School started about three weeks ago here in Thailand and I have spent my time at the school observing. (I wasn’t at school for the second week of school because of the student and teacher camps that I had.) Here is a collection of my initial reactions and observations.
Motivation
There is little motivation for the students to learn English that would be useful for them later in life. The national test, the ONET, is a bit of a joke. The national passing rate is 34%. As a native speaker, I could not get some of the questions correct. The students here, as in the States, suffer from the teaching to the test. Because test’s English is poor, what is being taught to pass the test is equally dismal. If passing this test isn’t motivation to learn English, there is little motivation to be found elsewhere in rural Thailand since most everyone you meet will be able to speak Thai.
Memorization
These students are great at memorizing chants. Before every single class (not just English class, although in the other classes it’s in Thai) the students stand up and in unison recite this dialogue:
“Good morn-ing, tea-sher.”
“Good morning class. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you, and you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. Sit down.”
“Thank you.”
If I asked any of this out of order, the students (and adults who were once students and still have this memorized) are thrown through a loop. If I respond that I’m good, instead of fine, the looks of puzzlement I get are astounding. Maybe they asked how I am first, so I respond with asking the question in return. The “and you?” is tacked on their answer so I get asked how I’m doing twice. There is a plethora of songs that I have never heard any English speaker sing before that Thai’s love with incorrect grammar or words or antiquated phrases that get repeated a lot as well. “How do you do?” I’ve never heard anyone say that in the modern English speaking world. But I get asked that here in Thailand.
Student Support
There is little to no support for students that struggle. There are also no set rules. My teachers have indicated students that are “LD” or have learning disabilities and have called other students “lazy boys” or “naughty boys.” However, despite these students having been identified as struggling, they are called out in class to answer questions that haven’t be taught yet, put in the back of the class, yelled at, scolded and generally not encouraged.
There is one little boy in particular who both of my co-teachers have talked to me about as being “naughty” and how he runs out of the class. I saw him run out of the class once, when he was called on to recite things in front of the whole class. This little boy has since been seeking me out to spend lunch time with me, helping me clean up the classroom, drawing, giving me huge hugs and slobbery kisses and the best high fives. I’ve been told he has problems at home, so I told my co-teachers that just means he needs more love at school. He’s definitely been getting that from me.
Frequency of Classes
There are huge gaps in the students knowledge, but there are also huge gaps in their learning times. The 4-6 graders have one hour English class twice a week. The 1-3 graders have one hour English class once a week. That is, if the teacher is there. If the teacher is sick or away at a meeting or just plain doesn’t feel like showing up, there is no substitute. Class just does not happen and the students look after themselves for the time.
My co-teacher was sick and then had a training to go to. My job is to work with my co-teacher to help her teach English, so if she’s not there I can not do my job. So I spent my days typing up a year’s worth of phonics activities and telling the students that I could not teach them by myself, which broke my heart and they were clearly disappointed as well.
Phonics
There is no focus on phonics or letter/sound relationship, which causes a lot of mispronunciation. In Thai, the ending sounds are not voiced but are swallowed. So when English words are transliterated using the Thai alphabet, the native Thai speakers apply the Thai reading rules to the word and will drop the ending sound. Also some letters in the Thai alphabet change sounds based on position in the word, which leads to people speaking “littun,” wanting an “appun,” or having me “Googun” something. It also makes both “eye” and “eyes” pronounced the same way. And of course there’s in infamous lack of an “l” sound so often students are told to “crap” their hands.
Teacher’s Place in Society
The job of a teacher is highly respected in Thai culture, I believe to a fault. I have personally had experiences with teachers being drunk and drinking on the job, school district staff making inappropriate comments, and having the students act as personal assistants to go and buy things or move things for the teachers. But there are no consequences for these actions. They may even be labeled as a good person simply because they are a teacher, even when all their other actions show otherwise.
And the students will do the teachers’ bidding, getting them coffee, soda, lunch, sweeping, moving heavy boxes no questions asked. When I get down on my students’ level to look them in the eye and smile at them and give high fives, it is almost always met with nervous giggles from the students. They are not used to their presence being validated and equal to their teacher’s.
Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment is a real thing. I put my hand up for a student to give me a high five and they cowered from me expecting me to strike them. I think that speaks volumes on its own.
Desire to Learn
In spite of all this, the students are extremely curious and eager to learn when it is made fun (and I don’t blame them.) While it is dangerous and not really appreciated when they change the gears on my parked bike, I just remind myself that their bikes are all fixes and they don’t really know what the fancy levers do. They just want to figure it out.
I spent my lunchtime having students from all grade come to my classroom and I made simple line drawings for them and said the English word for what it was a doodle of. Even just the novel activity of using a dry-erase marker on a sheet protector was enough to keep a class of 20 preoccupied for a half hour. And I’m sure I could have gotten more than 3 rounds of Red Light, Green Light in if they had followed the rules better and it wasn’t so hot.
And for their part, both of my co-teachers are eager to learn new techniques and really want to lesson plan. I know that changing their habits and giving them new skills will take time and be an uphill battle. But I trust that their willingness to try, as well as my willingness to try their way, will ultimately help the students that they teach now and in the future.