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Guerciotti
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 842
Location: In a sleazy bar killing all the bad guys.
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 Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:55 am Post subject: |
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| Shroob wrote: |
| Non Sequitur wrote: |
Vikeologist has touched on a solution which seems to have been overlooked by others.
That is balancing up over the whole academic year.
OP seems to be talking about his/her Spring Semester load.
Assuming he/she was on the staff for the previous semester could we find out what the workload was then? |
Worked more than other teachers then as well. |
Sorry to hear that. Same here, including the writing classes. Like Miles, I also prepare for classes, so I'm darn busy, but seriously what else is there to do but work? We should be grateful! 
Shroob: My uni has the same large disparity in class loads not explained by 'luck of the draw'.
As said before, there is a big difference in what class you teach. I don't get the Listening or Movie classes which amount to showing up to operate the equipment. Is it true there is no rest for the wicked? I must be wicked.
Here is a thought that might sound crazy: Stop preparing for class, thus classes will be less effective and interesting and the students won't like the teacher much, so the students give the teacher lower grades and negative comments and the teacher is not 'popular' and well liked any longer therefore the department decides to give him less classes!
Is this whole situation a conundrum, a dilemma, or both? And can I make an oral English lesson out of this?
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Shroob
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 1339
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:54 am Post subject: |
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| Miles Smiles wrote: |
| xiguagua wrote: |
| [ 20 classes a week is still a very lax schedule, calm down a bit. |
Gee, I wish I could handle 20 hours a week. Fifteen hours in China is my max because I plan, and I create content for the class. Testing on a regular basis would be sheer h3ll if one has 20 hours. Add a writing class in the mix, and that's a nightmare for someone teaching in a public college or university.
Perhaps if one is in a school with top students, twenty hours may be less drudgery, but if one teaches at a bottom rung uni or college, it can be awful. I've taught 18-20 hours at both types of institutions. |
I agree, I spend a lot of time planning the lessons (I have more than one type of lesson also), planning and creating resources takes time. The coursebook provided isn't geared towards, 'Oral English', perhaps 1/4 of the book is useful, so I have to add, adapt and edit the material provided.
| Guerciotti wrote: |
Here is a thought that might sound crazy: Stop preparing for class, thus classes will be less effective and interesting and the students won't like the teacher much, so the students give the teacher lower grades and negative comments and the teacher is not 'popular' and well liked any longer therefore the department decides to give him less classes! |
I spend hours each week preparing lessons (granted I am fairly new so will spend more time than an experience teacher). You may have something in that suggestion..... but I don't think my ethics would allow me to do that 
One reason why I plan lessons so religiously is that I know my Chinese work experience won't be seen as that useful to European employers, so if I at least 'keep on the ball', I'll hopefully be able to have an easier transition if I do move to Europe. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:54 am Post subject: |
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Shroob you are being put upon.
If you re-sign for another year, you should have some understanding about hours pw.
There are enough tensions in the job without feeling that you are carrying more of the burden than you should. |
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Miles Smiles
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1294
Location: Heebee Jeebee
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a thought that might sound crazy: Stop preparing for class, thus classes will be less effective and interesting and the students won't like the teacher much, so the students give the teacher lower grades and negative comments and the teacher is not 'popular' and well liked any longer therefore the department decides to give him less classes!
Guerciotti, I'd report you to the Slacker Police for giving out privileged trade secrets, but I know that they'd never show up because they're too busy with their X Boxes.  |
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Miles Smiles
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1294
Location: Heebee Jeebee
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Non Sequitur wrote: |
Shroob you are being put upon.
If you re-sign for another year, you should have some understanding about hours pw.
There are enough tensions in the job without feeling that you are carrying more of the burden than you should. |
I don't think that the Chinese administrators OR CTs feel as you do. Being a hard-working, effective teacher is a thankless job in China. |
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Beijing2012
Joined: 05 Mar 2012
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Shroob wrote: |
Ok, thanks for the advice and reassurance. I thought I may be being a little too paranoid.
The other teachers all teach 'oral English', only one teacher is with a different department. |
You also mentioned that you teach different subjects, what kind of English do you teach and what subjects? Just curious as I am trying to learn the differences between different ESL positions that are available. |
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MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:47 am Post subject: |
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| I spend maybe 3-4 hours a week planning my classes, and most of that is for my business English class. I don't really see how it could take more than an hour (really half an hour) to plan a 1.5 hour oral English lesson, unless you just started teaching. As for tests, I give interview tests, since it is Oral English. They get interviewed twice a semester. This takes 0 time outside of class, and is also good because they cannot cheat on this test. Some of you must just like making work for yourself. |
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Guerciotti
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 842
Location: In a sleazy bar killing all the bad guys.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:41 am Post subject: |
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| Miles Smiles wrote: |
Here is a thought that might sound crazy: Stop preparing for class, thus classes will be less effective and interesting and the students won't like the teacher much, so the students give the teacher lower grades and negative comments and the teacher is not 'popular' and well liked any longer therefore the department decides to give him less classes!
Guerciotti, I'd report you to the Slacker Police for giving out privileged trade secrets, but I know that they'd never show up because they're too busy with their X Boxes. |
That and I would bribe them with green tea, baijiu and cigarettes. Instant guanxi for me, thus you cannot stop this iconoclast!
@ Beijing2012 - You might teach oral English, listening, reading, writing, movie class, and or "Western Cultures", among other things. Most of the text books are useless or nearly useless.
@ MrButtkins - We can't all be Rick James cool like you. You are my hero.
Now I spend most of my prep time on the writing class. When I started I had no help from any direction and I spent hours on prep, possibly the same situation as Shroob. Jiminy cut him some slack he's obviously being put upon by his school. I give him credit for caring to do a good job. 20 classes per week is too much unless you read straight out of the text book.
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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Oral English classes are certainly the least hassle as far as prep time goes. Having all OE is bliss as you really only do one lesson plan per week and once you're into your 2nd or subsequent year you have your resources at hand. I do my planning on Sunday morning and with Oral English I would never take more than an hour.
As you get different class sizes they don't all roll forward in unison from week to week but they are largely in synch. |
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