Tips on Teaching

Editors note: Keith B. volunteered with GSC from March to May of 2007 in the English Education Program. Keith taught a lot of Thai students. How did Keith deal with it? Read more to find out!

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to a person doing the English teaching program is having to try and teach a large number of students. My host mother Pi Tim is an English teacher in Singburi. It was quite natural that when a “farang” (spelling?) comes to a Thai school, the students naturally stare and wonder what is going on. You get used to that quite quickly while in Singburi or Lopburi. However, once some of the other teachers saw that I was teaching English, the teachers of other subjects (like Math, Sciences, etc) would come and leave their students with me and my host mother so they could learn with the foreigner. One of my classes grew from 14 students to around 60. It is quite difficult to teach English as a foreign language to a group of 14 students who have little to no knowledge of the English language. Imagine doing it with 60 plus high school age kids, and mix in there a couple of trouble makers, and it can become quite a daunting task. One thing that helped me out during this time was to make sure I relaxed on the breaks I had, and remembered to take everything as a grain of salt. Do not be afraid to explain your frustrations, but remember to be polite. Also, if the Thai people weren’t so friendly and polite, it would have been a nightmare.

Pink is the New Yellow in Thailand

I just came across this amusing article in the International Herald Tribune. (Click the headline of this post to see the full article.)

It looks like pink might be making a run at yellow in the hearts (and wardrobes) of many Thais. I’m not convinced, though. Be sure to pick up a couple yellow shirts while in Bangkok. They’ll never go out of style in the Land of Smiles.

The O.R., Chiang Mai, Mosquito Bites, and Thai/Jewish Mothers

Editor’s Note. Here’s the second post of what is hoped to be many by GSC’s man on the town Dan G. Once again, it’s longer than a king cobra snake, but well worth the read. Thanks again Dan and keep writing.

Happy Thanksgiving from Thailand!

Sorry for the delay on this email/blog…I’ve been very busy working at the hospital, as well as scratching all the mosquito bites dispersed throughout my body, the worst of which is located on the bottom of my left foot.

Let’s start this blog with a list of responses to my first blog:
1. It was very long
2. It was very long, but I read the whole thing
3. You are funny
4. Teenage boys playing fighting games in Internet cafes is universal
5. Add me to the email list
6. Come homeeeee
7. I feel like I was walking through Thailand with you
8. We don’t need to know every minute of your life
9. Attach pictures
10. Can you ship the food to me?

So, taking your comments into mind, let’s see how I do this time…
On Sunday, November 4th I moved in with my Thai host family. My host mom is named P’Taw (P’ means ’sister’ and is used to address anyone older than you, male or female; Taw is her nickname, and everyone goes by his or her nickname). She is head nurse of the Pediatric ward at Lopburi Hospital, the hospital I have been volunteering at the past three weeks. My host dad is named P’Oye, and he is a banker at a bank in downtown Lopburi. They have no kids, but their 17-year-old nephew, Mann, lives here. I’ll try to give you an idea of the house I’m living in.

I’m living in a little guesthouse separate from the main house…I have my own room and the nephew lives in the other room. The comforter on my bed designed with American and English flags…I think it’s interesting. The bathroom is attached to my house, and it actually has HOT WATER, which I am thankful for because you don’t see that much in Lopburi. To eat breakfast and dinner, I take a long journey to P’Taw and P’Oye’s house, located about 4 feet adjacent to mine. We eat in the living room, and I rarely venture further than the living room.

…and it was all yellow, too

You wouldn’t be faulted if at times while in Thailand you felt you were in the middle of a Coldplay video…especially on Mondays. For those of you who have never been to Thailand, one thing that just about everyone notices upon their arrival are the huge pictures of King Bhumibol that are EVERYWHERE in Thailand. Big city, small town, it doesn’t matter. You’ll see the king. Just about every restaurant and hotel will have pictures of the king displayed somewhere prominent. Every classroom and government office, ditto. So, that gets us to the yellow. For a reason unbeknownst to me, yellow is the color of the royal family. King Bhumibol was born on a Monday and therefore, just about everyone in Thailand wears a yellow shirt to show their support of the king. You see all the yellow plastic bracelets Thais wear? LIVE STRONG you might think. Try again…LONG LIVE THE KING. It’s everywhere. So, to all you future volunteers, get ready to rock some yellow. You’ll look like a fish out or water if you don’t!

And in the immortal words of Coldplay’s Chris Martin,

‘I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow, too…’

Ps – Happy 80th Birthday HM King Bhumibol Rama IX