Island Time

We're taking things much slower in Thailand, and that includes internet. We have lots of great stories and photos to share, but those will have to wait for some faster internet. We've enjoyed great beaches, snorkeling, kayaking, caves, food, monkeys, and people. We helped our freind Andrew from Burma set up a website, and shared teaching stories with Lawrence, a former professor in Bangkok.

We should be in Bangkok in another few days and should be able to get some better internet.

-Morgan

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Discipline in Singapore

We still have more to share about teaching in Singapore. I thought that we might make a mention about classroom management. We thought before we left that teachers in Singapore kept the kids in line by using corporal punishment.
They are definitely serious about punishing naughty boys and girls. Some people might remember the American kid who got caned in Singapore a while back. Drug traffickers are frequently hanged as well. There are fines for eating on the subway, smoking in prohibited places, littering, and many others in the "fine" city of Singapore.
Students who mess around and cause trouble in class can get caned. Surprisingly, teachers told us that they very rarely hit children. We got the feeling that it never really happens in the schools that we visited.
So how do they keep the kids in line? Certainly, some of the credit can go to a culture that has different respect for teachers and education. Culture, however, can't be the only explanation. Teachers have excellent support from the administration. We were very impressed by the student and teacher counselors in the schools. It seems like teachers really try to work with the student even before they have to call the parents in for a conference.

-Morgan View Post