About Us
The Pudgimelon Learning Centers have been operating for almost seven years. We offer effective project-based learning and a full curriculum taught by professional native-speaking teachers.
We are conveniently located at Bon Marche Market.
Our goal is to provide your child with a high quality education that helps them practice and master essential learning skills. We work to improve memory, confidence, and study habits. We also seek to inspire creativity and a life-long love of learning. Our proven teaching methods have been used in America for decades, so it is well-established that our methods are effective, fast, and most of all, FUN!
What do we teach?
We teach in English, of course, so all of our students will learn English. However, we do so much more than that. Other learning centers simply duplicate the failed teaching methods used in many Thai schools, but more memorization and more grammar is not going to improve your child’s English skill or make them enjoy learning more. Creative thinking skills, problem-solving, confidence, and inquisitiveness are not taught out of a workbook! Your child needs to play with, experiment and explore their environment in order to practice and master important learning skills. After all, being able to read and understand the “grammar” of sheet music is not the same as being able to play the piano!
Of course, we love books and we want your child to love them too! Reading is one of the essential skills we teach, and we incorporate reading into every single lesson. However, we want your child to pick up a book because he/she wants to read, not because he/she was told to read. Being a self-motivated learning will make a huge difference in your child’s success later in life. Children who have learned how to learn, are better able to adapt to new challenges, both in university and beyond. So simply teaching a child the mechanics of reading isn’t enough, and in fact, forcing a child to grind though reading assignments can actually turn him/her off, and reduce his/her desire to read! Instead, we seek to inspire a love for reading. By making reading fun, interesting, and relevant to your child’s daily life, we instill in your child a desire to read more!
We also use workbooks (and unlike other learning centers, we don’t charge you extra. All course materials are provide free of charge!), but unlike some schools and learning centers, workbooks are not the ONLY teaching method we use. At the Pudgimelon Learning Centers, a workbook is merely one tool amongst many in our teachers’ toolboxes. We use workbooks, games, projects, drama, puppets, art, science, role-playing, music, and other methods to present information to your child in many different ways. For example, your child might learn about “present/past tense” grammar in a workbook, and the encounter it again in a song, and then incorporate it into an art project he/she is creating, and then make use of it in a skit he/she is writing for a play. The end result is that your child can take knowledge from a textbook and learn to apply it in real life!
Who is Teacher George?
Teacher George, the director of the Pudgimelon Learning Centers, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He comes from a family of teachers, and his parents owned/operated two nursery day cares in America, so he has over three decades of experience in the child care field. He also worked as a technology consultant for Boston College’s Learning Communities Research group. In 2003, Teacher George came to Thailand, and since then, he’s been dedicated to improving the lives of Thai children by providing them with a consistent and meaningful education.
Map
Bon Marche Center 105/1 Thessabangsongkhrao B303/2, Ladyao, Jatujak, Bangkok 10900
What is “Pudgimelon”?
Pudgimelon means “fat melon”, and it’s Teacher George’s nickname (just look the shape of his head and you’ll understand why). His Thai friends gave him the nickname “Dtangmo” (melon), because Teacher George really likes to drink watermelon shakes on a hot summer day! So “Pudgimelon” is really just a funny way of saying Teacher George likes watermelons, and his head also happens to look like one, and he’s also getting a little fat too!
Having a sense of humor, laughing, playing games, and enjoying life. These are things that education should include. Learning doesn’t have to be boring, but sometimes we focus too much on the workbooks and grammar and not enough on making sure our kids will love learning things for the rest of their lives. A sad child memorizing vocabulary lists is not an ideal education! So “Pudgimelon” really represents our belief that education should be fun and playful. Happy, smiling kids learn better!
Questions?
Please contact us with any questions or comments.
