A Move is as Good as a Holiday, Isaan Thailand.

If you have read this blog before you know that I teach in Thailand, for years I worked at a private school called Assumption College but recently shifted to a government run school. The differences aren’t a lot when you look at the academic side, the students are pretty well the same. There are students that are very competent in English, your middle of the road and then the students who understand next to nothing.

One thing I have noticed that is different in the last 6 weeks is this; the majority of students’ politeness, respect they show. There are still the students who try and push the envelope and be the joker, they exist across the world.

I was very strict at the start to lay down the ground rules of my classes as the kids before had foreign teachers (no disrespect to them) that must have let them do what they liked.

The first class I noticed kids with phones out, or games, copying or completing work from other subjects, desks in no order just clumped together and that meant not being able to walk to the back of the class, and on it went.

I wrote a big “NO” on the board and then listed underneath it, phones, comics and so on. Also 1 week and then explained that if any of these items where seen they would be taken for that amount of time.

I also wrote, Be polite, show respect and in capital letters TRY, onto the board and explained that was all I wanted students to do, was to follow these three things in my class.

My first week was funny as my cupboard filled with phones, comics, books and so on. A piece of paper taped to each one with the student's name and date on it when it can be picked up.

I remember the first girl that answered her phone in class, a friend from a lower level had called her, I took her phone and she cried, and cried. She said she had to call her mum at the lunch break, so I told her to come to the office and she could do that at 12.30pm.

She arrived and she called her mum and then I spoke to her mum and told what happened and her mum was happy with what I had done. Another parent called her son during my class and he answered and when I asked, “why have you called him during class?” The response was, sorry, sorry and then she hung up.

Anyway, it took a week and the kids knew that what I said I meant. I walk into a class now and phones are turned off, books put away and desks are arranged properly. The “testers” as I call them, the students who see how far they can push the new teacher learnt quickly. A few warnings and then a call to their parents and a friendly chat about the behaviour or problem and each parent I called said, “thank you for calling and telling them” (only 5 students so far).

If these students start trying to go too far I make a I will call your parent signal and they settle down again, for a little while.

The other big thing I have noticed is this.

The school is not left wanting, after being at a private school where many students have parents with plenty of money and are given nearly anything they ask for or want (most students, not all) I was expecting the facilities to not be so fantastic.

I was so wrong. The internet which was such a sticking point at my old school was terrible, turtle like too often. The problem it caused was when you were looking for additional materials to complement what you were teaching, download flashcards and other teaching materials, it was frustrating. Hours and hours wasted over the years.

My new school the internet is just WOW, so fast, faster than my home. It has never been down. Yes this is a small thing but not to me.

The other thing that I laughed at was, in Assumption we had air-conditioned classrooms, a TV and that was it. When we needed a dvd player and such we went off to an office and signed one out and so on. Assumption had wifi internet, so when I needed that I could connect but many times and I mean many. I had planned a lesson needing the internet and get to the classroom and it isn’t working or the signal is in and out. I can tell you many times I had to count to 100 to keep my cool.

My new school has an individual landline that runs into each class; there is no wifi in the classrooms, so the students cannot access the internet. You walk in and next to your desk you have the line, plug it in and you are away, super fast internet.

Also the classrooms have a microphone and speakers set up in the 4 corners, this sends the sound out from the flat screen TV so all students can hear what is being broadcast. Also every room has their own DVD player, each department has their own as well, and we have one in the cupboard in the office.

Being able to use such media in teaching makes the learning experience for the students much more fun, you can show what is being taught in such a different light that captures their attention.

Materials, just in our office there are cupboards full of things a teacher needs, back at Assumption you needed to make a request, then this was checked by the head, this was then sent for approval from the Brother and you might get it within a week or not at all.

I would buy my own red and blue pens, for marking and doing school stuff, here they are supplied, bulldog clips by the box loads, stacks of folders, printer cartridges on standby and on and on. Small things but nice.

Sorry, I am getting carried away. Look, my old school looked after me, but I now see how much we were missing as well.

I have about ¼ of my old workload, seriously. My contact teaching hours are 6 hours less, 14 per week but I have not taught a full week yet, this week I only taught 9 periods.

And all the paperwork I had at my old school, I am talking too much. I don’t have one single Thai document to fill out at the new school. Not a thing. I only have correction to do and this isn’t a lot as the class I teach is “communication”, so we do lots of activities that require speaking and group activities.

Anyway, it could just be the ‘honeymoon period’; I might be looking through rose coloured glasses as they say.

Brunty