Going where I’ve never been

 Or maybe joke of the class? It’s hard to tell when you don’t speak Thai!

 My teaching experience hasn’t received much press time on this blog, but considering that I spend 40 hours each week immersed in it, I think that the time has come to change that. Teaching, as loyal readers will remember, was pretty nervewracking for me at the beginning. This is understandable when you take into account that I was thrown into a classroom after a three week training course (hardly sufficient!) and that, for those who know me, I don’t have the most commanding presence out there. I’ve never enjoyed being in charge (vocally that is – I love running behind-the-scenes shows), and I’m certainly not comfortable in a position of authority. I always hated babysitting and teaching teenagers in Thailand (everywhere?) is exactly that – babysitting.

The nerves settled after a few weeks, though it honestly took quite a bit longer to hit the point where I genuinely didn’t mind getting in front of a class and ‘teaching.’ I still can’t say that I enjoy it per se, but it’s become much easier to swallow and every day has its charms. The time is flying and whereas at one point I was doubting my ability to finish my contract, I am now aware that it’ll be over before I know it.

The problems with Thailand’s educational system are well-known, widely published and nowhere near being solved. I won’t go into a lot of general facts and theory, as these are easy to find (thanks, google!) if you’re interested, but I will discuss them in terms of my own short experience.

The number one, all-encompassing problem is the lack of critical thinking and creativity. Thai schools use rote teaching methods in which the Thai teacher sits at the front of the class, talks on a microphone and the students write down what she says. Their sole task is to memorize these things and then spit them back out on a test – there is no such thing as participation or critical thinking or questioning, it is what it is. This runs more deeply into Thai culture as a whole, but I won’t get into that right now. Basically, there is a formula and the point of school is to learn it – not too unlike what is happening in American schools with such a huge focus on standardized testing. School is less and less about thinking and more about memorizing that magic formula to pass the test that will determine the futures and salaries and budgets of those in charge. The end goal is the piece of paper, not an expanded mind. Considering that Thai schools are profit-hungry businesses, it makes sense.

Anyways, this has translated into a relatively frustrating experience. It is nearly impossible to communicate to these kids that you want them to be creative, be funny, think of something new! It’s not that they’re incapable, but that school as they know it is a place for right and wrong, black and white. Give them an open-ended question – where do you see yourself in 10 years? They will just stare at you, perplexed, waiting for a clue as to what “the” answer is. Of course there are exceptions and occasionally you have a student who GETS it (and makes my day!), but overall, straying from the textbook is futile.

With that said, many of my students can write sentences quite well, have impressive spelling skills and all of them have  flawless handwriting. What they can’t do is put a sentence together in spoken form! They can often manage to get the point across, but I honestly don’t think that I’ve ever heard one complete, grammically correct sentence come out of any of their mouths! It’s a shame, but they are so reluctant to speak English (they’ve spent their whole lives memorizing how to write it) that there’s no way they can get better. It’s surprising when you realize that all of these kids have been studying English for the past 5-12 years.

Moving on. The system flaws are not helped out by the fact that most of these kids have no reason to WANT to learn English. A handful of them do, of course, and they understand that it could open up some doors for them. Most of them, however, don’t see the point. Thailand is not a fully developed country and only a small percentage of the population will ever cross the border; travel is not something that is finacially possible or even a consideration for most Thais. This is an extremely nationalistic place (more on that in another post) – many of my students just don’t understand why a second language matters or how it could possibly affect them.

Not wanting to learn English, when coupled with no-fail policies (we wouldn’t want anyone to stand out!) naturally contributes to all sorts of other issues in the classroom. Tardiness, as I’ve mentioned before, is the norm. This is partially due to “Thai time” (meaning any time different than what was specified) and probably isn’t helped by the fact that I don’t discourage it – I love getting out of some teaching time!

The other major issues are the talking, the primping and the cell phoning. These things, again, aren’t helped by my severe lack of disciplinarian skills, but they seem to be the norm for all foreign teachers. These kids can talk at unimaginably loud levels, they never get tired (this is the birthplace of Redbull!), the girls (and many boys) must consult their mirrors every 3 or 4 minutes and the cell phones are pretty much an extension of their bodies. A typical class will have the 7 studious kids up front, trying to take notes, the group of too-cool guys slouching in the back row, no textbooks in sight, the 10 ‘princesses’ scattered throughout, constantly smoothing their hair and applying lipgloss and about ten cellphones being ‘secretly’  utilized at any given moment, by any given kid.

The difference between here and what I remember from my school days is the lack of defiance. The second that you shoot them a look, ask where the textbook is or why the cellphone is out, they will immediately look embarrassed, wai you (bow) and fix whatever it is they were doing wrong. This doesn’t mean that they won’t resume within five minutes, but Thais don’t do confrontation and it’s evident in the classroom. When class is over, they’ll all thank you, say ‘see you next time,’ and will wave enthusiastically at you outside of class, yelling the all-too-common “Tee-cha!”

Strangely, many of my students are my age and a few are older. I have one girl who is 29, in an intro class with a bunch of 16 year olds. Age is an ambiguous thing here – no one ever looks their age (especially not while wearing a school uniform!) and the maturity rate is so different from the west. A 20 year old Thai is like a 15 year old westerner in terms of maturity – I have a group of 23 year old girls and I cannot process it in my head. They giggle and idolize pop stars and gossip like high school freshman. Most will live at home until they are married, if not longer, a result of limited finances and very tight-knit family units.

Cheating is another major facet of Thai education. They ALL cheat, shamelessly. Tests aside, it’s not necessarily seen as a negative. The attitude is more that of, “You asked for the correct answer, so here it is!” Give them an assignment out of the book? The two smartest kids will finish, show me, then everyone else will promptly crowd around and then excitedly show me the exact same answers. Write about yourself? Strange, all 24 kids have the exact same life! And they wonder why no one ever learns…

They know better than to cheat on a test, but oh, they will try! I’ve got to admit, they’ve got some clever tactics, but luckily I’ve done my research. There’s the ridiculous method of just blatantly talking amongst each other, then there’s the “holding my paper up to ponder my answers but really I’m showing the girl behind me” method, the trick where the kids who’ve finished stand outside the door and signal answers through the window and many others. Every student, even the smartest, straight-A kid, will have wandering eyes during a test. It’s something genetic, I believe…even if there’s no chance of seeing anything due to distance or if it’s the worst student in the class, they will look. Test day is almost as stressful for me as for them!

This seems to be a post full of complaints and criticisms, but that really isn’t my intention. There are a lot of enjoyable aspects of it, and I do as best I can with what I’ve got. I know that I have no right to call myself qualified, though I’m not sure that “qualified” makes a difference here. All of these issues have becomes less bothersome as time has passed, largely because I’ve realized that it’s useless to care too much when the kids don’t. The ones who do (and I do have some) will let you know and they will talk to you outside of class – those are the ones that make this enjoyable. I’m sure this is a common sentiment of teachers everywhere, but it’s interesting to look at it in light of the culture you’re dealing with.

It’s a shame that so many of these problems persist – there are articles in newspapers and whatnot all of the time, but nothing is ever done to change things. These kids aren’t dumb, they aren’t slow and they aren’t lazy, but the school system certainly sets it up so that they appear to be in certain realms. I think it’s a big reason why Thailand isn’t developed yet and doesn’t seem to be getting any closer. If schools don’t teach critical thinking, responsibility, consequence (aside from being hit with a stick) and awareness of the outside world, then your population will be without. When it comes to English, at least, they could start by not employing crash-course “teachers” like myself!

It’s another stormy Sunday afternoon, so I thought I’d pass the time with some more social commentary…

First of all, Thai time. In Thailand, meeting times, starting times, ending times, departure times, arrival times and deadlines are all merely suggestions. Thai people simply are not in a rush to get anywhere or to do anything, and it carries over into most aspects of life here.

I’ve talked before about how students often show up 10-15 minutes late as though it’s nothing – they know that they are “supposed” to be on time, but it’s just not something that gets enforced or really even noticed. Thai people have the ability to walk incredibly slow – I mean to the point where it seems like special effort! They’ll take these tiny shuffle-steps, stopping here and there to look at whatever is being sold next to them, seemingly with no awareness of anything going on around them. Things that might seem incredibly rude in the west – such as blocking an entire walkway to inspect some pineapples, parking a motorbike right in the center of the sidewalk or simply riding your motorbike through a crowded bus stop – are commonplace and don’t get a second thought. Personal space has an entirely different meaning here!

Despite slow walkers, abrupt stops in the middle of sidewalks, jammed paths and, of course, traffic that never lets up (commute time in Bangkok is typically 2-3 hours by car/bus), you never see an aggravated Thai. There is no sense of impatience, road rage is unheard of and irritations are brushed off. I think that a lot of it boils down to Thai time – if you’ve got all day, what is there to get all worked up about?

I’m sure that there are many factors causing this attitude, many of which are related to Buddhism and its lack of the “get ahead” mentality.  However, I think that the hot, humid climate, the sheer number of people, the belief that everything should be “sanuk” (fun) and the monsoons play a huge part as well. I mean, when the afternoon storms hit, everyone simply stops and takes cover where they are, until it’s over. Appointments and meetings be damned, they will wait until the rains stop!

Although there are certainly times when all I want is a place to open when it says it will open (for example, when I haul my massive bag of laundry to the end of the road only to find the door locked), or for there to be just a little bit of logic to the way the sidewalk traffic moves, overall I would have to say that it’s all very refreshing! You have to make an effort to adopt their attitude and simply slow down…once you do, there is no stress, irritation or frustration. As the Thais say, “mai pen rai”… it’s no worry.

I also want to comment a bit on Thai-size. Generally speaking, Thai people are small – they’re short, they’re skinny and their biggest shoe size won’t fit my big toe. There are some exceptions, however, which I notice largely due to working at a school.

I don’t think that I’ve ever seen an older person over the height of ‘short,’ but I’ve got a good number of tall, lanky 17-20 year olds in my classes. Interestingly, I recently read the reason behind this: milk was not commonly consumed in Thailand until about 15 years ago, which is when it started being given to babies. Thus, we are now seeing the first generation of milk-grown Thais… Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have milk-grown feet yet so I’m still out of luck when it comes to shoes!

Another thing that I have noticed in Thailand is that while you almost never see an overweight Thai adult, there are some pretty big kids running around. I’ve got an overweight kid or two in a few classes, but the biggest problem is definitely among the younger children, the 5-10 year old age range. This has an explanation as well: fast food, internet and television. This is a country that has only had these things introduced in the relatively recent past, but the effects are being seen quickly.

KFC, McDonalds and Dairy Queen are all huge here. Tesco is essentially WalMart, encouraging shoppers to “buy more, save more!” and society in general is modernizing pretty rapidly. Considering that  pretty much every student I have lists their hobbies as “video game, internet, shopping,” it’s easy to see that Thailand is facing more and more of the consequences of westernization and consumerism every day.

A lot of these things are pretty specific to Bangkok, as it is a huge city with rampant consumerism. The villages are much different, the lifestyles much more traditional and much more appealing to me! Eventually I’ll be in Laos, where there is one ATM in the entire country. For now, however, I’ll stick with my observations of of city life!

My dad had asked about the gas prices, which I think is worth mentioning here. Gas is just as expensive, if not more, here as it is in the states. It’s running around 40 baht/litre right now, which is just over $4 per gallon. Most people do not drive, and although the roads are choked with traffic at all hours of the day, it is 85% taxis and buses. There is a large upperclass population, as there is in any big city, but I can’t imagine how anyone on a typical Thai salary would ever dream of having a car!

The gasoline for taxis has always been subsidized, but that will come to a stop at the end of the year, as the government has decided that it’s financially unsustainable and that subsidized prices will not get people to change their habits. Bus, boat and taxi fares were all increased last week by a few baht each and I’m sure that they’ll be raised again before too long.

The Thai’s are hardest hit by food prices, as food takes up the majority of family budgets. School lunches were only 15 baht and standard street meals 20 baht until a few weeks before I arrived; they are now 20 and 25 baht, respectively, due to rice prices. It’s nothing to me, but it makes a  big difference to someone who makes $200 a month! I don’t think that this country could ever go hungry, but they are feeling the pain as much as anyone else in the world!

As “bad” as things are with the American economy right now, it’s good to put it into perspective. $4 gas is bad, but imagine if that $4 was your daily income (minimum wage here)… there’s a big difference between having to sacrifice a vacation to make ends meet and having to find a way to buy enough food for the week! Not too many places in the world have it particularly easy right now, but we’ve got to keep in mind how good our ‘bad’ is..

There is a giant cloud outside that looks like it may spawn 10 or 12 tornadoes (see photos), so I decided to spend some time commenting on a few ... [Continue reading this entry]