Look out for next Tuesday's Bangkok Post - Page 6 - Ajarn Forum

Bangkok Phil · 1st March 2005, 12:05

Matt Leppard wrote a good article today in response to last week's ajarn.com feature.

LDMA · 1st March 2005, 12:32

Is there a web link Phil?

Bangkok Phil · 1st March 2005, 12:48

I'm not sure. I'm using the TRUE internet service so the server gets refresher when one of them decides to get up off their harris and click a button

Unwell · 6th March 2005, 13:27

anyone know of this hugh jarze?

i presume we all read the bangkok post letters page yesterday. any thoughts from anyone?

letter actually could be quite damaging. after the publicity, this place might have to clean up a bit...

Slim Chance · 6th March 2005, 13:29

could be a friend of Hugh Janus and Ima Dick.

Bangkok Phil · 6th March 2005, 13:33

I couldn't get hold of a copy, nor could I find it on the BP website.
Louis gave me the gist of it, but I'd still like to see it.

I think we all expected a minor backlash of some sorts from the B Post article. There are people who truly do hate this forum and the ajarn website.

Slim Chance · 6th March 2005, 13:34

Surley it was a piss-take...with a name like that...I'm surprised that the B Post would publish it.

Unwell · 6th March 2005, 13:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bangkok Phil

I couldn't get hold of a copy, nor could I find it on the BP website.
Louis gave me the gist of it, but I'd still like to see it.

I think we all expected a minor backlash of some sorts from the B Post article. There are people who truly do hate this forum and the ajarn website.

no, sorry, i'm trying to find it on the website to post but i can't. it's a shame that a hater (in hip-hop parlance!) would try to publicly discredit the board after it's recently publicity. however what's most worrying is that the evidence they used was, genuinely, fairly damning when taken out of context as it was.

seems a possibility that with the recent interest in the board it might face further scrutiny and therefore have to be tidied up a bit. therefore, maybe lose some of it's appeal.

(i think closely connected with this- a certain inappropriate avatar is still here phil)

mangoedout · 6th March 2005, 14:13

Anyone seen Mike Hunt?

Sorry, couldn't resist it.

LDMA · 6th March 2005, 15:06

Huge Arse's Letter Archived Here

Quote:

Learning English from backpackers

I agree with Rachel Hadley's letter regarding the ajarn.com forum. I have spoken with many colleagues over the past few months and we all agree that the standard in the forum has gone down. The only people posting messages on the forum are mainly Khao San backpackers with a rudimentary knowledge of English and a TEFL certificate. These people are supposed to be teaching English but their postings are littered with spelling and grammar mistakes.

One popular thread was about TEFL milestones _ including such educational gems as "When was the first time you had sex with a student?" and "When was the first time you went to a lesson drunk?" Other threads are very insulting to the Thai people and culture. Are these the people that we want to teach our language to the Thais? These so-called teachers should pack all their belongings in their backpacks and leave Thailand as soon as possible.

I did respond to this and the other letter from Rachel Hadley, and we'll see whether it gets published. The TEFL Milestones, was not actually written by members of this forum, as it was copied and pasted to numerous places...was it from English Teacher X originally? If so that's Eastern Europe.

I agree that sex with students is a dicey topic, and on reflection maybe TEFL milestones was in poor taste, however at the time we received no complaints about it, and I can't honestly say I read much of it, though what I did read was so ludicrously over the top and tongue in cheek that you would be pushing it to suggest that we we condoning anything discussed there.

Still who actually pays any attention to mailbag blowhards anyway? Far more important is that the Learning Post chose to give Ajarn prominence on it's front page, and it pissed a couple of haters right off...what did we honestly expect?

I too am amazed that the Bangkok Post would fall for such an obvious trolling name like Hugh Jarze...sounds vaguely similar to a username I banned not too long ago as well, for trolling and abuse.

keeshou · 6th March 2005, 15:07

I couldn't find a link to the "Editorials" the other day on the BP. I think they don't host it anymore. Either that or it's well hidden.

Added after 42 seconds:

Was this in Saturday's Post?

hiso · 6th March 2005, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangoedout

Anyone seen Mike Hunt?

Sorry, couldn't resist it.

"Calling Ivor Biggun and Master Bates!"

Could anyone copy and paste the letter, i am on hols in the U.K so no chance of the Bangkok Post.... well i could try the P**i shop....

LDMA · 6th March 2005, 15:20

look up 2 posts....

I just re-reviewed that TEFL Milestones topic and apart from the OP Renton....no-one else says anything that risque. As it's causing a fuss, I have removed it for now pending moderation discussion.

Marmite the Dog · 6th March 2005, 15:27

I think the Post are going to get more adverse publicity than we are for not seeing the Huge Arse joke with the name.

PeaceBlondie · 6th March 2005, 15:40

Louis, there was also a thread about 'doing it with your teacher' when you were 15 years old. Not that I objected to the thread, but if you're cleaning house....

KSR backpackers with only a TEFL cert? I've never even been to the place, and I have a BA.

Can you summarize the poll where we claim whether we have a BA, cert, WP, etc.?

Rudimentary knowledge of grammar, spelling mistakes? We ripped poor old Macha to threads. We've always differentiated between forums like the Virtual Pub and the Staffroom/Classroom. We've beaten grammar and spelling to a pulp.

Anti-Thai? We've criticized the education budget in Thailand, the MoE for changing moods too often, the entire society for being vague and unclear, Thai teachers of English for having poor listening and speaking skills, Thai universities for being laughingly easy to enter and graduate from...all based on observation and experience. We are generally treated no better than illegal Burmese construction workers, even when we have real BA degrees. We do not earn much more than experienced Thai teachers, and we pay up to 100,000 baht annually to do visa runs.

I'm in a 'grumpy old man' mood this weekend and I'm not taking any more of this!

Now, I feel better. Time to go to Sizzler for teryiaki hamburger, where people with huge arses are seen by the dozens. Maybe I'll see Marko.