Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is bringing thousands of Japanese youth into the global limelight with its volunteer-based development projects. This article explores the complications of Japanese graduates struggling to use toold such as English in a global environment. (more…)
This article tracks down the surprisingly short but chaotic history of international schools in Thailand. Even though there are over 100 international schools surviving in Thailand today, the early times were filled with restrictive politics relating to the employment of foreign teachers, western-oriented curriculum, and the promotion of English in Thai classrooms. This article was considered too controversial for the Education section of the Bangkok Post. Instead, a draft was printed in a special catalog for international schools.
This article takes a raw and honest looks at fake university degrees in Thailand, which have existed in Thailand as far back as the 1970s. This article was originally considered too controversial for the Education section of the Bangkok Post; however, a different version did make it to print in a special catalog for international schools.
This lengthy article is a comprehensive and inquisitive look at the history of Thai education and the role that English played in various reform movements. Everything that need to know about the evolution of Thai education can be found in this article. Read on!
During times of war, volunteer teachers in Nicaragua developed education and literacy programs in even the most remote, impoverished, communities
In my second ethnography project, students were required to interview a Thai elder about education in their village. I wanted my students to learn how Thai schools, teaching methods, and classroom equipment have changed over the decades. I followed up this activity by having students make “then and now” comparisons. This list is comprised of the best 10 reports (as paraphrased and summarized by me).
This chapter explores my time as a teacher in an adult school for homeless and illiterate Americans. Many people are stuck on the streets because they lack basic skills such as filling out an application form. My focus is on what motivates people to learn despite their poverty, and the inter-personal clashes that arise from this classroom exchange. The issue of white surpremacy is a strong theme in this chapter, especially as a student was drawing me into this mind frame.
This chapter is about is about working a summer job in Wyoming. In a town that was saturated with wealth, few employees could afford housing in minimum wage. Therefore, I lived in a bunkhouse while saving money. In this environment, I seriously thought about attending university and accepted the risk of student loans. (more…)
This section looks at the power of schools to bring people together. It explores the advantages of student exchange programs and also addresses some of the negative drawbacks suffered by some foreigners experience at US universities. (more…)
Is education the gateway out of poverty? A university degree can lift the quality of life for many people. However, the cost of tuition can also lead others into great debt. This article looks at various types of learning — academic, spiritual, financial — and demonstrates one man’s path from poverty to a PhD.