by the time the kids get to school they're uncontrollable, and putting 30+ of them in a class makes it an impossible task to maintain order
The basic problem in British education is that teachers are unable to effectively manage disruptive pupils
I think you have hit the nail on the head in the above quotes. I came from probably the roughest area of Plymouth, but the teachers at my school were strict disciplinarians. The teachers basically terrorised us into submission - but they did a pretty good job. If you guys tried half of what we had to put up with, you'd probably be at best out of a job, or at worst behind bars. I do sympathise.
Yes my kids do go to school in a pretty decent area, and I agree that is the reason for their success. However, it was your initial generalisations that made me reply in the first instance.
I would agree that the best teachers are the ones you're afraid of! You can't be their friend and gain their respect at the same time I'm afraid. However, you also need to innovate, to make the learning itself fun. My best teachers were ones that could crack some really bad jokes about carbon dating during a physics lesson, but still scare the crap out of anyone who stepped out of line.
The mistakes in policy stem from basic mistakes in assuming children to be adults. They're not. They are still developing and trying to stake their place in a social hierarchy and will thus test their environment. If no boundaries are placed on their behaviour then they will keep pushing further and further.
Another big issue is poor parenting. One bad parent can ruin many many children, through their child being a bad influence on others, and disrupting the lessons they are in. When you see mothers with fags in mouth, shouting "come ere Darren you little c*nt" at their 4 year old you know something's wrong.
As Pete says most Thais seem to know little of their recent political history re their country and the Vietnam War.
The historical significance of those so many U.S. and other foreign allies being based in Thailand during that era has often been discussed by dinner party philosophers at our home over the years.
Some have seen it as" just another Yank occupation", while others have seen it as a necessary part for a free world.All agree on one point and that is it did boot Thailand into the 20th century by way of the rapid economic and cultural changes that followed(for better or worse is just your opinion) .
I am surprised that so many Thais have forgotten about this era or even care about it's relevance for their lives today.
" America number one " was the all too common catch cry of the day.
Every one seemed to want to be American rather than Thai.
The construction of the" Super Hwy " from Bkk to Chiang Mai, financed mostly by the U.S. has to have had one of the most profound impacts on Thai culture and the economy, in my humble opinion. It really did open up the country. Up till then that trip was a tough to make.
Deepee I agree totally with what you say, but we must also remember that the Thais do tend to have extremely short memories.
The students/pupils memorise what they have to produce for exams, and then it's gone - forever. Thai people 'in general' don't reminisce about the good old days. That is one of the problems when 'developing' a nation. If you forget about past mistakes or successes then you just keep 'looping'. Who's right and who's wrong....I don't know.
Apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play? - Tom Lehrer
Certainly the Khmer people, mostly mon race at that time, controlled almost all of what is Thailand today and built many Khmer temple sites to prove it.
The Burmese brought down Ayudhaya, but that was the last of many wars fought between Thais and Burmese, some of which Burmese handed Thais total defeats.
Undoubtedly, some of the animosity which exists between Thailand and her neighbors dates back to these conquests of what is now Thailand.
So perhaps if you limit the statement to recent times and exclude capitulation as a defeat, the assertion would apply.
By the way, I have never heard a Thai person say this, only foreigners who seem to attach a lot of import to this. I do not think that the Thais do make a lot of this.
SuperTonic wrote:Another big issue is poor parenting. One bad parent can ruin many many children, through their child being a bad influence on others, and disrupting the lessons they are in. When you see mothers with fags in mouth, shouting "come ere Darren you little c*nt" at their 4 year old you know something's wrong.
You hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, in the UK, a lot of responsible potential parents are deciding not to have kids. So where do the majority of the next generation come from....? I don't have children, but I would like to hope that I am a role model for my nephews. Kids need, strive, and succeed, with a certain amount of discipline, and they're not getting it.
Buntom: You (and I) know more about the history of Thailand than most of my university students. Yes, they hate the Burmese - but they don't know why (their parents have told them that they're bad people). According to them, all people from Laos are stupid. Indians - they smell and are untrustworthy. Just reporting back on what 21-year-old students think. They never back up their opinions (when it's squeezed out of them) with any facts. Oh, and America means 'freedom' - I give up!
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
I was brought up in Belfast and was alway told that the Catholics were the bad ones. Any friends my sister and I had as children would be ask by my father ( although he was from Liverpool and not Irish ) was what is she. We know exactly what he meant, and if we said that our friend was a Catholic we were banned from playing with them, and that was well before the troubles.
It was always in my mind that if I ever had children they would never be allowed to have Catholic friends and if they ever married Catholics I would never accept them.
Then we moved to England when I was 11 years old and that opened my eyes. Religion is not as important as it was in Belfast. I was embedded in us as children to think the same way as our parents, so I can understand what Vital Spark is saying. If I still lived in Belfast now my idea would be entirely different to what it is now.
Buntom: You (and I) know more about the history of Thailand than most of my university students. Yes, they hate the Burmese - but they don't know why (their parents have told them that they're bad people). According to them, all people from Laos are stupid. Indians - they smell and are untrustworthy. Just reporting back on what 21-year-old students think. They never back up their opinions (when it's squeezed out of them) with any facts. Oh, and America means 'freedom' - I give up!
Interesting. Another teacher told me the other day about friction between Thai and Chinese/Thai. My understanding is that Chinese Thai relates to those who may not be of pure Chinese origin but hold on to their Chinese ethnic background. They are also many Thais who admit to having Chinese blood but live just as Thais and are indistinguishable from Thais and those who claim to be pure Thai. The friction appears to be between the pure Thais and the ethnic Chinese. It would be interesting to know if anybody else has heard the same and if it has in any way increased since the Thaksin scandal started two years ago.
I too have heard the comment from Thais about Laos along with a mistaken view that all southerners are Muslim insurgents. I have also noticed that many Thais are not aware at all of any differences between regions and many are not even aware where the regions are. In general I would think that there is less sign of racism here than in some of the neighboring countries.
Other peoples observations would be interesting.
[color=blue][size=134]Care in the community success story.[/size][/color]
I would be interested to know what Guess considers as being a 'pure Thai'. Thais are a little like the English in that they are a bastardised race with origins elsewhere. 'Pure Thais' were extinct long before the current settlers.
The Thai race has roots in Indo-China, Burma etc...
The students I teach (at university) are mostly Chinese/Thai or Thai/Chinese whichever way you interpret it. Their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents, were Chinese. The Chinese have been coming here since the 13th Century. but settled here in (I believe) the 19th/20th Century. They - the students- are hugely proud that they have Chinese blood in them. Some of them are 100% Thai - and are equally proud that they don't have Chinese blood.
In nine years of teaching students I have never seen any animosity between Thai/Chinese or 100% Thai. Both are proud of their heritage.
I can't personally tell the difference between those with Chinese blood, and those without. I don't care - and neither do they. There is certainly no racism.
Just my view of it
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
I hope you don't think I was insinuating that there was racism involved. That would be for another thread. I was merely stating a fact that there's no such thing as a 100% Thai as there is no such thing as a 100% English guy. The people here are all of mixed blood even if that takes it back a while. Not a point to argue over, as I myself, having married a Thai and have 2 'luek kungs' consider myself as partly Thai by relationship.
I think Thailand is woncerfully unique in that ALL citizens are Thai.
Singapore and Malaysi, the Chinese ethnics are always pointing out that they are Chinese Singaporean, or Malay Chinese.
Thais (the ones I know anyway) are proud to be Thai, and a alrge number oar Chinese, and 1 or two of them were 1 or 2 years old when they moved here from China.
I see far less racial discrimation here amongst the Thai citziens (regardless of their ethnic origins).
There certainly seems less of a problem in Thailand than other Asian countries, I lived for six years in Indonesia and Chinese-Indos there lived in seperate communities surrounded by security. I never understood the reason for this until the place fell apart in 1998 and the chinese became the main target for attack; in two nights many chinese businesses and homes were burnt out, and a large number of people died. This was all covered up by the Indonesian Government.
I was actually referring to a comment that Guess made ref. friction between Thai and Chinese/Thai students.
I totally agree with your 100% Thai comment. I sometimes ask my students to write their family trees, and one stunningly beautiful girl proudly proclaimed that she was 100% Thai - I wasn't so sure. She was shocked when she chatted to her grandparents and found out that her ancestors came from India. She didn't really seem happy about that discovery, and kept it quiet from her classmates. It seems that to be Thai/Chinese is something to be very proud of, but Thai/some other Asian country not something you shout about.
V.S.
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
