Tolerance
One aspect of Thai culture that must be the envy of the world
We foreigners may see some aspects of Thai culture as idiosyncratic, but it truly warms my heart when I see even young people in Thailand getting along in spite of personal differences
Enthusiasm rubs off on students
Postbox letter from Harry Bruder
I'm now at a university and teaching poetry, English and American Literature. I really like those subjects.
It's that time of year again
Postbox letter from Bryan W
It's final exam time; And not just any old final exams, but end of year/graduation exams. Such a wonderful time for a teacher
My first year as a teacher in Thailand
The highs and the lows and what I've learned.
Now that this academic year is winding down, I reflect on my first year with a lot of mixed feelings. There have been a lot of awesome moments where I really felt like a teacher. I really felt like I was getting through to the students and I was the getting the job done.
Grammar vs speech
Differing techniques inside the classroom
In my experience, students recite a grammar rule or know the rule or learn the rule and maybe even vaguely understand the rule, but then you ask them a basic question and they don't understand.
Dear NIETS
An open letter to The National Institute of Education Testing Service
I had hoped to send this letter to you directly but I suspect your offices are besieged by angry protestors, frustrated with corruption and incompetency. So it seemed a better idea to write you an open letter. I am writing this in the hope that this year's O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) examinations will better assess the Mathayom 6 students than previous efforts have done.
A 'one of a kind' camp
Organising the perfect English camp for students
Last term, I tried a different kind of camp. The theme was "Enhancing English proficiency in preparation for ASEAN 2015 through games and dance." I can say it was great because my students said that it was the most enjoyable camp they had ever been on
Perceptive young learners
Postbox letter from Carl Slaughter
Here's a story about some very young but very sharp Thai and Chinese students.
It's been a great adventure
Postbox letter from William Putnam
It’s been a fantastic year. I have lived in Southeast Asia since September 10th, 2012. I was not sure I was going to work as a teacher when I arrived. I viewed my travels here as a long vacation. However, once I realized I liked it here, I began to look for jobs so that I could stay longer.
Why is English so poor in Thailand?
Students are simply just not 'taught' here
Recently I read an article that stated adults in Thailand are ranked 55th from a list of 60 countries on their English proficiency skills. From what I have seen as an English teacher working in government secondary schools over the last 10 years, I'm not surprised,
