Thread: Why teaching kindergarten is the dog's bollox

^ Nice

Do the KG kids go home earlier than the other students as well?

During my Worst Job In The World year I taught ICT to both pre-K and kindergarten. Waste of time.

I think 8-10 year olds are the best to teach for me. Fun, yet generally don't wee themselves.

Originally Posted by Topper

^ Nice

Do the KG kids go home earlier than the other students as well?

Yes, at 2.20pm. I get the free bus back to my new apartment (provided free by the school) at 4pm.

Are there any downsides to teaching KG? If you are an introvert or concerned about what others might think of you, then doing the baby shark dance every morning might be a challenge. I'm happy to have reduced my online teaching hours TBH.

Originally Posted by Simon43

Yes, at 2.20pm. I get the free bus back to my new apartment (provided free by the school) at 4pm.

Are there any downsides to teaching KG? If you are an introvert or concerned about what others might think of you, then doing the baby shark dance every morning might be a challenge. I'm happy to have reduced my online teaching hours TBH.

Did you have previous experience of teaching at this leve Simon, or did it just hit a positive niche for your needs?

Good stuff Simon. Glad to hear you’re happy and doing well.

Simon, it seems that your long journey from Laos to Myanmar via Turkey and Mauritius has brought you to a good place.

I've never thought about kindergarten. I have been asked a few times to teach primary in Thailand and the short sessions I have spent in the classroom have been interesting. The younger students have huge amounts of energy and good humour, are very interested in learning and generally accept instruction very well, the classroom can be in a riot that you can shut down very quickly, unlike M6 where they are happy to ignore you.
The main challenge I found was my inability to distinguish one voice amongst the many, this is a known problem of aging. Young people can pick out a single voice amongst the cacophony, I can't. They are all keen to participate so it is really difficult to ask them all to be perfectly quiet while one alone speaks. That led to my next problem, I am tall and they are small so I spent my time bent double getting close and trying to speak to them individually. I have a chronic back problem so I realised that I couldn't do this daily. I was a bit sad because I did enjoy their enthusiasm.
As a matter of interest, where do the students come from for an expensive international kindergarten?

@ Switch, Shutree and anyone else who is interested.

My first teaching foray was back in 2004 in north Phuket, when I taught primary 1 kids at the local government school. I did that for a few years (with my small hotel business running alongside). In 2012, I taught primary 1 again at a private school in Yangon. Then from about 2016 to 2019, I taught KG and lower primary at ILBC in Naypyitaw.

I never trained as a teacher - I designed space flight hardware for ESA and their customers. I 'fell' into teaching and I 'fell' into teaching the younger kids because no one else wanted to do it! TBH, you need to be active and energetic, and this might be an issue for older folk. I also learnt that teaching such young kids means that there will always be chatter in the classroom. Their concentration span is short. There is a projector in my class and so teaching involves a lot of videos, songs and the director cut of 'Resident Evil'.

As also mentioned by me, there are other reasons why I choose to work in Myanmar. In 2012, during my first visit to the country, (other than many visa runs to Kawtaung opposite Rayong), I promised 'myself' that because I had the good fortune to land a good job away from my completely mad ex #2, (whose daily activities were rapidly reducing me to a mental wreck), that I would 'pay back' by helping young students whose parents were either too poor to afford school books, or were orphans with minimal schooling only from local volunteers. I have tried to keep my promise over the years by visiting and donating school books to support more than 3,000 students.

Today, with the civil war in progress, about 50% of Burmese kids no longer attend school. It is too dangerous nowadays for me to make 'house calls' at the orphanages. So I am expanding my Android mobile app that is a resource of educational videos, (eg English, Maths, Science, Myanmar language etc). It takes me ages to locate and upload these to my web server!

To ensure reliable and fast internet access, I am in the process of renting colocation server hosting actually in Myanmar (in Naypyitaw). This is because the Burmese military have a habit of switching off the internet international gateway. By hosting locally, I should be able to minimise connection issues.

By the way, I was paid today in local currency for the 3 days that I have worked at the end of August. I have forgotten about how big a 'wad' of cash is! (Normally, I would get paid into my Thai bank account, but for just a few days of work, kyat is fine).

Sorry the photo is sideways - it was landscape mode when I uploaded it!

Originally Posted by Simon43

(I was waiting with a 5-year boy this afternoon, and both TAs had left the room. 'Teacher Simon, I have to go to the toilet' said the boy, squirming. I can't take him because I can't leave the other kids alone in the class. "Can you hang on?" I ask. 'No, I've already gone!!'..

5 year old can't go to the toilet himself? Have they given you the slow kids?

double post...

Originally Posted by Cujo

5 year old can't go to the toilet himself? Have they given you the slow kids?

Not in a 'proper' school he can't. You can never leave a young child on his own - he/she must always be in the sight of a teacher, in case of accidents etc.

By the way, (off-topic), it's now almost impossible to buy Myanmar Beer in the supermarkets. That company is owned by cronies of the military junta. So most shops refuse to stock it now...

The Japanese (kirin) who were %50 partner have also bailed out of Myanmar completely what about Mandalay beer? Can you get that I think it's also a junta brewed beer? I read an article recently about how a lot of folks are boycotting the beer even though they like the product, and bars and restaurants that had the red and yellow chairs and umbrellas all told the brewer to takecthem away as people wouldn't come in if they thought that they were supporting the military

Interesting background and history Simon. I did follow your Phuket hotel escapades, because of your laid back writing style.

I can see the attraction of teaching at kG level, enquiring eager minds and all that, not to mention a bevy of distracting teaching assistants, and all that filthy lucre too.

I hope you get chance at some point, to get your philanthropic juices flowing again.

Originally Posted by Switch

Interesting background and history Simon. I did follow your Phuket hotel escapades, because of your laid back writing style.

I can see the attraction of teaching at kG level, enquiring eager minds and all that, not to mention a bevy of distracting teaching assistants, and all that filthy lucre too.

I hope you get chance at some point, to get your philanthropic juices flowing again.

Thanks. Yes I am sorting out to provide some free English classes in Yangon during the October break. I'm busy moving my educational website hosting from Singapore to Yangon, so that access to download the various learning videos is not affected when the junta mess about with the international internet gateway, which they seem to do on a daily basis. Finally, since it's not practical to travel personally to orphanages in Shan State, I'm recruiting some locals to help me out and do these visits to check on what books etc are needed.

Today my bus into school was delayed - the junta soldiers shot dead 9 civilians in the township where I live. So many deaths that are unreported by the 'western' press

this ancient, male KG teacher, whose is mentally undressing them (that is a joke BTW for those lacking a sense of humour).

I think you are telling porkies.

Originally Posted by sabang

I think you are telling porkies.

I don’t think he needs to do that. Cute Asian females are not unique to Thailand you know.

Originally Posted by Switch

I don’t think he needs to do that. Cute Asian females are not unique to Thailand you know.

TBH, I find the slim Burmese ladies more attractive than Thai women. Burmese women often have hair right down to their waist (or lower), and there is something about thanaka that I find a turn-on!

(stock photo)

Is Candy now relegated to just a head on the shelf and a footnote in Simon's life story

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Is Candy now relegated to just a head on the shelf and a footnote in Simon's life story

Ah, Candy's head will forever be in Thailand... (and her torso in Laos)

Originally Posted by Simon43

TBH, I find the slim Burmese ladies more attractive than Thai women. Burmese women often have hair right down to their waist (or lower), and there is something about thanaka that I find a turn-on!

I also prefer the slender, feminine Asian figure. Much more attractive than lumpy, flabby hookers with muffin tops. The ones that Backspin likes are just gross. I suppose hookers at least guarantee a basic shag, but that’s really a crude way of putting it.

Keep yer painted ladies who have been infected with bad western eating habits. The few that have resisted fatty western food usually prefer munching crunchy bugs, yuk!

^ are you thinking of coming back to the fold?

Originally Posted by malmomike77

^ are you thinking of coming back to the fold?

Hahaha don’t be silly. Why would anyone choose Thailand, when even the broken UK is a better, more civilised option?

Originally Posted by Switch

Hahaha don’t be silly. Why would anyone choose Thailand, when even the broken UK is a better, more civilised option?

What did you get kicked out for, anyway?

The fold I was referring to was born with a hoy