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QatarChic
Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 445
Location: Qatar
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 Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:51 am Post subject: |
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Bindair dundat ...good to see that your problem has been resolved. It's like what others have ben saying on this thread...people often dismiss how decent people can be in this part of the world...road rage for example is on the increase in the UK, people stabbing others over a minor accident etc....it's crazy!  |
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Bindair Dundat
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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| QatarChic wrote: |
| Bindair dundat ...good to see that your problem has been resolved. It's like what others have ben saying on this thread...people often dismiss how decent people can be in this part of the world...road rage for example is on the increase in the UK, people stabbing others over a minor accident etc....it's crazy! |
Just read an interesting letter to the editor in the paper today. This should make all of you ME vets chuckle. Check it out:
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=51475&version=1&template_id=46&parent_id=26 |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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What used to annoy me was when you were being served in a shop and a Qatari would drive up outside the shop and start beeping his horn. At this point the shop assistant would stop serving you and run out to see what he wanted  |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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Not to mention the little darlings in our classrooms. You would be working with Abdullah, and Mohammed across the room would start with 'miss... miss...' - and obviously expected me to drop Abdullah mid assist to rush over to his side. It happened in every country that I taught in... They seemed to have no concept of the idea that when teacher is done with student X, you put up your hand and she deals with you in order. It's always ME FIRST... DROP EVERYTHING AND GET OVER HERE!!
The male students were much worse about this than the females - and much slower to learn that it didn't work with me.
As to queue jumping, (not to mention the rugby scrums at places like the windows at the motor vehicle department), there may be some advantage to being female here. Since there is a cultural acceptance of women going to the front of a queue - to get her finished and out ASAP - I could normally win a 'me first' contest with a male local. In a head-to-head with a local woman, I'd probably bow out of the contest. 
VS
Last edited by veiledsentiments on Mon Sep 05, 2005 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 958
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject: Queues |
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Yes, what dmb describes used to get me too. You're standing there getting served and a big Land-Cruiser pulls up outside. The assistant tending to you drops everything and runs outside to attend to the bevehicled (invariably Qatari) sitting outside.
One evening, when this happened, I asked the Indian shop assistant why he did this, in a strong tone of indignation. He replied matter-of-factly "Well, Sir, he got served not because he's Qatari, but because he beeped from his car and therefore he gets priority. If you beebed instead of coming in, you would get priority too. This is the protocol, you see".
I laughed and he laughed! Next time, I sat in my car and beeped, and IT WORKED...the shop assistant ran out immediately!! So, now you know......  |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| would start with 'miss... miss...' |
They may have called me a lot of things, but never 'miss' . But VS i used to get 'teacher teacher'
Sometimes(when I knew management weren't on site(often)) There would be 10 minutes of the lesson to go on a Thursday afternoon. I'd say ok finish this exercise and you can go. Most wouldn't but when the one dilligent student did finish it and I let him leave early. Total shock. I would then get get complete silience for a couple of minutes-bliss, then the more able would be able to go. However, in trying to enforce the rule' you can't leave until it is correct' I'd be there later than usual, there were always a few who couldn't copy properly. |
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QatarChic
Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 445
Location: Qatar
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah it does happen here- not always but it happens |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:54 am Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
| Quote: |
| would start with 'miss... miss...' |
They may have called me a lot of things, but never 'miss' . But VS i used to get 'teacher teacher' |
Well, all of my students were able to tell a male from a female teacher. Actually I never allowed them to call me 'teacher.' For some reason, that became one of my pet peeves. When they did, I called them 'student.' Interestingly, they didn't like that either and quickly learned NOT to call me 'teacher.' |
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QatarChic
Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 445
Location: Qatar
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:12 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Actually I never allowed them to call me 'teacher.' For some reason, that became one of my pet peeves. When they did, I called them 'student.' Interestingly, they didn't like that either and quickly learned NOT to call me 'teacher.' |
Yeah I tried that too VS - worked wonders!  |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| I tried it too, they just thought it was funny! |
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PatGund
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 17
Location: Doha, Qatar
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| Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:03 am Post subject: Re: Queues |
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[quote="Bebsi"]Yes, what dmb describes used to get me too. You're standing there getting served and a big Land-Cruiser pulls up outside.[/quote]
And here I thought it was just that a requirement to own and operate a Land Cruiser here was that you had to leave several important frontal lobes at the registration desk.... |
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Bindair Dundat
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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| QatarChic wrote: |
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Actually I never allowed them to call me 'teacher.' For some reason, that became one of my pet peeves. When they did, I called them 'student.' Interestingly, they didn't like that either and quickly learned NOT to call me 'teacher.' |
Yeah I tried that too VS - worked wonders! |
Works well for me, too. These days they are all calling me "Mr. Dundat".
I find the university-age students quite amenable to learning new behaviors, but I have to make my expectations explicit and be consistent, which requires self-discipline on my part.
Unfortunately, classroom management was not treated in any detail in my master's courses, perhaps because my U. profs didn't have the issues to deal with that we do out in the real world. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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I think MA courses should have an elective module "teaching in the ME"
Now, there is an idea for you long timers. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Bindair Dundat wrote: |
Works well for me, too. These days they are all calling me "Mr. Dundat". |
Goodness, except for the few students who had already studied overseas, they were very uncomfortable with "Ms Sentiments." It was always "Ms Veiled." Eventually I got used to it.
But just like with all 'kids' (and they are still kids in so many ways), consistency is the key. Teaching them the 'culture' of the academic classroom was also a skill that takes new teachers awhile to learn.
Even if the MA programs won't pick it up as a course, the employers should think about it.
VS |
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