Thread: A different way of educating your children in Thailand.

Originally Posted by MeMock

Hi Rick, I understand your point and I will not argue against it for now as I have no real life proof.
Hopefully over the next decade or two as I watch and partake in friends / family and my own homeschooling ride I will see some amazing results at the end as those kids take jobs and roles in the community.

Just remember though, what you might see as 'successful kids' i.e. - high powered jobs and world leaders might be at the complete opposite end of other parents who may be striving for their kids to achieve other more 'mundane' success. Like being active in their local community, helping and giving back to others. Getting married and maintaining a loving and honest relationship and raising great kids etc etc.

Point taken and I agree that parents do have different ideas of how to educate and raise their children, and I can respect that.

Yes, I was coming from a more big business direction since that is where most of my experience and observation exists. Being a product of the 60s, I also have a more individualist side and could have easily gone that route, but I did not. My comments came from a more universal outlook when it comes to either working within ones country, or in the international arena.

Originally Posted by DBell

Thanks for all the replies.

Without going into it (it would be endless) I don't consider children that are educated at home (or outside of a standard, regimented school setting) to lack social development. With the amount of after school and weekend activities and groups available.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

In order to succeed in the world today....

Define success....

Happiness?
Working 9-6 for a MNC 6 days per week?
Going to teach kindergarten kids every morning and loving it, for 40k per month?
Volunteering one's life to helping the disadvantaged?
Getting a second PhD?
having TIME magazine do a feature on you?
Making the Forbes top ten list?


just making a point, not a serious question that needs answering.

Happiness is relative, is it not? You have stated as much making your point.

We also seem to be missing an important point here. What does the child want and what are their actual capabilities? Is the the child an extrovert or an introvert? Do they play well with others? Can they stay focused for extended periods of time? What is their actual mental capacity.

My two older sons are as different as salt and pepper in this regard. The oldest of the two always struggled with school and had trouble staying focused. I placed him in a community college once he squeeked through high school and he flucked out his first semester. After working several jobs in the computer field, he now has his own software business. The younger was an above average student throughout school and could stay focused for hours on end. He received a scholarship and graduated with a mechanical engineering degree. He now works for Haliburton. Who would you consider more successful?

In the end, it was up to them what they accomplished in life. A million dollar education can not make a genious out of an individual that does not want to learn, or lacks the capacity. Whether you home school or go through a formal education, the route does not seem to matter as much as the ability and characteristics of the individual.

Decent links with info, set out curriculum and material for each subject etc:

@school looks very good.

The link is for KS1

Key Stage 1 KS1, Classroom and Home Learning Resources - @school

Topmarks is also excellent.

Counting, Maths, Foundation - Interactive Whiteboard Resources - Topmarks

thanks for the link looks of interest.

They also have great ranges of school textbooks from the UK in places like SE-ED bookshops.

Not expensive either. Quite cheap and easy to get the full range of school books they would use in the UK.

The sites above are clearly set out in the UK Keystages, with lots of materials and activities etc. for every subject in the Keystage Level. With course books as well (from places like SE-ED) you're looking at a good level of education, if you're making it fun and interesting.

The advantage is, they aren't wasting 1/3rd or even 1/2 of everyday doing nothing or doing nonsense like they would be in school. So that time can be spent doing fun stuff/project stuff/play stuff. Plenty of Thai homeschool groups etc. online that meet up every day/week to do activities. Well to do Thais, not the sort going around with a menthol stick up their nose.


Best of both Worlds for the kids, really.