When I got my nomination for Peace Corps in April 2012, I was told that I was nominated for a Primary Teacher Trainer position in Asia set to leave in January 2013. I imagined that I would be training a large number of teachers on a host of topics, from discipline and classroom management to new teaching methods through monthly trainings at a number of schools. The reality of my program is that my job is more to focus on training two specific teachers at one school in better ways to teach English.
This bit of disconnect between what I had dreamed of doing during my service and the realities of the program I was invited to is still somewhat disappointing. Especially when I stand back and look take in the entirety of the Thai education system and see that it is not just English teachers that could benefit from the knowledge that my fellow volunteers and I have to share. For a bit more insight into the Thai education system, I recommend this New York Times piece. While not everything in that article happens as severely as described at my school, it gives you a good idea.
However, last week I saw an opportunity to realize and align my desires with my reality. In June I was told that I would be doing a teacher training for primary English teachers. But I was also told that these teachers teach more than just English. “Perfect,” I thought. “This is just the opportunity to share more of the skills that I feel more confident in sharing and have a chance to make an impact on the way education is viewed at least by the teachers that come to my training.”
For three days, I would talk about English instruction, sure (with a whole day dedicated to teaching phonics), but I was also going to take every opportunity that I could to mention that everything the teachers were learning could be applied in other subjects. I designed sessions on classroom and behavior management, since the only response I got for the current method was corporal punishment. I introduced using stations and putting the students in charge of their learning, and gave the teachers an opportunity to experience such an activity themselves. Using these two topics as a foundation, I talked about designing a classroom that is engaging and fun for the students.
And the end of sessions, I always like to open the floor for questions. One question that I always get asked is: “Do you think Thai students are naughty?” There is a prevailing view that students are to be controlled. That the students are lower than the teacher and deserve to be treated as such. Each time, I take great pains to explain that I don’t think that any student, Thai or American or otherwise, is naughty.
I explain that we are all in control of ourselves and that we all make choices on how to act and that there are good choices and bad choices. Sometimes we all make bad choices, but that doesn’t mean that we are naughty. It means that we need to learn to think more about the choices we make, and students need some help in thinking about those choices. This is always met with skeptical gazes, but I can see the wheels turning, even if it is just a centimeter or two.
Here are some pictures of my teacher training last week. Maybe you can spot the wheels of change in motion as well.
