The Cat in the Hat
The Story behind The Cat in the Hat Theodor Geisel, writing as Dr. Seuss, created The Cat in the Hat in response to the May 24, 1954 LIFE magazine article by John Hersey, titled “Why Do Students Bog Down on First R? A Local Committee Sheds Light on a National Problem: Reading.” After detailing many [...]
Christmas in the Classroom
It’s that time of the year again: many parts of the Western world are gearing up for Christmas. And even in Thailand, first signs of it are already visible. Visitors to malls and shopping centers all over the country marvel at the beautifully decorated Christmas trees, complete with colorful wrapped gifts underneath. There is hardly [...]
The Secret of a Teacher’s Magic
In the book Forties’ Child, Tom Wakefield recounts his experience growing up in the British Midlands during World War II. When I read the book, one passage struck me as a perfect description of what makes a good teacher. Read it and you just might agree: Everything changed in the second year. There must have [...]
Students coming late to class…?
Here is what happens when you come too late to an English class with my friend, and teacher extra-ordinaire, Gareth “Gaz” Jones: All the bananas in the world… Unite! Peel banana, peel, peel banana (2x) Shake banana, shake, shake banana (2x) Go banana, go, go banana (2x) GO!
Leveraging Music to Teach English in Thailand
This summer, a Thai Life Insurance launched a TV commercial with a group of Thai students singing the song “Que Sera Sera — Whatever will be will be.” The video was so cute, people quickly began to pass it around their social networks online. It seemed over the summer of 2009, all of Thailand tuned into [...]
Worthwhile Causes
