Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

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parrot
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Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by parrot » February 23, 2022, 6:36 pm

Does anyone have firsthand experience with the cost of a full year, all-in?



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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by rct » February 24, 2022, 2:00 am

My daughter is in DB IP M1. All in around 90k.

Can see posts showing the environment on facebook under IP DON BOSCO Vitthaya School Udon Thani.

So far so good. She was in DB EP for 6th grade. Hers is the oldest level in the new program, so they will add M2 next year etc.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by parrot » February 24, 2022, 9:48 am

Thanks. Perfect

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Khun Paul » February 24, 2022, 12:46 pm

When I was teaching there about 5/6 years ago they had DB Smart in M1 and M2, moved to M3 after 2 years. A good success, however the extra cost NOW is prohibitive unless they have recruited native English speakers for this course which I doubt.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Brian Davis » February 24, 2022, 7:14 pm

This may be a really dim question. I have a 10 year old son with my Thai wife. Now in Prathom 4 (and an English IP class), he's always been in the top 3 overall, often first in his year and certainly top in English. I'm a Londoner, my son speaks English very well, probably more than he does Thai. I feel most people would regard him as a native English speaker. I imagine these IP English programs here are aimed at non-native speakers and students may have to excel to reach my son's standard, which develops naturally, if that's the word, by living with me and through the media. Would it be superfluous to register him in an English IP when he goes to secondary school?
I appreciate that, unless things have changed since my distant days at school, that native English speakers would still study English, but the emphasis then would be on studying literature, books,plays, poems etc. rather than managing to speak and write English to a reasonable standard.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by tamada » February 24, 2022, 9:17 pm

Brian Davis wrote:
February 24, 2022, 7:14 pm
This may be a really dim question. I have a 10 year old son with my Thai wife. Now in Prathom 4 (and an English IP class), he's always been in the top 3 overall, often first in his year and certainly top in English. I'm a Londoner, my son speaks English very well, probably more than he does Thai. I feel most people would regard him as a native English speaker. I imagine these IP English programs here are aimed at non-native speakers and students may have to excel to reach my son's standard, which develops naturally, if that's the word, by living with me and through the media. Would it be superfluous to register him in an English IP when he goes to secondary school?
I appreciate that, unless things have changed since my distant days at school, that native English speakers would still study English, but the emphasis then would be on studying literature, books,plays, poems etc. rather than managing to speak and write English to a reasonable standard.
If he speaks English better than the head of English teaching at secondary, save your money. He's doing great already and the school just wants more money. My experience is limited to only one school here who reckoned my reasonably fluent son wasn't good enough for extra English classes. That's when I found out his examiner couldn't converse with me.
'Don't waste your words on people who deserve your silence'
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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Khun Paul » February 25, 2022, 7:12 am

Sadly the last two comments reflect exactly what I encountered while working. Schools look at the so-called EP or IP programmes as a way of milking the Parents and for no other reason .
There may well be a smattering of Native English speakers from the recognised English speak nations, but in essence the criteria and the content is managed by the THAI hierarchy . Therefore time spent on Grammar is a highest percentage of the teaching in other words using a book NOT the teachers knowledge. Books are beloved of Thai education system, as then the teachers knows the answers, and they can deal with questions SHOULD they actually allow them in the first place. Ask anything outside the BOOK they are stumped. `
Sorry to sound negative but the books supplied are used by the School to show the parents the child is progressiong and constant Exams up the statistics to gleasn more parental money .
One other popint is that Thai teachers earn bonuses for afterschool; classes where they teach what should have been taught i9n the normal school day, so in essence getting paid twice for the same job.
A far better option is individual , one on one teaching where the teacher can adjust the content and standard to the individual child , who often suffers in a school environment , as Thai schools assume children can read English. Never saw one TEACH reading .

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by rick » February 25, 2022, 8:04 pm

Fortunately my daughter has a good command of English and so we are not dependent on St. Mary's English program (although my daughter is in it). Fees at the school are quite reasonable (30-40,000 a year). No rapacious 'extra' classes (they do have an extended day option, it is cheap but I think little extra teaching takes place).

I wouldn't move my daughter to Don Bosco even if it was cheaper - have a nephew who went there who only learned how to party, look down on others and pretend to be hi-so - he now sells food in the local market; a lot of good that education did him.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Khun Paul » February 26, 2022, 6:48 am

It has always been said here by Thais that paying more for Education gets you cleverer children. Sadly here that is NOT the case. Too many schools attempt to bolster their finances by charging more for educational niceties.

Thai schools have yet to move on from rote teaching and the constant copying from one book to another to lessons wher a child thinks and makes decisions, that also is a problem as many Thai teachers are not competent enough in some subjects to answer basic questions from students . If a student asks why ? The teacher replies because I said so. That as well all know in NOT an answer.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by pepesgrill » March 1, 2022, 6:24 am

they have got an after-school tutorial centre for
nearly everything. how do kids take years of
language classes but can't manage a conversation

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Khun Paul » March 1, 2022, 7:09 am

pepesgrill wrote:
March 1, 2022, 6:24 am
they have got an after-school tutorial centre for
nearly everything. how do kids take years of
language classes but can't manage a conversation
As I said, they are NOT taught how to read, and it is also assumed they can speak English and ZERO effort is made to correct of change how they speak, as some Thai teachers are sadly just as bad as the students .

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by glalt » March 1, 2022, 11:21 am

I live in the boonies of Loei province. A good Thai friend of mine was once an interpreter. His English is excellent. A friend of his is the local English teacher. Myself and a friend of mine are both native English speaking farangs. Our English speaking Thai friend asked us if we would volunteer to teach English part time. The Thai English teacher was there and we soon found out that he could speak NO English. We both declined. Kids in this area have no chance of learning English.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Techland » March 1, 2022, 2:01 pm

Don Bosco English questionair from today. Hopeless.
IMG_1158.jpg

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Khun Paul » March 1, 2022, 2:43 pm

You expect intelligence from the English dept run by a Thai...honestly be real

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by tamada » March 1, 2022, 2:48 pm

Oooh... defamatory stuff here.
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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Khun Paul » March 1, 2022, 4:04 pm

tamada wrote:
March 1, 2022, 2:48 pm
Oooh... defamatory stuff here.
Really you forget I worked there for three years, nothing defamatory about my comment, too often I found that the then Englsh Dept would NOT engage in a simple conversation, probably because they could not. Even to the extent that on one occasion when an Exam Question had two right answers due to the wording of the question, it took a long time and effort for the then Director to agree with me . all marks were given back to the students which resulted in some passing who had previously failed . I do not see any change in the posted questions do you ??????????

If the question papers are like the one posted, one can only assume the teaching is at best poor.

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by tamada » March 1, 2022, 4:10 pm

Khun Paul wrote:
March 1, 2022, 4:04 pm
tamada wrote:
March 1, 2022, 2:48 pm
Oooh... defamatory stuff here.
Really you forget I worked there for three years, nothing defamatory about my comment, too often I found that the then Englsh Dept would NOT engage in a simple conversation, probably because they could not. Even to the extent that on one occasion when an Exam Question had two right answers due to the wording of the question, it took a long time and effort for the then Director to agree with me . all marks were given back to the students which resulted in some passing who had previously failed . I do not see any change in the posted questions do you ??????????

If the question papers are like the one posted, one can only assume the teaching is at best poor.
You won't allow us forget that you worked there previously.

Up to you if you want to slag off your former employer, Udon's professed leader in private education, on a public forum.

Regardless, I am sure your experience as a plod will stand you in good stead.
'Don't waste your words on people who deserve your silence'
~Reinhold Messner~

'You don't have to be afraid of everything you don't understand'
~Louise Perica~

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Doodoo » March 1, 2022, 5:00 pm

KP
Definition of Defamatory. Best tread lightly

de·​fam·​a·​to·​ry | \ di-ˈfa-mə-ˌtōr-ē \
Legal Definition of defamatory
: tending to disgrace or lower public opinion of a person or to harm a person's reputation

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by jackspratt » March 1, 2022, 5:04 pm

Khun Paul wrote:
March 1, 2022, 4:04 pm

If the question papers are like the one posted, one can only assume the teaching is at best poor.
Based on a large sample of your writing on here, should we just assume that it has not improved?

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Re: Don Bosco, DB Smart, English Program M.1-M4 Costs

Post by Brian Davis » March 1, 2022, 5:12 pm

Techland wrote:
March 1, 2022, 2:01 pm
Don Bosco English questionair from today. Hopeless.

IMG_1158.jpg
Just out of interest, Techland, what grade(year) was involved here?

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