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Nawty

Not only your thought...see in my above post somewhere that I said I would comment on some other thoughts later....I shall, just have to get around to writing it up. Might do it tonight after I read to my son for a bit.

When you say 'EP in this town' which town are you talking about ? My town or where you live and are those costs and comments you made re a school in your area ??

This is actually very interesting as it ties in with many other things and I will comment on them all when I write up my thoughts.

Nawty

There has been some discussion here previously about home schooling and the good, bad and evil.

Having received some bad reports about this school we are thinking to move our kids to, I started to think about this a lot the other night.

Now we are moving to this area for several reasons, the environment and fresh country air and all the possibilities of things to do for kids as they grow up. Because we have been living in Bkk for 6 years now, I am tired of its dirty environment also and a hopeful healthy change for all.

I am from a country background myself and I would like my kids to experience the adventures. I am also becoming more aware of what can, might and probably is put into a lot of foodstuffs in this country. So the opportunity to grow a lot of our own fresh fruits and veggies and even meats is encouraging for my whole families good health.

We have 8 rai and I want to buy another 5 to 10 somewhere else to establish the gardens and orchard etc. But on the 8 rai, we will have enough room for the possibility of a schoolhouse.

But there are many questions and reasons for and against. I believe if I decide to go this way, it has to be done right, not half arsed and then not carried through with the same enthusiasm over the next 10 years or more, or for however long we decide to live there.

Another thread mentioned about home schooling and paying one of his tefl students to teach his kids and wages of around 40k. Well if you multiply that by 12, then its still a significant amount, near 500k. Now I am of the belief that I do not want just some person who is unqualified to teach my kids. Then you run into the problems of work permits and visas etc and finding new teachers every so often. While some may stay on for a couple of years, none will stay for a long long time, simply the environment, career, financial concerns kicks in for them and they have to go seek other avenues.

So then the other figures of teachers that are qualified being a minimum of around 70k, that certainly brings the overall figure up and then you have to find someone that is committed to a long term teaching environment like this, make sure they are not running from the law and that they are capable of teaching every subject required across the board. Then on top of that, teach 2 different age groups and possibly 3 or 4 different age groups if you threw in a couple of outside kids.

Then there are all the other associated costs of running the classroom.

On top of that, the person has to have the drive and ability to organize all the teaching curriculum and books etc themselves and keep on top of it all. This is not an easy ask to find someone like this.

But on the positive side, it could be an awesome environment to go to school in and learn. With all that is available in nature on your doorstep, the views outside the classroom windows, the playground etc. Social shortcomings could be overcome by doing a deal with the local temple school and having one day a week where our kids join theirs and the English teacher teaches English that day to all. Sport in the morning and English in the afternoon. It really could be an outstanding way of doing it, but the commitment from someone with no real return from it other than a pay cheque…it’s a hard ask I think.

The other thing is that a good friend of mine has very close contacts with some well off people back home that were putting together a business plan for an international school and he himself is very interested in the learning environment.

I might add that I myself have absolutely no interest or patience for teaching, I could never do it.

Anyway, that’s my rant for now.

Camel Toe

Our Thai town is 180,000 inhabs and 600k South of BKK.

Camel Toe

I can't see it being so hard, Nawty.

For one, you could do a background check on your computer in an hour. That's something I doubt many Thai administrators ever bother with.

I don't know how far from town you are but you could provide housing for the teacher if it was too far to be commuter pragmatic. He/she could have a space there at the schoolhouse. His housing would be calculated into his salary.

As you say the teacher could take the kids on nature tours and do science studies, experiments and observations in the woods. Even take them to town and do kid's stuff with other local town folk children. And, as you say, other kids could go to your school for visits and special projects.

I'm sure there are many good teachers in BKK who'd commit to a year of breathable air. My guess is finding an old person without drinking and whoring habits. Kids very often love grandfathers types.

Living in the country, as you know, isn't for everybody. But no doubt there are a portion of Thai-based western school teachers who'd jump at the idea. Why not post a free ad on a teacher's website stating your tentative plan just to see what comes up?

re_fuse

As the class room teacher ( at a real school ) I would not let people into my class room if it prevented on task behaviour of the students.

Purely for that reason alone as I have had countless observations...

Lets be honest any visitor to the class room disturbs students learning

jingjoke

Actually not usually true. I always have had two or three chairs placed near the doorway so that anyone can pop in unobtrusively to observe, parents and administrators alike. More schools should encourage this openness. It is usually not the school administrators who object as such; but the teachers themselves who are worried they may be shown up for what they are/are not.

Nawty

exacery.....

donald36

Ive looked at St Stevens we will live close and it would be perfect
--the bad news is its must be failing as it only has 90 pupils,Im told the teachers dont stay and the children are just like the comments of others on this thread---very reluctantly we are looking at boarding schools in Bangkok,saw Bromsgrove the other day and it looked very good --now having to wait for the credit crunch to work itself out before finally deciding

Nawty

I would never send my kids to a boarding school, not here in Los anyway, no way.

As for SS.....I have been hearing a lot of good things lately. Many teachers have renewed contracts etc and the 90 pupil thing I look at as an advantage....as well as a possible worry. But on the worrying side, they are supported by the Bkk school, they hold camps and other things there and they have been running for several years now....so hopefully will continue.

The children from what I have seen at the school personally seem to be well behaved and well mannered....very much so.

El Gibbon

Nawty
Not a suggestion or reco, but do know of this particular situation:

A Thai mom with a girl (approx. 2 years) might be the type of person that would work out quite well in your "local" school.

She is fully accredited to operate a school, speaks excellent English and can teach it, mulit-faceted education, married to a farang, gave up teaching to have her baby.

I know she is looking to start something (at the moment looking at early learning - kindergarten environment) she is motivated to go back to teaching but wants her daughter to be able to accompany her.

She is originally from Isaan and the family will eventually relocate to that region.

Probably not appropriate at this time but just an example that the type of person suitable for the situation is out there/here. She cannot be the only one. She probably also would not demand much more that a standard salary if situation and conditions met with her approval.

Again not a suggestion just a situation I know of that is most likely not the only one in Thailand.

E. G.

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Nawty

Yes, I do not doubt they are out there, but just wonder if they are able to teach across several grade levels at a time.

For example, if I started 'home' schooling, then I will have a 4yo in k2, a 7yo in Grade 2 and a 10yo I think needing Grade 5 I guess. All needing a great deal of English and western education standard....except the 10yo initially.

I would like to do it, but several factors come into play and make it a difficult decision....not the least possibly playing an experiment with your kids education.

Jarvis

St Stephens, Khao Yai. Don't touch it. I worked there for 2 years and that campus is very unstable regarding it's future. PM me for further details.

NickA

Reason enough never to go near it.

donald36

90 pupils is not a school --why so few? ,because its got a lousy reputation --speaking to a local in Pak Chong they told me they knew some teachers and it was OK --as soon as I said Id heard different ,they changed their tune and said nobody had any regard for it
We have had to change our plans for moving to Khao yai and have delayed it so our daughter will have to board in Bangkok when she is older at horrendous cost
Have now started to build slowly

Nawty

Dunno....heard different and from several visits to the school certainly get a different feel about it than your view.

Still, could be wrong, but could be wrong with any school. Personaly, I would never send my kids to a boarding school....never know what kind of kids they may get mixed up with and then be with them 24/7 and all kinds of mischief rears its head.

The teachers at SS KY have renewed contracts for another year, most anyway I hear, so cannot be that bad. I hope the atmosphere of the country school, the other kids and the lower teacher/student ratios will out weigh any negatives.

As for why only 90 kids ? Several reasons, it is a country school, not many people that can afford 300k a year live in that area permanently. It is also primarily a boarding school....I don't think that many Thais take the boarding school principle to heart, but if they do, I guess they would choose a good school with many choices in Bkk....not out in the woods.

Also it is not falling, it is not like it started with 400 students and now only has 90, it has always had low student numbers.....so can only improve.

donald36

Nawty --Im sure a lot of what you say is true --I hope you are right, if it starts to work and gets substantially bigger it would solve the biggest problem of our move to Khao yai --at present we are keeping our house in Pattaya and schoo;ing options open,going to build slowly and see how it goes ,your building thread looks good

Nawty

Lol....think they just blew up my water pump.

Thats after burning down my tent last week.

Going back up tomorrow to sort em out.

I hope the school works out well also, as it has a great feel to it and if they can get a good education in that environment, then we will be there for a long time.

donald36

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But you do get a lot of joy if your children grow up smart and well educated and end up with good jobs or better still, businesses of their own and that makes it worthwhile. But do not try to fool yourself that it is an investment, it is a cost and a cost that you should be glad to incur.

very well put!!

myajarn

Who signs a confidentiality agreement as part of their contract? I've never had to sign one at any school or uni where I've worked.

-- myajarn

Skettios

I think it's a really interesting idea. You would have to invest in a curriculum though. One teacher couldn't write the curriculum and teach 3 grade levels.

They could probably combine a lot of the subjects like art and computers, but English and Math would definitely have to be leveled appropriately.

I would be really interested in taking on a project like this, and have seen offers of that sort of thing from time to time, but they seem to get filled really quickly.