After one semester of crying, long Skype-rants, I decided to look back and make a list of things that I've learned, methods that have worked for me. I don't practice these all of the time, but things have gone smoothly when I have.
1. Your experience may be different from others' experiences.
You'll hear people say things about uh-mazing Thailand is. How the people are all so uh-mazing and wonderful. That's not necessarily true. Just as it's not true that all Americans are white, or all Americans are arrogant and snooty. Each school is different; each person's personality is different; and each person's students are different. I have mixed feelings about my school. There are people in the program who are in love with their schools and their students. It's different. It's all in your perspective and your personality and your circumstance.
2. Keep an open mind.
Going off of the previous note, it pays to have an open mind. My experience with Thai administration is that they are ridiculously unorganized. They will know something 2 months in advance, and they won't tell you about until the day before English Day, and tell you "oh, uhm, you need to plan for English Day during morning announcements tomorrow." (True story.) Or maybe you spent a whole month planning an English Camp by yourself with the instructions "up to you!" and then two days before the camp, they tell you that you have to do it their way. (Another true story. The picture above is from that very English Camp.) Don't freak out. Take in a deep breath, maybe scream into a pillow or nearby bag, and then promptly do your best to pull something together. If it's not the best you could have done, it's okay. Just do your best.
3. Be prepared to be unprepared.
Corporal punishment is common within the school systems. It's hard for Asians to wane off of hundreds of years of using physical punishment to keep children in line. (Please refrain from making comments regarding this method--Western and Eastern thoughts are different, and no matter how much you debate this matter to death, you won't come to a conclusion.) You will be caught unprepared when you see a teacher next door pull your student out of your classroom and start banging said student's head against the wall. (Also a true story) And you'll be caught in a state of shock and might be unable to do anything. You can't do anything. And with cultural differences, it's better not to do anything to the teacher. But it means a whole lot to the student if you show them that you care. Don't pull them outside to talk (they might not understand what you're trying to say--usually the higher level students won't have that happen to them), but maybe let them know that you care by asking them if it hurts, by patting them on the shoulder, by smiling at them, or handing them a tissue. Actions speak louder than words.
4. Be patient. Be patient. Be patient.
Your students won't be the best. Actually, they might really suck at English. If you say 'good morning' to them, they might not say anything because they can't. It's not their fault. They're not stupid. Be patient. Say the same thing to them every morning when you see them. They're just scared. Those who are bad at English might even avoid eye contact--let them know that it's okay not to be good at English. Be patient and explain to them in a way that they might be able to understand (even if it means you need to practice using Tinglish -- Thai + English!). That takes time. Once they know that you don't hate them for not knowing English or think that they're stupid, they'll do their best to practice with you because they know you aren't judging them. When you have lower-level students calling out to you and waving hi to you from the third-floor balcony, you know that they're not scared of you, and it's a pretty darn good feeling.
5. Mistakes are okay. Changing them for next time is even better.
I made a lot of mistakes this semester. I was too lenient at the beginning. I didn't set any ground rules down with my students. But I didn't have experience. I learned a lot this semester--I learned what my kids are capable of. I learned all of their sneaky copying homework methods. I learned ways to make sure that they don't cheat, that they're proving that they're learning something, that they're retaining some sort of knowledge at the end of your unit. This also includes the fact that there are a lot of administration 'stuff' that your administration will not tell you ahead of time. Like paperwork needed to be done. Like signing in a little blue book at the end of each class period that each class has to prove that you taught them. Like how you're supposed to take attendance every day (and they won't tell you this until the end of the semester--sadly, true story). They won't tell you anything. You have to figure it out yourself. And once you know, you can use that knowledge in the future, and perhaps inform your (future) fellow foreign teachers.
6. Be creative.
Kids get bored of worksheets with no pictures. Of just answering questions. Of worksheets without pictures. And worksheets enable kids to cheat and copy off of each other like no other. While most teachers don't care, if you care about cheating, find creative ways to make sure that they don't do that. Or make creative worksheets. Make creative threats. Play games. Make class time fun for the kids--that's the easiest to hold their attention, and maybe you'll peak their creativity too.
7. Have fun.
Have fun with your students, but have fun being a teacher. Figure out what works for your group of students (and each group is different!) Some of my classes love it when I joke and act silly in class. Others like it when I just teach them new vocabulary. Some like it when I play games in class; others prefer worksheets. Mix it up. If they don't like games? I play games with them as often as I can. I want them to become more comfortable with themselves and being silly. Make it into a competition to get their bloodstreams boiling. You naturally start having fun when your students are having fun, and then the job doesn't seem too tedious at the end of the day!
8. Be honest, but respectful.
Thailand is traditional in terms of seniority. It's painful, yes, but try to respect the system. Once you've established that you aren't threatening their authority, they're usually more willing to listen to your requests and suggestions. Find various ways to express to the Thai teachers your discontent. They'll appreciate your efforts, and will usually reward you for them!
9. Accept, but you do not have to agree.
You're not in your territory. You're on another country's grounds with their set of laws, their customs and culture, and their way of doing things. Even if it seems like it's inefficient, stupid, and 'why on earth would you do that?', accept it, let it go. You don't have to agree with their methods, but know that just because you're one of the few foreign teachers in their school, it doesn't mean that your word is better than theirs just because you came from America. Choose your battles!
10. Don't take yourself too seriously.
There's no room for that when you stand in front of a room of 50+ kids, most of whom are not paying any attention to you. They're either the rowdy boys in the back who like to chit-chat about this-and-that, or they're rowdy girls who like to use the words "Teacha bootiful!" in attempts to get good grades whilst they do homework for other classes or play on their phones or do their makeup in class (that one doesn't work on me, unfortunately for them), or they're sitting right smack dab in the crowd doing work for another class, and you can't tap them on the head with your newspaper or stand by them to creep them out. Just like #7, have fun with them. That means, make things interesting, spice things up. Even if it means making funny faces at the kids who aren't paying attention (that one gets my students cracking up until their sides split). They get a little embarrassed, and you still keep the rest of the students' eyes on you. But if they don't, don't worry about it too much. As many wise friends have advised me: you can't teach every student in your classes, so teach the ones who want to learn.
11. Be responsible.
You're a teacher. And an United States Ambassador. That doesn't mean you can't go out and party once in a while, but make sure that you do what is expected. You are responsible for your own actions, and that doesn't change just because you're in Thailand. Students will, inevitably, look up to you, so be a good role model. (This may include watching using curse words in front of students. I've no doubt my students know all of the bad words, but I hope that they never catch me using it.)
12. Don't worry about not knowing their names/nicknames. Remember the ones that you connect with, that do well in class, that really stand out in class.
And maybe know the names of the bad kids too. I never really bothered with that though. All I really do with the bad kids is bop them on the head with paper whenever I catch them talking when I'm talking. They make a game out of it, which is entertaining. I had 450 9th graders. I couldn't possibly remember all of their names and what classes they were in. But they're used to that, as Thai teachers refer to them by number only. Try to learn the names, but don't worry too much about knowing everyone's. They won't be offended.
13. Don't be afraid to be a little mean. They'll forgive you. Eventually.
I'm mean to my lower level classes. It was the only way that I could get them to sit in their seats and take out their notebooks and try to attempt to copy the words off of the board. But somehow at the end of the semester, most of them know to take out their notebooks, to get back to their seats, and to pretend that they're listening. They've never not been threatened by a bamboo stick before, so if you use different tactics to get their attention, they'll notice you eventually. (When you bop kids on the head with a roll of paper, make sure you don't have a malicious look on your face or hit them hard. Just enough pressure to let them know that you know what they're up to! The attitude is everything.)
14. Do what's best for the kids. Not for the school.
This kind of goes against what I was saying earlier about accepting the school's policies, but what I mean by this is: if your co-teacher tells you not to play games with them in class, disregard and do it anyway. You know that you have to get through all of the material by the end of the semester. That's fine. But you know that it's boring. They won't enjoy learning. And if your teacher stops you in the middle of the game? Ask him/her to please not to be rude and speak to you after the class is finished. I don't see what is wrong with playing a few games as long as the kids learn the materials they're supposed to learn. This is a battle that I choose to fight because I was hired on the account that I took drama classes at university (seriously. No lie. It was between me and some Polish girl, but the director chose me because I had background in drama), so that means that they're expecting me to bring that into my classroom. Which is exactly what they're going to get. No tiny little teacher is going to tell me not to do my job.
This is only the first semester. I've got another to go. Hopefully by the end of THAT semester, I'll have more to add to this list (that means I'm still learning!) For now, these are only a few things I've learned. Perhaps one day this blog entry will help someone. :) Until then, I'll keep working hard to being a better teacher!
