schools in and around Hua Hin

[nanyang]

[quote="bigideas"]

Points of interest: Yamsaard School has 50 minutes of Thai language and culture teaching every day.
Yamsaard Kindergarten classes have an average of 8 pupils per class.
Yamsaard have native English speaking homeroom teachers in every kindergaten class and the remainder of the lessons are taught in English.

quote]

I am responding to your post as you have exercised, in my opinion, a degree of poetic licence.

Whilst I concur that Yamsaard is a much better option than Somtawin I would not wish any prospective parent's expectations of Yamsaard to be raised to your level of understanding.

In addition to the Thai language teaching it should be mentioned that students are also exposed to the teachings of a monk once a week.

I have no desire for my children to be exposed to that nonsense.

You state that, "Yamsaard Kindergarten classes have an average of 8 pupils per class". I presume that this was a 'typo' on your part?

I might have misunderstood your point but you report that," Yamsaard School has 50 minutes of Thai language and culture teaching every day. ...........and the remainder of the lessons are taught in English".

Are you suggesting that lessons taught in Thai only occupy 50 minutes of the daily teaching timetable?

[bigideas]

Nanyang,
Thank you for your reply.
My understanding has come partly from observation of the kindergarten classes, and partly from disscussions with teachers.
My daughters class has 10 pupils, there is another Kindergarten class with 6, another two with about 11 or 12 and other K3 classes with 13 or 14. However, this is the start of term. The school may take on others as the term progresses.

I wasn't aware of a monk popping-in to the classes. I'll ask about that. Though I don't think my daughter will mind that, as she loves all things bhuddist (pardon the spelling). I attempted to make her a catholic like myself once, but she kept projectile-vommiting in the church, so I took that as a no-no!

According to the timetable and from what teacher tells me, there is one 50 minute period of Thai language and culture per day and that is the only part that pupils spend in the homeroom that is in Thai only. However, there are single periods of PE, music and computer classes, that pupils may or may not have with other teachers. I don't know and I will clarify that to be sure. However, as music and computer classes are hardly only going to be in Thai language (as most of the material is English based) I don't think it would present too much of a problem if they are done with some Thai translations.

[GLCQuantum]

Big Ideas said...

It seems to me that you haven't even visited Yamsaard Hua Hin school and your prejudices about bilingual schools are based solely on your experiences at Sarasas schools

Points of interest: Yamsaard School has 50 minutes of Thai language and culture teaching every day.
Yamsaard have native English speaking homeroom teachers in every kindergaten class and the remainder of the lessons are taught in English.

Well it's not Bilingual then, is it!!!!

And furthermore, I am unsuprised that those who are unfortunate enough to have looked to you for educational guidance have under-achieved. That you are not a parent is perhaps the least suprising thing of all!

Throughout my time at Somtawin I was being given gifts from parents on occasions to say thank you. When I left I was invited for a very good Sunday Lunch ,on the house, at a well known restaurant in Hua Hin (owned by a parent).

How you could question my teaching ability, and my intentions on a forum without seeing me once?

GLC Quantum, How dissappointed am I that someone who calls him/herself a teacher, has managed to turn this previously useful thread into an abusive, ill-informed rant.

I do sincerely apologise for coming on this thread to let you know the differences between a bilingual school education and curriculum to an international curriculum. Very sorry, please forgive me.
Lastly I would like to mention that I have NO gripe at all with Yam Saa Aard and was very wrong to say they are crap as the foreign and Thai teachers they have there, I'm sure ,will be of a very good standard. I was only stating my disliking of a foreign child going to a bilingual school, soley due to the difference in curriculum.

Sometimes when trying to get a point across I say things in the wrong way as I said before.

[JimmyGreaves]

I side with GLC on this for useful and constructive information. Bigideas a little biased in my opinion.

[bigideas]

It is very big of you to offer some kind of regret. Point taken, however, I hadn't realised that there were many foreign kids in Thai bilingual schools. I would have thought that by-far the majority of the kids are Thai or Thai-foreign. ie. half Thai, half foreign living in Thailand. To offer a kid who is Thai and foreign an education which has such an obvious bias in the other language is surely displacing the childs social and psychological development.
Friends of mine who teach in Bangkok international schools tell me of Thai children who attend these schools and have very poor Thai reading and writing skills because of this bias. If you want to give a child a solely British education, do it in Britain. If you want to raise a kid in Thailand or in Thailand and Britain, then I would try to balance things a little better.

[MrPlum]

To offer a kid who is Thai and foreign an education which has such an obvious bias in the other language is surely displacing the childs social and psychological development.
Friends of mine who teach in Bangkok international schools tell me of Thai children who attend these schools and have very poor Thai reading and writing skills because of this bias. If you want to give a child a solely British education, do it in Britain. If you want to raise a kid in Thailand or in Thailand and Britain, then I would try to balance things a little better.

I can understand this view. Our (Thai) daughter's Thai needs more attention. Yet there are millions of youngsters who are successfully bi-lingual and more. What's the optimum balance between hours of study of second language and age they start?

[Wanderlust]

I would think it varies depending on the child, plus an important aspect is where the child is likely to live as they grow up; if in Thailand then the Thai language should be more heavily favoured, but if there is a possibility of relocating to an English speaking country in their first ten years (for example) then I would think that more emphasis would need to be put on the English skills. The earlier the better would seem to be the answer as far as age goes - any parent knows that children are like sponges and just absorb stuff so quickly when they are young. I have no comparison to know how our daughter is progressing as compared to others (but again this will be different for every child I should think) but I am astonished at what she already can say and understand at the age of two. A couple of examples are that she can count to ten in both Thai and English, and while she can't recite either alphabet yet on her own, she can speak and sing along with the various VCDs we have for both Thai and English. It is fascinating to watch her learn words, letters and numbers, which initially is just parrot fashion, but to then have her see the real life objects and identify them, and see everything fall into place for her. The only thing that hinders children learning more at that age is their limited attention span but then they wouldn't be children without that! No doubt someone will post that their 6 month old is already doing applied mathematics now....

[nanyang]

To offer a kid who is Thai and foreign an education which has such an obvious bias in the other language is surely displacing the childs social and psychological development.

This reminds of the question, "How do we save a child's life?"

Answer, "Shoot a social worker."


Seriously though - there is no panacea.

Suffice to say that you have a duty as a parent to equip your child.

If you are a 'Western" parent and allow your child to be 'educated' in the Thai system then your child will not be equipped.

Go into, almost, any office in Hua-Hin and you will find an English Major graduate.

Go into any school in Hua-Hin and you will find several English Major teachers.

To you, well intentioned, parents of able students at both Somtawin and Yam Saard I pose the question, "What educational qualifications are your children going to have at eighteen years of age?"

Once your child enters secondary level education there has to be depth in the subjects taught.

In my opinion that level of expertise does not, currently, exist in either 'private' school in Hua-Hin.

Why on earth should it when a qualified teacher of secondary level subjects could expect to earn around two to three times the 'going rate' in Hua-Hin

To those of you with expectations of your child entering an English University please be reminded that tuition is free provided that your child has lived in the U.K. for the previous three years.

[bigideas]

I agree with most of what is being said about doing Thai-foreign kids a dis-service by educating them in Thailand at secondary level. And I certainly agree with Nanyang about thai education not equipping youngsters with adequate critical skills. However, I do maintain that at primary level, with adequate parental guidance, books, computers, DVD etc, you will probably be giving your child a better education here than they would receive at many comprehensive schools in the UK.

[nanyang]

Indeed but you will find that your child's proficiency in English will lack that 'cutting edge' because, due to environmental factors, there is very little reinforcement of the language.
By way of comparison listen to the kids on various BBC programmes, Green Balloon etc., and ask yourself, "Is my kid's delivery as good as theirs?"
I find the tendency, here, to stress the final syllable particularly irritating.
My complaints are met with, "But that's how the Thais speak english!"

[bigideas]

Yes, quite right, profficiency and pronunciation do represent the biggest challenges but we must be careful not to idealise the way young people in the UK talk these days. Whenever, I've travelled on public transport in Britain, the lack of diction and imagination of the language that I've heard, has been embarrasing to hear. In short, I'm doubtful that the "televised few" (on BBC TV) represent the "motley crew" that one's child will be exposed to unless one can afford to pay for a fee-paying school.

It will be difficult for a child to speak English well without doing any education in England. (Notice how I left out the USA and Australia!). However, a child can be brought to England as late as 15 and still learn the nuances and intonation of his/her hosts.
As for profficiency, I believe that if you talk to your children with clarity, share humour, sarcasm and irony in everyday life and use colourful language with them (even when telling them off), your child shouldn't lack profficiency, and you can always try to nip pronuciation errors in the bud. In any case you may be thankful that your child doesn't walk around fu*ing talgin like dis. Na wot a mean init!!

[dtaai-maai]

I find the tendency, here, to stress the final syllable particularly irritating.
My complaints are met with, "But that's how the Thais speak english!"

Why do you find it irritating, nanyang? Im not criticising, just curious. It may be how the Thais speak English, but only because it's the way they speak Thai! It's no different from any European nationality speaking English with their own accent. The better the speaker, the better the accent. It's all about communication - as long as they (anyone, including farang speaking Thai!) can make themselves understood, good on 'em.

[terry+carmen]

Nanyang asked "To you, well intentioned, parents of able students at both Somtawin and Yam Saard I pose the question, "What educational qualifications are your children going to have at eighteen years of age"

Assuming our daughter continues her studies in Somtawin English Program she will have the opportunity to sit the Oxford Board for English, Maths, Geography, History, ICT and Combined Science at 16 and Biology, Chemistry and Physics at 17. She can also take modern languages in her native tongue which of cause is also open to all students not just those in Somtawin.

I cannot comment on other schools in Hua Hin but as far as I understand Somtawin is the only school in Hua Hin offering IGCSE.

I'm sure this will draw comments about the qualifications of teachers, having to sit the exams in Bangkok as well as totally irrelevant comments and information. Before we enrolled our daughter we took all this into consideration, its a parental decision, it wont suit everyone but it suits us.

[nanyang]

I find the tendency, here, to stress the final syllable particularly irritating.
My complaints are met with, "But that's how the Thais speak english!"

Why do you find it irritating, nanyang? Im not criticising, just curious.
quote]

I find it irritating that my daughter, who is Thai/English speaks(some) english as a Thai would.
I want her to speak english as an (average) English person would.
I cannot recall anyone in England saying Hondah.

[nanyang]

Nanyang asked "To you, well intentioned, parents of able students at both Somtawin and Yam Saard I pose the question, "What educational qualifications are your children going to have at eighteen years of age"

Assuming our daughter continues her studies in Somtawin English Program she will have the opportunity to sit the Oxford Board for English, Maths, Geography, History, ICT and Combined Science at 16 and Biology, Chemistry and Physics at 17. She can also take modern languages in her native tongue which of cause is also open to all students not just those in Somtawin.

I cannot comment on other schools in Hua Hin but as far as I understand Somtawin is the only school in Hua Hin offering IGCSE.

I'm sure this will draw comments about the qualifications of teachers, having to sit the exams in Bangkok as well as totally irrelevant comments and information. Before we enrolled our daughter we took all this into consideration, its a parental decision, it wont suit everyone but it suits us.

I applaud your sincerity and desire to do the ,very, best for you daughter.

However, my question was asking you how well equipped you think your daughter might be, if left to study in Thailand, to gain admission to a western university.

It is not my intention to be, in any way, provocative.

As a parent of two young daughters I was concerned.

As an educator with experience of the Thai 'system' I am no longer concerned.

Currently I am lecturing in China.

My children are able to learn Mandarin in the best possible way.

Their secondary level of education will be spent in the U.K.

Not ideal for me as I deplore most aspects of my country.

However, sacrifices have to made sometimes and to, hopefully, see the smile on my children's faces on graduation day will make those sacrifices worthwhile.