Look out for next Tuesday's Bangkok Post - Page 7 - Ajarn Forum

Slim Chance · 6th March 2005, 16:05

I don't think the mods of ajarn should retrospectively 'clean' anything up on the forums - it sort of implies that the letter writer had a valid point. Sure there's been some stuff a bit beyond the pale, but it is usually dealt with fairly quickly. Any forum is going to have occasional problems with inappropriate posts.

Shame on the BPost for publishing the letter - they couldn't see the author wasn't credible? ..... maybe they might be interested in some pictures I have of the Loch Ness monster.

hiso · 6th March 2005, 16:16

[quote="LDMA"]Huge backside'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.

You shouldn't get up set guys, the Bangkok Post will publish anything on its letters page. The vast majority of the "farang letters" seem to written by people suffering from some kind of deep seated mental illness..... John Arone from Mukdahan writes about need to for Thai people to people to become vegetarian in order to obtain equitable Free Trade Agreements with Australia.... Bill Simbalski from Klong Toey announces his desire to battle teenage motorbike gangs armed only with his walking stick..... Pete File from Khon Khen advocates Prathom students attend long term "residentials" with his "ring" of "friends"

discus2000 · 6th March 2005, 16:19

^^I'm sure they will :smile: However, don't look for a fat check from them, I just sold'em the Tower of Eiffel and they're all out of cash for now

Agree, we shouldn't clean anything out. Things here are as they are, the way we, or at least most of us, like it. Moderation is fairly good, IMHO, the number of reports on offending posts we receive are fairly low and the bit of banter and name-calling that goes on is most often quickly relocated to the ice-box. This means, again IMHO, that the "matter-of-fact and advice" parts of the fora, i.e. the pracs.; staff room; class room; paperwork sections in particular; and to a lesser extent the out and about and computers et al. parts, are well loaded with useful and factual information for both the newcomers to thailand and the 'old-hands'.

LDMA · 6th March 2005, 16:43

Ok...I suggest we move the thread which have apparently offended the large backsided one into the Icebox, where at least we have a disclaimer

PeaceBlondie · 6th March 2005, 17:08

What? A man whose parents allegedly named him Hugharze hasn't been kidded about his name? A man who takes that as his nom de plume can't take the inevitable kidding about it? As a grown man he hasn't gone to court and changed his name to Henri Arceneaux or Hubert Snively-Jones?

Magpie · 6th March 2005, 17:27

I'm gonna give the thread a different spin.

Why don't the powers that be change the name of the website. Krus & Ajarns many posters might be, but not all, and although teaching discussions take up a sizeable chunk of the discussion it's not a dominant part of discussion. Of the 2800 odd threads, about 500 (less than 20%) are in the categories of 'The Staffroom', 'The Classroom' and 'Paperwork'.

This ain't a forum for teachers only....It's for everyone....I say change the name to suit the forums content or letters like this may continue to rear their ugly head and hurt this site.

Magpie · 6th March 2005, 18:28

It was the second letter......A woman wrote a letter in the previous edition. By the way I didn't even notice the name of the second letters author. But I did notice the content.

Who was it that said "Any publicity is good publicity, even bad publicity"...

Mmm.....Louie 'The Lip' Richards'???

Aussies from AFL states would know him.

LDMA · 6th March 2005, 22:18

Ok just in response to Magpies first post, I really can't see how removing the Ajarn brand from this forum is going to help matters. Phil is still going to need a forum, and the majority of new users are would-be teachers looking for advice. Even though the majority of regulars post voluminously in places like the pub, the majority of newcomers and one off posters post in the Pracs, staffroom, classroom, and paperwork.

We might not all be teachers, but on the other hand we've never insisted that this be a prerequisite to posting on this forum.

Magpie · 6th March 2005, 22:54

It'll help when a letter writer in large volume circulation newspaper bags a forum for it's tenuous teaching advice.

It can be just as it is now....meta-tags can remain the same....forums can remain the same......just change the name.

Remember it used to go by the name This Is Thailand.

Aardvark · 6th March 2005, 23:12

Conspiracy theory time......

I wonder which print publication has lost revenue that they used to earn from advertisements by teaching establishments which are now placed on a certain web site instead?

(Quick, where's my tin foil hat?)

dirty dog · 6th March 2005, 23:15

naaa dont worry about it, all publicity is good publicity, i remember when "richard cranium" used to send letters to the post, yep the idiots published erm.

erm richard cranium translates as dick head, to those that are a bit slow on the uptake..

LDMA · 6th March 2005, 23:49

..nd that was you right?

dirty dog · 6th March 2005, 23:53

naaa not me, he used caps and all that stuff

LDMA · 6th March 2005, 23:55

so do you when you don't want to be spotted...

renton · 7th March 2005, 07:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by LDMA

Ok...I suggest we move the thread which have apparently offended the large backsided one into the Icebox, where at least we have a disclaimer

There are many people I'd like to thank for this award. The Korean housewife who prefers anatomy lessons to Headway exercises. Johnny Walker, for always being there for me in my time of need. And most of all, I'd like to thank all the clueless Asian administrators who continue to offer me employment. Without you, I'd have ended up a sacrastic waiter in an upscale restaurant. "White wine and steak? EXCELLENT choice,.....sir." :twogirls: