A Thai teacher walked into a class being taught by a westerner and just started giving instructions to kids to start cleaning up around their desks while the westerner was still teaching . I wondered how it was possible that the Thai teacher could show such disrespect to the foreign teacher but I now think I have the answer.
It seems to me that the purpose of education in the west is to teach kids to respect authority but at the same time to question everything thus, in western eyes, making for a stronger state though citizenship empowerment.
The purpose of education in the east, from what I can see and understand is to prepare its' citizens to obey authority without question so that they can be more easily controlled. I see that in a variety of ways from the morning assembly where even a boring speaker will be tolerated and students will sit or stand quietly and listen to how they walk in the halls or greet teachers.
So, how does this fit in with how it is possible that a Thai teacher would completely ignore the western teacher and give orders to the class in the middle of the lesson and the answer is....foreigners or "farangs" are brought over to teach English so that the next generation can do business with the west. They have traditionally been taught by rote learning and that is what they expect from the foreigner. When the farang teacher might want to engage students by playing a word gamefor example, it is considered by the Thai teacher, or this Thai teacher anyway. as frivolous or without purpose and therefore no class must be taking place in here so she could give instructions to kids because nothing was happening anyway of any educational value.
As long as westerners understand their role i.e.as guests in the country to teach English only, there will not be a problem and everyone will be happy. If the foreigner has aspirations of teaching critical thinking in an engaging fashion they will be bound to disappointed because that is not what you will be hired for.
It seems to me that the purpose of education in the west is to teach kids to respect authority but at the same time to question everything thus, in western eyes, making for a stronger state though citizenship empowerment.
The purpose of education in the east, from what I can see and understand is to prepare its' citizens to obey authority without question so that they can be more easily controlled. I see that in a variety of ways from the morning assembly where even a boring speaker will be tolerated and students will sit or stand quietly and listen to how they walk in the halls or greet teachers.
So, how does this fit in with how it is possible that a Thai teacher would completely ignore the western teacher and give orders to the class in the middle of the lesson and the answer is....foreigners or "farangs" are brought over to teach English so that the next generation can do business with the west. They have traditionally been taught by rote learning and that is what they expect from the foreigner. When the farang teacher might want to engage students by playing a word gamefor example, it is considered by the Thai teacher, or this Thai teacher anyway. as frivolous or without purpose and therefore no class must be taking place in here so she could give instructions to kids because nothing was happening anyway of any educational value.
As long as westerners understand their role i.e.as guests in the country to teach English only, there will not be a problem and everyone will be happy. If the foreigner has aspirations of teaching critical thinking in an engaging fashion they will be bound to disappointed because that is not what you will be hired for.
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