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boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

I teach a business class at the private uni with the top business school in my town. The class is mandatory for all majors.

I got panned by students in their upward feedback for being such a harsh grader. Being rehired is 100% dependent on scoring high on student upward feedback.

I was the hardest grader they have ever had in the university. My average grade was a B+ and they are used to having A- (at worst) be the average grade.

if professors only keep their jobs by giving great grades, guess what they give in this department? They hand out A's as though they were candy. One student couldn't get over that I gave him an A-. It was the lowest grade he had received.

I knew it would be a culture shock for them but I was determined not to just hand out A's. The lowest grade I gave was a B- and the lowest on any assignment was a C- in spite of it being work that would have been at best a D when I was at university. I even gave one team of students a B+ on a presentation where they only did 1/5th of the work and they flipped because it was the lowest grade they received.

I felt like a sell out as it was grading so easy and I won't grade any easier. In fact, I warned them I was going the grade them harder as the semester went on.

So, did I just have bad luck and land in a particularly grade inflated school or is this the norm?

Mexicans I have spoken with about this issue say grade inflation is a major problem holding Mexico back because students graduate with minimal knowledge of whatever it was they "studied."

MotherF

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

MotherF,

thanks for the prompt reply. Unfortunately, you comments seem right on the peso.

At my private uni, it isn't a matter of passing or failing students. It is just a matter of whether you are going to give them an A-, A or A+ or if you are going to be a hard ass and give them a B+.

I was just talking with a Mexican doctor tonight who told me that students feel that as much as daddy is paying to send them to school they expect nothing less at a university than an A.

He told me that "Mexico has a culture of mediocrity and if you cheat and get an A that is considered better than if you work hard and get an A." He went on to say that many of the kids see their dad having built his business (which they will work at) by corruption and it just rubs off on them as the way things are done. He also said that things have gotten worse, not better in the last 10 years or so with grade inflation.

I have to admit this makes me lose all interest in teaching at a private uni here. I can't see myself handing out A's irrespective of the quality of work.

MotherF · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 12:07 pm Post subject:

The university where I'm currently on a leave of abscense from does push the students for excellence.
There is a whole host of other problems of course, it's by no means a perfect institution. But you might want to look into it.

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

inotu-unotme · Joined: 26 May 2013 Posts: 197

In the past I was at one of the most expensive private schools in my area for children. I was shocked by the director calling me into her office for giving the students to low of a grade. When I was first hired I really thought it was to teach the students something. But, no. I don't think I ever took to that system. The students came from money wearing all their gold jewelry, texting on their new i-phones and playing on i-pads. They hardly paid attention in class.

I taught at a different private school in Mexico later. It was smaller and the kids weren't from as much money. But, they were still from money. I liked it better. I taught children and adults. I was under the false impression it would be different. BUT, it was not. When it came time for grading the director of the school handed my grades back to me and said they were to low. One woman could not even speak English but the director wanted her to have this certificate thing that says she has completed ........ many English classes. SHE COULD NOT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH. I finally just asked the director what grade she wanted me to give the students that would make her happy. I get caught between trying to do the right thing and needing a paycheck.

I will say this though... the longer it takes to take to the system your job may not be safe.

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

inotu-unotme · Joined: 26 May 2013 Posts: 197

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

inotu-unotme,

I'm glad you found something you enjoy and thanks for wishing me well. I can definitely see making the most of a job when you have rent to pay. I think we have all been there at one time or another.

I would definitely be more concerned about going along with the program if I was younger. I'm 60 and have had my main career. I toiled for years in corporate America dealing with a-holes, corporate politics and giant egos.

Teaching has been a bucket list activity for me and it is something I've been passionate about especially since I had so many miserable teachers when I was young. I've had a few great teachers and they really inspired me.

It is just that if I'm in a situation where only tuition matters and students feel they don't have to learn to get an A, it sucks much of the joy out of it for me.

I think I'm a better fit, or so it seems, in Latin America if I teach at a Public Uni (from MotherF's feedback) or, like you, shift to younger kids.

I enjoyed teaching adults in China - which is pretty much all I did. I and all the other teachers hated teaching teens and pre-teens because it was like teaching survivors of a prisoner of war camp. These kids were so beaten down by the system that they were just hollow shells and had no interest for the most part in learning. It usually took the Chinese, with some exceptions, till about 25 to gain their emotional footing again.

However, the teachers that taught the really young kids had the most fun and highest job satisfaction. So, who knows? Maybe if I don't end up at a public uni, I'll switch to the young ones if there is a demand for me there.

Isla Guapa · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:38 am Post subject:

Hi boomerexpat,

Another idea would be to work independently and look for adult students who are eager to improve their speaking skills and can afford to pay well for your time. I'm in my late 60s and mostly retired. I can live on my two modest pensions from the States but have chosen to supplement my income by taking on a few private students, all of whom come to my apartment for class. They're at least at an intermediate level and need to improve their English for work reasons. I enjoy working with them a great deal and learn as much from them as they do from me!

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

Isla Guapa · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 4:48 pm Post subject:

I wonder if there's any difference between what you call "coaching" and what I call "teaching".

Anyway, if you want to find out how to become authorized to work independently as an English teacher, check at your local INM office. When I moved to Mexico in 2007, I hired a lawyer to help me get an FM3 with permission to work as a free-lance teacher, but I have no idea how this is being done now. As far as finding students is concerned, I began in Mexico City by putting free ads on the internet at sites like segundamano, vivastreet and adoos. I also worked for a few months for a nice Canadian guy who has a business connecting teachers with prospective private students, mostly working adult professionals. I also found students the old-fashioned way, through friends and neighbors.