Best Friend Club (Big - Littles)

Best Friend Club!

To help foster and build stronger relationships between our MEP classes, we created the Best Friend Club or Big-Littles. This club pairs an MEP 1 student with an MEP 4 student, and an MEP 4 student with another MEP 1 student............... BUT it's a secret as the pairing is only known by one of the students! 

The students, over a period of one month, leave little gifts for one another and leave clues for them to figure out who their secret best friend (Big/Little) is.


Below are some of teachers demonstrating how it works:

Below are pictures of students in the first session of Best Friend Club - the session's aim was to introduce students to the concept of the club, assign each student their new best friend and of course have some fun!

Just a Little Introduction to the Foreign Teachers at Phuket Wittayalai!

ERICK CARLSON

My name is Erick Carlson. My nickname is Erick. I was born on July 28th, 1986, in Minnesota, America. I have lived in Texas, Ohio, and California. I graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. I studied English and creative writing. Now I'm in Phuket. I have worked at PKW for three years. I'm an English teacher for M1 and M4 and also a reading and writing teacher. My favorite food is the burrito, which is from Mexico. My favorite Thai food is khao mok gai. In my free time, I like to listen to music, play video games, watch TV, and read books. PKW is great because the students are so friendly and amazing.

ERICA HUNTER

Hello I am Erica Hunter from England which is part of the United Kingdom (UK). My birthday is 12th March and I am 25 years old. I graduated with a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Derby.

I have been working at PKW since March 2013 and I teach Listening and Speaking to M1, Communication Studies to M2, Core English to MEP1, Drama to M5 and Tourism to MEP4. Fun, Forward thinking and Friendly are three words that spring to mind when I think of PKW's students and teachers.

I really enjoy living in Phuket and Thailand. I especially like the beautiful beaches and local food. My favourite place to visit is Nai Harn beach as it is beautiful and I can also swim in the sea which is my favourite hobby.

MAHALA PROCH

My name is Mahala Proch or you can call me Teacher May! I'm from the mountainous state of Colorado in America. I teach Listening and Speaking to M3 and M4 as well as dance. I've been at PKW since the beginning of the year in May. My favorite food is sushi! My hobbies include dancing, traveling, writing and running! I graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.S. in Journalism and Writing and a B.A. in Spanish Literature. My favorite places to hang out in Phuket are Khao Rang hill and the King's Park! I also frequent the Indie Market on Thursdays and Fridays. My favorite quote is: "There are three rules in life: Be kind, be kind and be kind." I would describe PKW as: fun, educational and phenomenal!!

MACIEJ OLEFIROWICZ

My name is Maciej but you can call me Matthew. My birthday is on 30th of April, I'm from Poland and I hope you know where it is, if not then I hope you check. I studied Economics in Poland. I have been teaching Listening and Speaking to M3 and M6 since the beginning of this school year. I love Thai food, especially Masaman, fried rice with basil leaves and of course yellow Mango with sticky rice and coconut milk for a dessert. When I am not at school, you can find me on the beach or more precisely in the water, where I surf or wakeboard. My favorite quotes: "World is like a book and if you don't travel you read only one page", "Strangers are friends you haven't met yet", favorite places in Phuket: Monkey hill, Nai Yang and Kata beach. PKW in 3 worlds: "best job ever" but seriously: "friendly, fantastic, future"

KATHRYN PARKIN

My name is Kathryn Parkin, my nickname is Kate. I was born in England on the 24^th of May and when I was eight I moved to South Africa.  In 2011, I graduated from the University of Cape Town, in Organisational Psychology. I have been working at PKW since March 2013 and I teach Listening and Speaking to M2 and Communication to both M4 and M5. My favourite food is pizza, por pia, and “meat on a stick” (skewers)! I love to go to the Indy Market, and wonder around Old Town. On the weekend, if the weather is nice, you can find me soaking up the sun on one of Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. Three words to describe PKW would be “fun”, “exciting” and “amazing”.   

ALASTAIR GREEN

Hello! My name is Alastair. I teach listening & speaking (M2) and communication (M4 & M5) at PKW and have been here for just 4 months! I am British and from London, England and my birthday is the 15th of September. I graduated from the University Of Warwick, in Psychology. I love sushi and yum gai sep and am usually at the Indy Market eating lots of delicious chicken. I think PKW is - fun, interesting and educational.

RYAN TURNER

Why Hello everybody. My name is Ryan Turner and I am from Maryland, eastern United States. My birthday is October 1988. I teach English at PKW and I've been here for one year now. I mostly have M5 Listening and Speaking, but I also teach communication to the lower levels. My favorite food is without a doubt mashed potatoes. I enjoy playing games/sports, traveling, and talking with good friends. Baseball is my favorite sport, but Thailand does not have baseball so I play football whilst here. I graduated from West Virginia University in May of 2010 with a B.A. in Arts & Sciences. My favorite quote is "Be here now”.

One Day Trip

In the morning of July 13th, we all gathered at school at 8:30 next to the library for registration and instructions before heading off to for our day trip! All the English Teachers greeted the MEP students and explained the itinerary for the day. Once that was done, we hopped onto the buses and the whole group was off to the Outrigger Resort in Laguna!

When we arrived at Laguna we were escorted to a presentation room where we would learn about the resort and tourism in Thailand. There was a presentation from the community director as well as a representative from Outrigger Resorts. It was a great learning experience for everyone and the resort staff were very accommodating and happy we were there.

After the presentation, we were taken on a guided tour of the resort. We were shown the facilities and amenities of the resort; like the VIP Club and the exquisite pool area. We were also shown Bangtao beach, just outside the resort and saw the exercise area, the fine restaurants, and the children's club. To end off the tour we were treated to a boat tour of the famous lagoon.

The group was then taken to La Mezza (one of the restaurants in the resort) to enjoy a gourmet buffet. Before we ate we were given a short course in western table etiquette and arrangement by one of the friendly hotel staff. For lunch we were served a selection of Thai and Western food consisting of potato salad, sweet and sour fish, French onion soup, fresh baked buns, pasta salad, fresh fruit and much much more.

After lunch we were taken to the Elephant Park to do outdoor activities with the English Teachers. We partook in a scavenger hunt, practiced yoga and dance, and had nature contemplation time.

After the outdoor activities we left the Laguna resort and went over to the public pool. There were two large swimming pools and a water slide and everyone had tons of fun. After a couple of hours at the pool we headed back to PKW. We all learned so much about the Laguna resort and we all had so much fun.

   

Staff

Staff

Erick Carlson – Reading and Writing M4

Erica Hunter –  English M1  

Kathryn Dillman – Reading and Writing M1

Kathryn Parkin – Communication M4

Raymond Davis III – Art M4, Music M1

Ryan Turner – Information Technology M1 + M4
Alastair Green - Communication M4

Ian Smusz – Health M1 + M4
Macej (Matthew) Olefirowicz - Tourism M4
Mahala Proch - English M4

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular Activities

M .1   English Camp

• Students participate in a one week preparation course.  During this time students get an overview of the program subjects and learn MEP program expectations.
• Participate in a one day trip to areas within or outside of Phuket Province.
• Participate in scout camps with regular program students.

M .2   Study tour in foreign country

• Students have the opportunity to study and practice English by traveling outside the country

M .3 Young Guide

• Students practice daily communication and tourism skills through visiting local tourist attractions.

M.4  English Camp

• Students participate in a one week preparation course.  During this time students get an overview of the program subjects and learn MEP program expectations.
• Participate in a one day trip to areas within or outside of Phuket Province.

M.5 Study tour in foreign country

• Students have the opportunity to study and practice English by traveling outside the country

M.6   IELTS Preparation / University on Tour

•  Students have the opportunity to work with University professors in preparation for IELTS testing.  High scores on the IELTS will qualify students to study abroad with English speaking International Universities.  Success on the IELTS also affords students the opportunity to continue their education at International Universities within Thailand. 
• Students have the opportunity to tour famous Universities to see the campus and get guidance on planning for their future career.

All MEP students are encouraged to better their English language skills through participation in English competitions.

 Advanced English skills give MEP students more confidence and better scholarship opportunities in Thailand and abroad.

Background

History

Phuketwittayalai is a large secondary school located on Thepkrasatree Road in Phuket Town.  There are six buildings on campus covering an area of 37.2 square meters.

Phuketwittayalai’s MEP program was established in 2013.  Enrollment is 67 students in grades M1 and M4.

Curriculum

Students use the English language to learn Health, Drama, Music, Art, Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, Information Technology, and Tourism.

Vision

Students emerge from the MEP program responsible and articulate global citizens with an aptitude for critical analysis and problem solving.