Tips and Tricks Part Three; Classroom Survival

Firstly, I apologise for the lateness of this blog. I did promise it the other day, but I have found myself a nice little job (finally) and have been working like a little Irish trojan. I have finally gotten around to writing a mini survival guide for your classes if you are heading off to teach in Thailand in the future. Lets get started.

Firstly, lets get a sense of the classroom situation. If you are working, like I was, in a normal government funded school, you will be looking at a pretty basic classroom. The room will be choc-a-bloc with desks to the point that there is nowhere to move them to if you want to do any activities, and you will probably not have air conditioning. Don't worry, its not as bad as it sounds. Yes there will be days where you will feel like you are cooking from the outside in, but welcome to Thailand. Usually when it got particularly bad I would just not move about as much, give them a worksheet, and hand one of them 5 baht and say 'go get Teacher Amy water'. They always like to be helpful. You will probably have about 40 to 55 children in a class, and if its a pretty big school you could be teaching a large number of children in a week. I was teaching about 900 students a week as I taught 22 different classes. I only had each class once a week, but most people would teach classes numerous times a week. I know 900 students seem like a colossal amount but it was kind of handy as I only had to do two main lesson plans for the two years I taught, and I adjusted them accordingly depending on the proficiency of the class. With regards to resources, you will have access to printers and paper, and you could probably put in for art supplies or special resources for classes if your school has a bit of money. Mostly, you make do with worksheets to support stuff you put on the board or get them to simply say. You may or may not have a curriculum. I had absolutely no curriculum at all, and it was difficult and involved a lot of googling for worksheets and classroom ideas. Hopefully you will have a curriculum.

For discipline tips, I have only one main one. Don't ever shout. Shouting is alien to them. Thai people, as I have said in other blogs before, don't deal at all with confrontation and shouting at your students will not have any productive effect. Silence is your best friend. Whenever my kids acted up, especially the younger ones (12/13), I would stand at the top of the class, put the top on the board marker and stand with my arms crossed staring them down. When they finally nudged each other quiet, I would ask 'finished?' with a 'I am not taking any rubbish' look. If you stare them out of it they get so freaked they just stay quiet. No shouting needed. I also did punish them, but it was hard as they didn't understand the words 'punishment', 'detention', or 'you are in trouble'. I, again, stared them down, then I made them stand up in front of the whole class and I would fire questions at them with the 'I am not taking any rubbish' look. They soon learned the consequences of annoying me, and I found my classes were very manageable. Honestly, I found the older ones to be pretty easy. They more had the 'I couldn't be bothered' attitude, but with a bit of persistence and a few fun classes that attitude soon disappeared. 

The trick with all the classes, whatever age you teach, is to make them fun. You have to understand that many of the kids going to highschools in Thailand don't have to be there. Lots of the children come from very poor backgrounds and they could be of use at home or working, but instead they chose to come to your class. To make it worth their while you should make the classes as fun as possible. I used to use games such as chinese whispers (but just call it whispers. The 'Chinese' bit is too hard to explain), hangman (but don't actually hang him. I used to draw him in a box), bingo, x/o, and categories. To explain categories, its simply splitting your board in two, and write the alphabet in vertical lines down the two boards. Then come up with a theme, maybe 'food' or 'countries' and in two teams they had to think of as many items in that theme beginning with all the letters of the alphabet in 3 minutes. They love competition and getting them to all crowd around the board helping each other out and spelling all the words out was great. Also whenever I taught a new song I would stick the lyrics around the room, and in pairs they would have to put the lyrics in order. One would run, read, and come back and whisper it to their partner, and the other would write it down. I would then go on to add to the lyrics on the board and teach the song. They like Lady Gaga, One Direction, and Justin Bieber. Not great English, I know, but the trick is to get them to understand and speak, and making it relevant and interesting is half the battle.

Finally, and I know they say don't use any Thai in your class in the TEFL training, but I say otherwise. I am not saying have massive conversations, that's near impossible when it comes to westerners and Thai, but I learned a few phrases and they helped me a huge amount. I was asking the students 'do you understand' in English, and they were all saying 'Yes', and then I would realise half way through that they didnt understand a single thing. I learned how to ask 'do you understand' in Thai and I got honest answers, and it made things a lot easier. To ask it, its easy. 'Cow jai mai?' That's it. And yes is 'Chai', and no is 'Mai'. The kids always got a kick out of my little attempt at Thai. I also learned to word for homework, which is 'ganban', which solved the whole problem of the students not understanding that I wanted something done for homework, and quiet is 'neeam' with the emphasis on the neee bit. Oh, also, to shush kids, don't actually shush. They dont see saying 'shhhhh' as be quiet. They will simply just copy you and laugh. You have to tut tut tut at them, like you do when someone does something disgraceful in the west. Not actually saying the word 'tut', but the sound of a tut ....You get what I mean. 

So, there is your classroom survival kit. I hope some of it comes in handy, and I hope these three blogs have made things a little clearer about working and living in Thailand. If you have any more questions, or want me to do any more blogs on specific things, please pop me an email (see info over there :-) ------> )

Slán.

Tips and Tricks Part Two; Taking on Thai Life

When I was heading over to Thailand I remember having this idea of some calm serene country filled with beautiful buildings and cute kids in rough clothes on bikes, with the air filled with sweet smells of spice and incense. I thought of the people as being calm and logical people who live by all these buddhist parables and thought provoking statements that we see all over facebook. The reality, as always, was very different. I think its important to have a realistic view of the country you are planning to move over to before you go.

Don't get me wrong, its a really lovely country, but its more filled with the smell of food rotting in the relentless heat, the streets are more grimy than beautiful, and the buddhist religion in reality is not what we perceive it to be in the west. Its a religion based on money and questionable morals, the same as majority of religions in the present day.

Honestly though, all that you get used to. It becomes normal. What people going over have to get their heads around is that Thailand is not the West. I know that is an extremely 'duh' sentence, but so many people go over there not realising the weight that the statement brings. Things don't work over there like they do here. When deciding to work on another continent you have to be very open minded and flexible about the way people live, their laws, their professional conduct, and their attitude to society in general.

For an example, and this sounds harsh but its true; your school will most likely tell you to pass your students even if they never show up in your class. I know this sounds ridiculous to us, but in Thailand nobody is ever shamed or loses face. Everybody works as a community, and in your classroom there is very little room for personal failure. You simply have to put pass marks after every child's name. This is normal and you simply have to accept it.

Secondly, the school pretty much has the idea that you are their teacher 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your school will show up to your door at 7pm on a Saturday night without any warning telling you that you must attend a party where you sit, understand nothing, and look pretty simply because you are white and they want to show off their white teacher. They are fascinated with white people and white skin. It gets very creepy sometimes I have to say. There is very little point in saying 'no' to these 'invitations'. They don't take no for an answer. You are pretty much a show piece for your school as much as you are a teacher. Don't get me wrong, they will treat you very well, but they expect a lot more from you than Western employers do. The trick is to leave your town at weekends so you simply cannot go to another dinner.

Expect that in Bangkok and other big cities, you will be charged maybe two or three times more for things than locals are. They consider you a 'farang', which mean white person, and they see your race as a wealthy one and they will scam you. Trick is to bargain everything down with an incredibly low starting offer, and then accept that you will still be ripped off. They have no concept of racism, and they will talk about you in Thai in front of you, referring to you as 'farang', and there is no point in thinking 'racism', because the concept of racism is literally incomprehensible to them.

Expect everything to not work. Trains and buses can just randomly not leave with no real explanation. Your school will organise something and then cancel it 10 minutes before for no reason. They will also spring classes on you and just tell you to 'teach' with no notice. They will cancel your classes and not tell you. This is just the way things are done, and nobody else except you will be surprised or have a problem with it.

Oh and one pretty big thing. They do not do fighting at all. Arguments NEVER happen, If you shout at a Thai person, expect them to either stand dumbfounded like they have just seen you murder someone, or even just run away. Talking in a calm low voice, making everything sound cheery and light is the only way to do things. Even with your students. Shouting at them makes no sense to them and it will only make your classes a million times worse (more about discipline and teaching in tomorrow's post).

Also, and this is more for girls than guys, their perception of women is very different to the West. For me, they couldn't understand how I was 22 and single and not tied at home under my parents control until I was married. I could never show my shoulders, EVER (resulted in a serious farmer's tan), and I couldn't show my knees. Women, especially white women, should never be seen smoking, and drinking is extremely frowned upon, especially in small towns. If you are in Bangkok, it doesn't really matter, but where I was I couldn't even buy alcohol without all my colleagues knowing from gossip. I was set up numerous times with Thai men at work parties and dinners, and was shouted at, whooped at, and followed by random men in the streets because I was a young woman and white. You just have to be very aware of your surroundings, and never trust the men. Thai people are incredibly friendly and flawlessly helpful, but just always be aware that many men have a massive fascination with white women, so just always be on the alert, especially if you are travelling or wandering around alone.

Finally, as a warning to those of you who are fond of Christmas. There is NO Christmas in Thailand. I cannot stress this enough, because although many people know this coming over, they go in search of Christmas dinners and Christmas atmosphere and it results in massive disappointment. It doesn't exist in Thailand, and you have to realise that there is no Christmas for the time you are away. Yes, it will be the hardest time away, but again its all about attitude. For me, I realised that its one day. I talked to my family on skype, I made a nice dinner for myself and my housemates, many of my friends in different towns bought in different food to usual, and you have a little cry and maybe open a present that your parents sent you, and then you go teach your normal day and move on. You have to put it in context and be an adult about it. One Christmas is not worth missing out on your Thai experience.

I know all of this probably sounds very negative, but the way you take this all depends on your attitude going over there. Things are different, and one more Western person is not going to make any difference to the way these people live. They have lived this way for literally hundreds of years. Thai's are nothing if not fond of tradition. When working there, you have to take on the Thai way of living, and they live by one phrase; Mai Pen Rai. This simply means 'no worries'. They never ever get stressed, and you have to do the same with everything they throw at you.  You wither take on this attitude or live with constant anger and slight insanity. I always say it to all the people who email me; If you want things to be like the west, stay in the west. So stay positive, take it all as it comes, and when stressed repeat 'Mai Pen Rai' about four hundred times while swigging from a bottle of Sangsom (thai rum).That always helps ;-)

Thailand Tips and Tricks Part One; Before Jetting Off.

I have been getting a lot of emails lately from people who are signing up to be teachers in Thailand in the next coming months, or are already over there and are starting their jobs and are slightly terrified of their classes. I have decided to do a few blogs about simply the little things that I left out of my blogs while I was in Thailand; tips before you go, what to expect, daily life and customs, teaching tips. This one will deal with just the before you go section of things.

So one of the first question I get from people is about what to bring over there that may not be available when you get over. To be honest, a lot of the essentials are available over there, with slight brand variations obviously. But, there are some things you cannot get for love nor money for some unknown ridiculous reason. One is deodorant with antiperspirant. You can get it in the big shopping centres, but if you were like me and you lived in the Thai equivalent of Timbuktoo, it can be very hard to find. I brought over four massive cans of dove antiperspirant and they lasted me a long time. Trust me though, you use a lot over there, especially during dry season (end of October to May). Another thing you should bring is an extension plug. So handy when you only have one adaptor and you want to dry your hair while charging you phone. Also, and this one is for the girlies, for some reason its impossible to get tampons there. If you use them, bring heaps and get your mother to send you over more. Same for normal pads. The ones there are some old fashioned industrial sized things. Lots of 'Always', lots and lots. Also girlies, every product is laden with whitening cream over there, so if you have a moisturiser you like, bring it with you. For the boys, bring the razorheads you use if you are fussy. The brands are very different over there, or so I am told by the man friends. Oh and I was also told by contact lense users to make sure you bring lots of contact lenses and solution over with you. Its apparently very hard to find and the brands aren't reliable. Finally, if you are packing, home comforts are good. I brought a picture of my family, and an Irish teddy, and a box of tea bags. You cant get proper tea bags there at all unless you are in a very touristy place and are willing to pay a good bit for a cuppa.

The main don't with packing is don't overdo the size of the suitcase. Pack clothes to do you for a week or two, and shop when you get there. Nothing is worse than lugging a massive suitcase around if you travel (trust me, hostels have LOTS of stairs) and the clothes are so cheap and suited to the climate there. You could get a whole outfit for the cost of a t-shirt here. Save your money and your back, go backpack and leave the suitcase at home.

Another question I get is 'should I learn Thai before I go over?'. Simply put, Thai is incredibly difficult. I am pretty good at picking up languages, and yes I picked up more than some people I encountered working there, but it took a lot of work. Before you go I would say your best bet is to learn numbers up to 1000. Its not as hard as it sounds. Once you learn 1 to 20, its easy enough after that. They are structured like English numbers. Numbers are essential to everyday life as many things are sold in markets and have no price tags. Also learn simple phrases like how much, hello, thank you, my name is, yes, no and too expensive. When dealing with the students, learn the words for homework, do you understand, and how to recognise questions (questions have the word 'mai (my)' at the end of them)

Now for the slightly teary part; the airport. For me, this was the most difficult part of my entire experience. I dreaded it so much for the few weeks before I left. Expect your mother to cry, no matter how much of a toughie she is. The thing is, you have to be the tough one out of them all. Its so easy to get scared and turn around and just go home, because leaving is scary, I am not going to lie to you. But the trick is to be blunt and quick about it. Get to the gate, don't hang around thinking about it, say quick goodbyes to each of your family members, tell them you love them, and then grab your bag, put one foot in front of the other, and don't look back. All I remember was literally telling my feet to step one in front of the other, otherwise I would have stopped and gone home. When you get through the gate, wander or chat to someone if you are travelling together. Go get a drink. Whatever you do, do not sit and think and worry. You will end up texting your parents to tell them to turn around and take you home.

Finally, yes, you will think you are mad. It personally hit me on the plane to Abu Dhabi when I realised I couldnt turn the plane around, and I was physically sick with fear the whole way over. It is terrifying, you will think 'what the hell have I done', and you will want to give it all up. Don't. The feeling of madness subsides when you realise what you have arrived to. It will genuinely be life changing.

Tomorrow I will do a blog on what to expect from Thailand on a day to day basis.

Slán.