who gets the call when their arms are raised?
Which student gets the teacher's questions and why?
Here are the different groups of students within a typical class. They are quite distinctive and there's not really much of a gray area between them.
Halloween celebrations
Schools all over Thailand are spooking it up today
Schools even have a legitimate excuse for celebrating Halloween, because it is covered in the Thai MoE's foreign language curriculum - ‘students should be aware of foreign cultures and festivals.'
How to be a successful teacher in Thailand
There is little correlation between a successful teacher and a good teacher
Success in Thailand is an easy (but often lengthy) process of self discovery. But it starts with finding out what is expected of you from everyone you come into contact with and being able to adjust your behavior to provide those things.
