Thai Culture Differences - School

I decided to start a little series of posts this month about just how different Thai culture is from American. So since today I started writing this up at school, I'm going to talk about this. Now I've broken it up into various categories. That way I can think easier. But I'm probably going to forget something anyway. Feel free to add anything in the comments~


Attire

• For every school in all of Thailand (public, private, international, university, etc) students will wear a uniform
• There are generally two sets of uniform: the daily uniform and the sports uniform
• Girls must have their hair cut short (or simply put up in a ponytail if they're high school or college students)
• Boys hair cannot be overgrown on the sides, but can have a bit more on the top of the head
• Nails cannot be too long, painted, or otherwise enhanced
• Body jewelry is usually not allowed (sometimes even normal jewelry is not acceptable)
• Shoes, socks, and even backpacks must be approved by the school
• Even Thai "lady-boys" (they are common here) must adhere to the rules by their true gender

Studying

• Depends a lot on the student
• Have two choices for academics: science and algebra course (more math) or geometry and chemistry course (more science)
• Extra-curricular classes can vary, but the ones I have at my school are cooking, Thai dance, Thai fencing, music, art, etc
• Copying and cheating is fairly easy (don't let anyone tell you otherwise) as I often see my friends copying each others' work with the teacher noticing, but not caring
• Thai students get a lot of homework and often have tutoring after school or on the weekends because the studying at school is not enough to enroll in a university
• English and other foreign language classes teach only the language, not the culture
• Many teachers are quite laid back with what the students do in the classroom, however there are some that do not tolerate any sort of misbehavior

Discipline

• It isn't uncommon to see younger students being hit by the teacher
• A common physical punishment is hitting the wrists with a metal ruler
• In extra-curricular classes, the teacher is usually not allowed to fail students
• Students who repeat a year do so because of their academic classes
• If a students hair is not the right length, some teachers will simply cut it themselves without warning
• Wearing the uniform in appropriately will result in immediate action or removal

Lifestyle

• For many Thai students, school life is their main focus
• It is generally looked down on if someone chooses to concentrate more on something else rather than studying during their school years
• In the school, there are many different kinds of people, even if they all wear the same uniform
• You can always find some sort of food somewhere in the school (at least at mine. LOL)
• There are usually more free periods than in American schools
• Boys and girls who are seen together closely are suspected of being lovers, even if it's not true
• Thai "lady-boys" are easy to spot even in uniform (they are quite energetic and not shy)
• After school, many students go out with their friends instead of changing out of their uniform