What I need to do is get over my students. I'm about to leave Thailand, but I don't feel good about it. I feel sorry for my students, really. Most don't care enough about English to practice the necessary speaking, writing, reading, and listening outside of class to become fluent, so they don't. At my country-bumpkin school, my 'top' students are far inferior to the average BKK student. And these students have been in English classes for years. When I arrived at this school one year ago, I could not believe how far behind the students were (and still are). Not only do the students not care, their parents don't care, either....and neither do the administrators.

This really means I actually have someTHING to get over. It's the idea that I myself am somehow obligated to shoulder a burden that is totally Thailand's to bear.

As hard as it is to accept, Thailand will solve its educational problems only when it finally cares enough to solve it. No 'supermen' recruiters with white faces weeding out inferiors will solve it. No TEFL programs are going to solve it, no matter how good they are. Thailand, and Thailand only, can save my kids from themselves--kids who are slowly slipping further and further into the abyss.

Yes, it'll be hard to get over my 'brats'.

SS