English Schools/Lessons

[Guest]

An interesting point was raised about the bargirl student studying with more educated classmates and not fitting in.

Some years ago when I occupied a senior teacher position, I taught a class of 7 graduates and one bargirl. My pleas to not let this girl study in the class had fallen on deaf management ears.

When I entered the classroom on the second day, the bargirl greeted me with "How's it hanging dude?" The rest of the class fell silent and you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.

After the lesson I kept the girl behind and told her firmly but politely that this was no way to address a teacher in any country let alone a country where teachers are (should be) held in such high esteem.

You guessed it. She dropped the class and never came back. Had the f***ing management taken my advice in the first place then this regrettable situation wouldn't have occurred.

[Guest]

Does anyone have any experience with BSC ??

[Guest]

Sorry Bangkok Phil, I will have to come to my own defence here...

I don't doubt your expertise in the marketing side of schools, but Inlingua's Siam Center branch upon opening about a year ago had quoted (actually offered me) 300 baht per/hour plus a completion bonus for in-house teaching? Maybe that has since been changed. Or is this now considered poor money?

Also, as to 'poking your head around' I think you will learn a bit about the aesthetics of a school and the coursebooks they offer, as well as fees etc... but without actually meeting the satisfied students, seeing the results or meeting the teachers you won't actually see that much. Agreed?

After all, what is 'offered' by a school should really be in the form of teaching ability should it not? Curriculum is pretty here nor there in language centres...... Course books can be good and bad. The 'bad' can be supplemented and used effectively by a good teacher and the 'good' can be made incoherant and generally misused with a bad teacher.

Just my opinion

[ August 26, 2001: Message edited by: Dan ]

[Guest]

quote:

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Posted by Dan

Inlingua's Siam Center branch upon opening about a year ago had quoted (actually offered me) 300 baht per/hour plus a completion bonus for in-house teaching?

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Hi Dan

300 baht plus a bonus is indeed very fair but I question strongly wether Inlingua pays that for a one-to-one lesson during a weekday....very strongly indeed. I would put the figure at about 230 + a bonus.

I know Inlingua recently raised pay rates though and corporate teaching went up to about 600 baht per hour (one of the better deals around)

[Guest]

If she doesn't speak very much English, then you could teach her yourself. Start off with things that she will relate to everyday.

Example 1.

Sit with her. Have a pencil in front of her and one in front of yourself. Sit a plate or a dish in-between. Speak very simply (keep it stupid simple)as you would imagine the Thai to be spoken.

Point to the pencil and name it (pencil), make sure she repeats it.

Point to the plate and name it. Make sure she repeats it. (-demonstrate where necessary-)

Say.. "pick up pencil" (don't pick up her pencil for her,pick up yours, let her work it out) and repeat until she connects. If you are doing it with empathy she will get it about 2 shots.

Say.. "put in plate" (or dish or bowl, whatever you would call it every day).

Do this several times.

The next day do it again.

If she does it first time, change it slightly.

Example 2.

Say.. "pick up pencil. Put next to plate"

Use the same methods I have described above.

Example 3.

Point to the remote control.

Name it, get her to repeat it.

Say.. "Pick up remote, put in plate"

"Pick up pencil, put in plate"

(Notice that you are revising a previous lesson, very important)

"pick up remote, put next to plate"

"pick up pencil, put next to plate"

Do this several times and the next day review it.

Every time she achieves something, clap and cheer.

If she doesn't get something after the first few times, she's not the problem, her teacher is. So don't be nasty. Clap and cheer. She needn't say long sentences right away, that'll come with confidence.

After a few short days she will learn to modify these sentences and adapt them to other things.

"pick up spoon"

"put in drawer"

"put on table"

"set the table"

"lets set the table"

"lets set the table together"

etc. etc. Don't forget revision.

If she becomes disinterested, do something else and come back to it later (it's not a problem).

Through doing this you may learn Thai if you don't already speak it. (you may hear her say things like "sai" when you "put in" and "bon" when you "put on"). If you do speak Thai, don't while you are teaching her. Otherwise she will develop a bad habit of translating everything as people speak to her.

Once she starts talking, she will understand words when other people speak. Eventually teaching herself.

A long road but, you're the man for the job.

That is of course, if you are gentle, caring and very, very calm.

Best of luck to you...... Paul.

p.s. This is a method I have used with kids and adults that can't speak english and it works. I have got very small children (kindergarten) to draw several geometric shapes and label them in english, using the shapes to create pictures of cats, dogs, elephants etc. and label those too, all in 45 minutes. It's based on my tefl teacher's demonstration with a group of adults.

[ September 15, 2001: Message edited by: mushroom ]