Job Discussion Forums

[GreatApe]

Didah wrote:

[Bud Powell]

If your licensed to teach English in public schools, you can get a job in one of the better paying bridge programs that prepare Chinese students to study in America or other English speaking countries.

I'd approach such programs with trepidation. I taught at one school teaching IELTS writing. The students were supposedly preparing for further study abroad. Six weeks into the course, I surveyed the class to see who really intended to go abroad. NONE intended to study abroad. The classes were small, and the student behavior was good, hours, apartment, and pay were great, but the students weren't as advertised. Their English abilities were minimal.

If money is the consideration, you should look into such programs, but BE SURE to work for a reputable school, a school that is known. Otherwise, you could find yourself thrown to the dogs as I was.

If working with engaging, engaged students is the major consideration, a large-ish university with a comprehensive English program will fill the bill. I've been away from two such schools for many years, and I still get emails from students announcing their marriage, births, promotions, etc..

Re: family life and student behavior. In the U.S., this is generally true: the kids are no better than the family in which they were raised.

Don't confuse family affluence with family life, though (especially in the case of the late Gen Y and millenial generation. ) I worked for a private high school several years ago that was considered one of the best in my home city. I walked out of the school after three months. The kids ribbed me because they drove better automobiles than I did. They did no homework. They didn't study. One kid was always late for class (it was a first period class). I was forbidden to talk to school counselors about students (wtf?). These kids had everything and more than anyone would ever want, yet most of them were doomed to failure in their lives because they never had to do without.

On the other hand, I worked in inner city schools where there were dope dealers all over, rampant crime, prostitution, etc. Sometimes, the kids lived in single-parent home in which the mother worked 10-12 hours. The majority of those kids were minorities, and despite the adversity in their lives, they were absolute sweethearts compared to the numps in the affluent private school.

[Didah]

Bud,
I agree that the school and program has to be reputable. I started teaching in a big urban inner city school district. The behavior really got in the way of the learning. The parent demographic was similar to yours. Lots of single mother families in poverty. It is challenging to get these kids to see that there is a different way of life. In China and many other countries, discipline and comportment are not an issue that gets in the way of learning.

[GreatApe]

Bud Powell wrote:

[Bud Powell]

[wonderingjoesmith]

Behavioral issues in classrooms may be related to a variety of problems; one of them is an inadequate teacher-student, head teacher-student, director-student communication, another is unreasonable scheduling and short notices. There are a few other culpable practices of schools that result in poor classroom discipline and the parent-school cooperation is a big one too. Bottom line is that if you know the source, you'll more likely be able to deal with it. However and this seems to be common around, scapegoats are sought, when the source of problems is high up there. Keep your eyes open to dodge a bullet, if worst comes to worst.

[doogsville]

I find the biggest demotivating factor for my uni students is that they didn't have any say whatsoever in choosing their major. Their Gaokao scores determine what little choice of subjects they are presented with, and their parents and aunts and uncles take it from there. Most of them are told they will study a major that is deemed likely to end in a 'good job', which means well paid, by Chinese standards.

A lot of them have little or no interest in the subject chosen for them, so they find it hard to motivate themselves to do anything other than memorise the information necessary to pass the exam. Add to that the fact that a lot of their Chinese teachers are as, and sometimes more, bored than they are, and you have claustrophobic swamp of inertia and disinterest.

That's where I come in though. I use a mixture of skill, humour and browbeating to help them to understand that anything they learn can be used as a saleable skill/commodity in the future. I think the hardest thing for them to grasp is that the knowledge learned in the school system, especially in the tertiary system, is often useless at the point of sale, but can be stored and sold on at a later date. What really can motivate many of them (sadly IMO) is the mention of money, so I return often to the subject of 'learn it now, get paid for it later'.

I've never had any discipline problems to speak of, just boredom and a tiredness so deep that they really can't keep their eyes open in the class.

[MrWright]

Sounds not perfect, but way better than here. I don't expect or want perfection. I can deal with some laziness, it's just the disrespect and disruptive behavior that has burned me out. These bridge schools sound good. Did I read that right? 25,000 per month? Holy ****!! Is that normal? How about teaching History or Biology in those schools? Those are my subjects here. And I know, I can go for the international school scene. Just doesn't appeal to me. Sounds too similar to here, and the good ones expect A LOT. I'm looking to downgrade my stress. No job is ideal, and all have their frustrations. To be honest, the uni gig there sounds pretty good to me. But I'm definitely interested in these bridge schools. What can I google to find out more. When I did, I mostly found sites about actual bridges, haha.

[Bud Powell]

"...Behavioral issues in classrooms may be related to a variety of problems; one of them is an inadequate teacher-student, head teacher-student, director-student communication..."

Agreed. In my cited example, I had a "work leader" who seemed to undermine my efforts at every turn. He started off by giving out teachers' answer keys to the text book, and I suspect that he was behind the test shenanigan.

I probably should moderate my rebuttal to Didah. The problems that I've encountered in China are nothing compared to some of the problems I've encountered in the states. The "near riot" situation was a one-time occurrence (though a bad attitude was common among about half of the students).. For the most part the most common problem I've encountered is the occasional classroom sleeper, and I suspect that most of those kids are exhausted. I don''t make a big deal out of it because with the exception of a few kids who are video game addicts, the sleepers are good students. The vast majority of my students display no behavioral problems. For the most part, I look forward to class.

So, yeah, in Universities, behavior isn't usually a hindrance to the learning process. The cheating among non-English majors can be really annoying, but when i get a class like that I pretty much look the other way. The cheaters wind up failing the final test, so it all evens out.

[whimsical1]

MrWright, I am glad you started this thread. It was good reading for me. I am counting the minutes until I am done this school year. Middle school, 7th grade.. their most hated subject - mine (science). When I taught 6th, I could reteach to get rid of the "science is dumb" beliefs. In 7th grade, they are too busy proving how nasty they can be to the teacher.

Not expecting perfection, but a change would be great.

Can't wait to get there, chewy air and all!

PS. I'm back! My account is fixed! Dave is terrific.

[choudoufu]

one of our teachers was recently sent to the usa to teach for a year,
in a small community very close to chicago. (yikes!)

she was confused at first....didn't understand the concept.......
the bright red button on the teacher's desk is the panic button to call
the police in an emergency.....

[NoBillyNO]

[MrWright]

I feel ya whimisal1. I'm teaching 9th grade science this year and absolutely hate it. I teach in South Phoenix. Let's just say it's not the safest area, but there are worse. But I've taught in affluent areas too, and they have their own set of problems, although they usually don't include violence. In both places though the American student, with some exceptions, is an academic train wreck, and we get blamed. Even though I'm "qualified" to teach science on paper, in reality Bio is the only one I'm fairly proficient at, but my degree is in History. So English will be fine, thank you. Not that I know much now about teaching it, so I have a lot to learn. But I will learn. I'm debating if I should take a tefl cert course. I probably should, just to get me started. Then I might do an MATESOL online. We'll see. Don't get me wrong, by thxgiving I love most of my kids, and they love me, but that doesn't mean they won't fling attitude if I call them out on something, or are any more willing to do work. A student today had on t-shirt that said it all. It had snoopy lying on the ground watching television. It said "Hard Work Never Hurt Anyone, But Why Take The Chance". Exactly. Steep hill to climb, and my legs are toast.

[wonderingjoesmith]

[Bud Powell]

I work colleges and universities, and so far, I haven't encountered standardized tests. The CTs may have then, but I'm free to do as i please.
I'll NEVER submit to a standardized test. It's ruining the American educational system.