A new curriculum

A new curriculum

On December 8, the Voice TV website reported that two young teachers at the Kamnoetvidya Science Academy School in Rayong invented a new course called Game of Thrones and Social Studies for upper Matayom kids. It wasn't about testing the knowledge of the students on GOT but how all the intrigues throughout the TV series' seven seasons could be discussed in relation to the real world. Kudos for the creativity of the two teachers and the school's board for their open-mindedness. I am a little jealous because back when I was in school there weren't any cool courses to get excited about.

This got me thinking about other subjects that we should teach Thai kids at school so they can have fun and use what they learn for real-life use as well. Education Minister, you're welcome to implement my ideas for real sir.

How to Social Media

This will cover how to spot fake news to prevent the spreading of falsehood, how to comment like a civilised person, how to check the spelling, how to master the art of emojis and most importantly, how not to post a picture or a video which may incriminate you later on. The last one is pretty obvious but you may be surprised by the number of people who don't seem to understand that.

Misogyny, Violence and other Bad Ideas in Thai Soaps

If you can't learn from good examples, why not learn from bad examples? Thai soap operas are rich in bad ideas in general. Everyone is painted either extremely black or white. Women fight for the same man. A leading man can force himself on a leading woman and mistreat her, so long as they get together in the end for a "happy ending". A gay person can only be a funny good Judy for comic relief. There is misrepresentations of many medical procedures. Not to mention, characters sleep with their faces fully made up.

Teachers and students can go through an episode of bad lakorn together and discuss the misbehaviour, plot holes, misrepresentation of facts, unrealistic portrayals and how we can avoid and prevent them in real life.

Thai-Politics to Thai Translation

If they one day wish to survive another unelected government -- which unfortunately is a real possibility given our track record -- they should perhaps familiarise themselves with the preferred version of some sensitive words. Let's practice.

A coup d'état = an act by good guys in power to stop the politically opposing factions from fighting. A general election = an election which will be held when the coup maker (or the general who staged the coup) is good and ready and it can be postponed several times. Nepotism = an act of hiring your blood relatives to be your secretary because only they can keep all the secrets about your important job. Dictatorship = a taboo word which you should never use.

Pornchai Sereemongkonpol

Guru section Editor

Guru section Editor

Email : pornchais@bangkokpost.co.th

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