PTA means parent teacher association.
Just being willing to be a signatory is sometimes all that is necessary...
Yamsaard school
I dropped off my K1 daughter a bit late this morning and got to see what Kindergarten 1 do in the computer lesson at Yamsaard. They played shoot the ball type computer games. Whilst I can see the need for basic games to help co-ordinate moyuse use etc, I was bitterly dissappointed as for some time I have been promoting a website www.starfall.com to the teachers. It teaches ABC and phonics and is easy for 3 year olds to use, helping them also to master click and drag with the mouse. We use it alot at home. I am going to further promote it to the parents before taking it to the principle if it isn't adopted in the near future. This is the kind of thing which highlights the need for a PTA.
You may find 'GCompris' and/or 'Childsplay' useful. Not dependent on possibly poor internet connections. GCompris allows you to track your child's progress.bigideas wrote:for some time I have been promoting a website www.starfall.com to the teachers. It teaches ABC and phonics and is easy for 3 year olds to use, helping them also to master click and drag with the mouse. We use it alot at home.
"Let no one who has the slightest desire to live in peace and quietness be tempted, under any circumstances, to enter upon the chivalrous task of trying to correct a popular error."---William Thoms
Thanks Mr Plum! Could you give me the web address as I'm not entirely sure that I found the right child's play website. Also, I am certainly, no technofile and my eyes started to gloss over after the 3rd download question with Gcompris.net. So I didn't quite get to see any activities. Do I have to buy the software from somewhere or something?MrPlum wrote:You may find 'GCompris' and/or 'Childsplay' useful. Not dependent on possibly poor internet connections. GCompris allows you to track your child's progress.
-
terry+carmen
- Specialist
- Posts: 140
- Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2006 2:18 pm
- Location: Hua Hin
PTA
Somtawin E.P. School started a PTA last year. We ran into a few problems recently when it was suggested by the Principle that we register with the Education Department. This was not supported by the parents, too much red tape and of no benefit to the Children.
We are in the process of changing our name to Parent Teachers Club avoiding the need to register.
The PTA (PTC) has been a great success, we have raised about 100,000 which has been spent on art and sports equipment.
If you are going to start a PTA, PTC or Friends of the School, PM me and maybe I can help you avoid the problems we encountered.
We are in the process of changing our name to Parent Teachers Club avoiding the need to register.
The PTA (PTC) has been a great success, we have raised about 100,000 which has been spent on art and sports equipment.
If you are going to start a PTA, PTC or Friends of the School, PM me and maybe I can help you avoid the problems we encountered.
I downloaded the linux version which is free. Try this windows version... http://www.brothersoft.com/gcompris-161805.htmlbigideas wrote:Thanks Mr Plum! Could you give me the web address as I'm not entirely sure that I found the right child's play website. Also, I am certainly, no technofile and my eyes started to gloss over after the 3rd download question with Gcompris.net. So I didn't quite get to see any activities. Do I have to buy the software from somewhere or something?MrPlum wrote:You may find 'GCompris' and/or 'Childsplay' useful. Not dependent on possibly poor internet connections. GCompris allows you to track your child's progress.
For 'Childsplay' try here... http://childsplay.en.softonic.com/
-
SuperTonic
- Suspended
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 3:35 am
- Location: Hua Hin
Yeah I've got GCompris on my linux box as I have a passing interest in educational matters and it's not bad. Might I recommend installing ubuntu onto a memory stick maybe if you don't want to go the full linux hog, that way your child has a computing environment where he/she can wreak as much havoc as they wish and nothing important gets permanently damaged? Once you've got it you can install educational software just by clicking add/remove and ticking boxes for the programs you want.
Libraries gave us power, then work came and made us [url=http://linux.com/]free[/url]. What price now for a shallow piece of dignity?
[url=http://www.ubuntu.com]sudo apt-get install linux[/url]
[url=http://www.ubuntu.com]sudo apt-get install linux[/url]
Yamsaard
In response to Nadina about proving the eligibility of the school's teachers, I think you’ll soon find out. A friend of mine who’s teaching in Bangkok told me that all Farang teachers will need to take a licensure exam and one of the specific requirements is for the applicant to have a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent educational attainment to be able to take the test.
Three major concerns though:
1. Implementation – How effective will this licensure be when from what I’ve heard, there are a lot of Farang teachers here in Thailand who are either on a Tourist Visa or a Non – O which will make your eyebrows raise and ask why?
2. Honesty – Can we expect schools to comply with this regulation? I think everyone will agree that schools are spending much less for teachers who are not qualified or not legally allowed to work as teachers. (Sounds familiar doesn’t it, the irony though is that back home it’s the brown skins who are working illegally! NO OFFENSE MEANT)
3. Supply – WILL THERE BE ENOUGH WHITE PEOPLE TO TEACH IN THIS COUNTRY! JUST KIDDING!
BTW, I’m new to this forum, just auditing because I’m thinking of moving my family out of Bangkok. Choosing between Pattaya and Huahin, we’ve only been here for a year so I can’t say which one is better in terms of raising the kids (that is a totally wholesome comment). Suggestions are very much welcome.
This forum is very helpful and thanks to the moderators!
Three major concerns though:
1. Implementation – How effective will this licensure be when from what I’ve heard, there are a lot of Farang teachers here in Thailand who are either on a Tourist Visa or a Non – O which will make your eyebrows raise and ask why?
2. Honesty – Can we expect schools to comply with this regulation? I think everyone will agree that schools are spending much less for teachers who are not qualified or not legally allowed to work as teachers. (Sounds familiar doesn’t it, the irony though is that back home it’s the brown skins who are working illegally! NO OFFENSE MEANT)
3. Supply – WILL THERE BE ENOUGH WHITE PEOPLE TO TEACH IN THIS COUNTRY! JUST KIDDING!
BTW, I’m new to this forum, just auditing because I’m thinking of moving my family out of Bangkok. Choosing between Pattaya and Huahin, we’ve only been here for a year so I can’t say which one is better in terms of raising the kids (that is a totally wholesome comment). Suggestions are very much welcome.
This forum is very helpful and thanks to the moderators!
Public speaking in English competition
I saw on the website for Yamsaard School Hua Hin that they only managed 2nd & 3rd places at the public speaking in English competition. I thought that to be an embarrassment considering that it is one of only 2 schools in the local area with large expensive English programs.
I thought that this failure is largely to do with the fact that pupils are not encouraged to use their English in their school activities outside the classroom. There should be regular debating societies and competitions, school councils conducted in English as well as an array of projects conducted in English and plastered all over the walls displaying issues in English. (I know that there are some but clearly not enough). I would expect Yamsaard School to dominate a competition like this, year after year!
I thought that this failure is largely to do with the fact that pupils are not encouraged to use their English in their school activities outside the classroom. There should be regular debating societies and competitions, school councils conducted in English as well as an array of projects conducted in English and plastered all over the walls displaying issues in English. (I know that there are some but clearly not enough). I would expect Yamsaard School to dominate a competition like this, year after year!
Pattya?
Pattaya as a place to raise kids? You are kidding, right bricks? Have you ever been there?
Gotta say I am no fan of the place and feel that Hua Hin is vastly preferable. No choice IMHO. I keep seeing that thread about traveling Hua Hin to Pattaya and thinking to myself, "Why?" (Pattaya to Hua Hin I can understand. )
The one observation I would make on the Thai education system, after several years teaching here at the uni level as well as the mattayom level, is that it is a big game really with little concern for quality education, lots of internal "politics", the Thai "pi-nong" system in spades. ( What, fail my child? But I am rich and important! ) management focus on money, often serious mismanagement by people without a clue who just dont care. If you want to play the game as a teacher, welcome to it. But you will have to make lots of "adjustments." Last I knew, farang teacher turnover in Thailand remains spectacularly high . . ask why.
I feel sorriest for Hua Hin parents who are looking for someplace which might, at very least, teach their kids the basics. But you are asking the abysmal Thai educational system to produce quality "international" education which is akin to asking a chicken to produce milk. If I had kids, I would try to find others in the same boat and just home school them as a small group, perhaps engaging a qualified tutor.
I have observed that at every level, there are good people doing their best to improve the system and it seems that is the case here as well. New teachers often work very hard to try to make a difference, but they have to work with older teachers who have given up long ago and become reconciled to just playing the game. I saw a lot of burnout and incredible frustration. The"survivors" were those who learned to play along.
I certainly wish you all the very best of luck in your efforts to improve what we have here in Hua Hin. Its certainly better to try and to keep trying than to just give up.
Gotta say I am no fan of the place and feel that Hua Hin is vastly preferable. No choice IMHO. I keep seeing that thread about traveling Hua Hin to Pattaya and thinking to myself, "Why?" (Pattaya to Hua Hin I can understand. )
The one observation I would make on the Thai education system, after several years teaching here at the uni level as well as the mattayom level, is that it is a big game really with little concern for quality education, lots of internal "politics", the Thai "pi-nong" system in spades. ( What, fail my child? But I am rich and important! ) management focus on money, often serious mismanagement by people without a clue who just dont care. If you want to play the game as a teacher, welcome to it. But you will have to make lots of "adjustments." Last I knew, farang teacher turnover in Thailand remains spectacularly high . . ask why.
I feel sorriest for Hua Hin parents who are looking for someplace which might, at very least, teach their kids the basics. But you are asking the abysmal Thai educational system to produce quality "international" education which is akin to asking a chicken to produce milk. If I had kids, I would try to find others in the same boat and just home school them as a small group, perhaps engaging a qualified tutor.
I have observed that at every level, there are good people doing their best to improve the system and it seems that is the case here as well. New teachers often work very hard to try to make a difference, but they have to work with older teachers who have given up long ago and become reconciled to just playing the game. I saw a lot of burnout and incredible frustration. The"survivors" were those who learned to play along.
I certainly wish you all the very best of luck in your efforts to improve what we have here in Hua Hin. Its certainly better to try and to keep trying than to just give up.
“This year, we Americans have a Fourth of July we can truly celebrate. We did it! We survived eight years of Republican rule and that idiot Bush in the White House.”
I'm not bashing you Chas so don't take it that way.
There have been posters on here over the years who openly state they have been to Pattaya once or twice, spent most of their time on walking street (obviously shaking their heads in scorn at all the dens of flesh), then go on and write 5 paragraphs why the place is so evil.
Yes, it is evil if that's what one is looking for, as I've said many times on here. If they're not, they'll never see it or have to encounter it. You can live there very safely and happily away from the problems and enjoy conveniences and 'things to do' matched no where other than Bangkok or Chiang Mai.
As far as schooling is concerned, there is no comparison between Pattaya and Hua Hin. Pattaya wins hands down without even trying. That's because of the foreign influence and demand for international schools. Those schools make money there, a lot of money, and offer a quality education.
The key at present is to get your child out of there when he/she hits puberty, or 10-1 regardless of their nationality they'll get hooked up with some kind of teenage gang and that's trouble there.
They're addressing the gangs there, the same as they are in Bangkok, but it's a festering problem which keeps coming back. Yes, probably due to the bad influence on the local Thai kids whose parents are night workers in the tourist industry and not home when the kids are. I hope they can eventually fix it once and for all.
For BRICKS, if your children are young, they'll get a good education there and a head start. Just remember what I say above as they get into their teens. Pete
There have been posters on here over the years who openly state they have been to Pattaya once or twice, spent most of their time on walking street (obviously shaking their heads in scorn at all the dens of flesh), then go on and write 5 paragraphs why the place is so evil.
Yes, it is evil if that's what one is looking for, as I've said many times on here. If they're not, they'll never see it or have to encounter it. You can live there very safely and happily away from the problems and enjoy conveniences and 'things to do' matched no where other than Bangkok or Chiang Mai.
As far as schooling is concerned, there is no comparison between Pattaya and Hua Hin. Pattaya wins hands down without even trying. That's because of the foreign influence and demand for international schools. Those schools make money there, a lot of money, and offer a quality education.
The key at present is to get your child out of there when he/she hits puberty, or 10-1 regardless of their nationality they'll get hooked up with some kind of teenage gang and that's trouble there.
They're addressing the gangs there, the same as they are in Bangkok, but it's a festering problem which keeps coming back. Yes, probably due to the bad influence on the local Thai kids whose parents are night workers in the tourist industry and not home when the kids are. I hope they can eventually fix it once and for all.
For BRICKS, if your children are young, they'll get a good education there and a head start. Just remember what I say above as they get into their teens. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
No prob
Actually Pete, that walking street was one of the things that I DID like about Pattaya! We spent several enjoyable evenings sitting there with a beer or two and watching the world pass by . . .one of the reasons I like Pizza Corner here in Hua Hin . . . you can sit and eat/ drink and watch the liveliest corner in town. Also on the positive side . .the Simon show was world class and just wonderful.
Admittedly I dont know Pattaya very well, it is just that the sleaze level seemed so high . . .propositions on the beach, soi after soi of open front bars and thousands of bar girls at your service. As well, the reputed Russian mafia thing and I didnt even realize they had teenage gangs there.
Sure you can insulate your kids from the city by driving them everywhere in your van and limiting the stop offs to school and home . .but as they get older, that gets more difficult. A teenager living in Pattaya . .a teenager living in Hua Hin . . .I still would cast my vote for here, as you seem to agree.
The problem is that there is nothing for teens in Hua Hin. No international high school ( dont Yamsaad and Somtawin stop at M6?) I dont know how many local parents called me when I managed the IELP program at Stamford. Hua Hin had nothing to offer then and it hasnt changed that I know of. The "critical mass" just doesnt exist for such an operation to fly.
Admittedly I dont know Pattaya very well, it is just that the sleaze level seemed so high . . .propositions on the beach, soi after soi of open front bars and thousands of bar girls at your service. As well, the reputed Russian mafia thing and I didnt even realize they had teenage gangs there.
Sure you can insulate your kids from the city by driving them everywhere in your van and limiting the stop offs to school and home . .but as they get older, that gets more difficult. A teenager living in Pattaya . .a teenager living in Hua Hin . . .I still would cast my vote for here, as you seem to agree.
The problem is that there is nothing for teens in Hua Hin. No international high school ( dont Yamsaad and Somtawin stop at M6?) I dont know how many local parents called me when I managed the IELP program at Stamford. Hua Hin had nothing to offer then and it hasnt changed that I know of. The "critical mass" just doesnt exist for such an operation to fly.
“This year, we Americans have a Fourth of July we can truly celebrate. We did it! We survived eight years of Republican rule and that idiot Bush in the White House.”
Speaking of nothing to do for teens, I would add that there's also nothing to do for 7 to 12 year olds aside from going to school and then going home. IMHO I think that sports saved me as a 7+ year old. When I was that age we were always organising local games of football, cricket, baseball and lots of other stuff. There were youth clubs, extra-curricular stuff after school and computer games were just an option (in those days, for kids with too much spare cash!). There is absolutely nothing like that here for that age group that really need to offload energy. My 7 year old boy gets to go to the beach and go swimming with family, but that's it! Other than that he's watching cartoons, playing computer games or just mucking around or helping out at home. I can't tell you how many lunchtimes I've spent pondering how I can boost his leisure time. I've thought about martial arts classes, gymnastics but there's nothing like that here in Hua Hin specifically for kids.