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| How do you feel about Semester 2? |
| S1 was a breeze and S2 is going to be the same |
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9% |
[ 1 ] |
| I learned a lot in S1 and I'm better prepared for S2 |
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27% |
[ 3 ] |
| Students - great. Resources poor |
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27% |
[ 3 ] |
| Resources - great. Students poor |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
| 18 more weeks and I'm outa here! |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
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| Total Votes : 11 |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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 Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:37 am Post subject: Newbies! How do you feel about Semester 2 coming up |
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A few months ago we talked about newbies starting their first semesters at public schools in September.
Have you learned anything?
Vote in the poll. |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:25 am Post subject: |
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Actually.....Resources - adequate, but on the poor side.
Students poor - likable, but rich kids who don't care and who have no discipline, either from self or from school.
I wish I could say I was the teacher who inspired them to do great things, but alas...... I have failed in this regard. School still likes me, though, but I don't find the job very rewarding. In fact, I loathe going in every day. The three week holiday that starts Friday is much needed. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:43 am Post subject: |
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| FT = Magic Bullet for bored, rich kids (and parents) who feel that English competence can be bought. |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:54 am Post subject: |
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| Non Sequitur wrote: |
| FT = Magic Bullet for bored, rich kids (and parents) who feel that English competence can be bought. |
Yes, I have been finding that out. And that reminds me - I was just told that public schools in China can deny kids entrance due to grades alone, which forces parents to put them into a private school. Yes, I know western public schools can do it as well, but only in extreme cases. Usually in US it's the other way around - kicked out of private school and forced to go to a public school.(unless a large donation is made, of course) |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:11 am Post subject: |
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| JoeKing wrote: |
| I was just told that public schools in China can deny kids entrance due to grades alone, which forces parents to put them into a private school. |
That's part of it but not all of it. Nobody is forced to put their kid into a private school for English or any other subject though. For the sake of clarity...it works like this...
Primary school is determined by where you live.
After that grades are used to determine which schools the student can apply to.
A student can still attend a better school than their grades allow BUT it will be much more costly for tuition and potentially mandatory 'gifts'.
Education is only compulsory up to middle school. |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:26 am Post subject: |
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| muffintop wrote: |
That's part of it but not all of it. Nobody is forced to put their kid into a private school for English or any other subject though. For the sake of clarity...it works like this...
Primary school is determined by where you live.
After that grades are used to determine which schools the student can apply to.
A student can still attend a better school than their grades allow BUT it will be much more costly for tuition and potentially mandatory 'gifts'.
Education is only compulsory up to middle school. |
Ok thanks - that makes more sense. I think in the case of at least some of my students, it was a combination of them flunking out of their previous school, and their parents being sold on the supposed "international" component of this school. |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:47 am Post subject: |
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What I find most confusing are the parents who try to send their kids abroad for University because their kids can't get into a halfway decent Uni in China due to poor performance on the GaoKao and not even money can help them anymore.
I don't follow the logic one bit.
Hey...my kid is a poor student. Let's send him to IELTS classes and/or private language schools so he can attend Uni in another country!! Let's ignore the fact that my kid was a piss poor student when being instructed in his native tongue and all he can say in English is 'Hello...Banana'. A few hours a week will have junior ready to learn at the Uni level in no time!!!
Anyway....back to the thread.... |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:07 am Post subject: |
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| muffintop wrote: |
What I find most confusing are the parents who try to send their kids abroad for University because their kids can't get into a halfway decent Uni in China due to poor performance on the GaoKao and not even money can help them anymore.
I don't follow the logic one bit.
Hey...my kid is a poor student. Let's send him to IELTS classes and/or private language schools so he can attend Uni in another country!! Let's ignore the fact that my kid was a piss poor student when being instructed in his native tongue and all he can say in English is 'Hello...Banana'. A few hours a week will have junior ready to learn at the Uni level in no time!!!
Anyway....back to the thread.... |
Yes, back to the thread(sorry Non Sequitur), but I have to say you have described my school and students to a tee, muffintop. And in the office across the hall from mine, there is a team of three telemarketers making calls to parents, trying to sell the program. I am not sure where they get their leads, but they are on the phone from 9 to 5, Monday through Saturday. |
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Mandrews1985
Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 69
Location: Daegu, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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Overall, I could of voted for any of the top 3 options but decided to go with great students, poor resources. After spending 2 and half years in Korea, I've been thinking what took me so long to get out!
I teach at a university here and S1 went really well, though I have learned a lot from it too, I have a better understanding of the needs of my students.
The book we use isn't terrible, but we have no AV equipment so it meant lugging my big laptop and speakers to class. During this winter break I have decided to pic up a lightweight netbook and mini projector to make it a little bit more interesting. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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Good points all.
I wonder if Chinese parents romantisise the process into an episode of the Lone Ranger?
Failing embattled town (our kid) surrounded by thugs. Chinese system that can't reveal the hidden prodigy (our kid), cue arrival of Lone Ranger (FT), 1xsemester of magic bullets (crappy 'pay to enter', 'dodge gao' course), equals peaceful town with grateful townsfolk (Ivy League degree).
Just needs a 'Who was that masked man? to round it off. |
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FreakingTea
Joined: 09 Jan 2013
Posts: 167
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| Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:50 am Post subject: |
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The third option applied, but I chose the second one. I improved a lot over the course of the first semester, and I have lots of ideas for improvement for the next one. On the last day I asked my students to write me a note with feedback, and some of the ideas were not bad.
I could say that the job isn't terribly challenging, as one could certainly slide by without much effort, but the job is what you make it. I'll probably do the same work next year (possibly in a different region), so I'm making it interesting by challenging myself to run the best uni oral English class I can. My students this past semester suffered from my inexperience, whether they cared or not, and I'm grateful to them.
I'm also thankful for this forum! |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:08 am Post subject: |
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Great attitude!
Good luck man. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Overall, I could of voted for any of the top 3 options |
Careful EFL teachers - - we want to make sure we are teaching the basics of English in the correct way! This is a VERY common mistake in American English I see all the time. It sounds like "could of" when spoken, so many people think that is exactly how it is spelled (could've = could have). Sorry to nitpick, but we don't want to teach them wrong . . . or do we?  |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 3:41 am Post subject: |
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| we don't want to teach them wrong . . . or do we? |
I think I can safely say that nobody WANTS to, but.......
I'm with ya, though, kev7161. I addressed this on "Off-Topic" a while back ("Typos and Misspellings"); the gist of it was "We're teachers, for cryin' out loud!".
Okay, we've vented. |
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