Job Discussion Forums

[thechangling]

[Guerciotti]

[nimadecaomei]

I was at a Sino-British place, it was horrible. Students were there cause they failed or did poorly on the gaokao. There were some exceptional students, but the majority just bogged down the teachers.

Now teach elsewhere, and students who get a low mark on something care. Winter time and reading, causes some to sleep (can't blame them too much). I told them I will not wake them, instead I will deduct points every five minutes of their nap time. Their classmates have been good at waking them.

[thechangling]

At my most recent college in Wuhan, cellphone use by students in class was so rampant that virtually nobody bothered to pay attention to my classes (both oral and listening) at all. The entire school was like that because I asked other foreign and Chinese teachers during my 2.5 year stay.
I tried many solutions and the only thing that worked effectively was to ban cellphones from entering the classroom at all. When this happened, an amazing thing happened.....students actually paid attention and participated in class!
However the FAO accused and threatened me over my rigid cellphone policy so I recently departed said institution. The owner of the school wants to keep students 'happy' so the $$$ keeps rolling in is my interpretation. Do any of you guys have/had this problem at schools you teach at and how have you dealt with it?

[nimadecaomei]

Electronic devices are prohibited in all classrooms where I am, unless specifically needed. One student has been banned from any electronics, due to his addiction to them.

They are generally prohibited, but in the international department can be sometimes used. Sucks for the rest of the student body. Outside of the international department: no phones, computers, tablets, or anything are allowed.

[rocket man]

I'm at an "International High School Program" for Chinese kids that is utter hell and its because of the students that is the main reason why I'm leaving this job in 2 weeks at the end of the semester.

First despite this being a "dual diploma" program with half of the courses being taught in English a vast majority of the students lack the basic English skills to handle the material. Parents are suckered into paying top RMB thinking this program will get their kid into a "top 30" US university, they will be lucky to get into a community college in the US. One teacher told me last winter he was interviewing prospective students on their English skills and told the admin that several didn't have the skill to cut it and was shocked to see them enrolled.

Second is the utter and complete lack of discipline here. Students do pretty much anything they want and get away with it, skipping class (going to the "clinic" is a biggie here) sneaking off campus, talking back to teachers you name it. There is supposed to be a no cell phone policy, I catch them with one and try and take it away (same with them using a laptop when I tell them not to) and they will literally physically fight you to keep it. Try and send a student to the office, they refuse to go saying "I paid for this class" ignoring basic classroom instructions, even had a kid when he decided to walk out of class throw a shoulder into me. NOTHING HAPPENED TO HIM!!!!!

Most of the teachers here are very frustrated, and wont come back for year two an excellent academic director who had worked with the Chinese head before and brought in back in September has pretty much had it surprised he hasn't quit

I don't know what has gotten into these kids, maybe its them being treated like little princes/princesses by their parents and have this sense of entitlement. It may also be the greedy Chinese management that just wants the parents money so basically the kids run these places now.

If I stay in China, I'll take less money and teach university, have friends there who say its far less stressful that a high school. I believe them

[nimadecaomei]

Sounds bad rocket man. Hopefully, the next position will be better.

Where I am, there is quite a bit of competition to get in. If a student acts up and gets called out there are about 100 others waiting to get in.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

"...I don't know what has gotten into these kids, maybe its them being treated like little princes/princesses by their parents and have this sense of entitlement..."

It IS the feeling of entitlement among many students.

It exists not only in China but in the U.S. as well. I landed a job at an exclusive private school in my home town in the U.S.. I lasted three months. I walked out of the school and never looked back. The problems that FTs describe in this forum about Chinese private schools exist everywhere. The FTs in China face greater problems in walking away because of the language barrier, the contract, and the distance from their home towns.

Administrations know what the problems are but they are hog tied. If they tell Johnny's parents that their kid is a miserable little jerk, they'll yank him out of school and put him somewhere else. To keep enrollment high, the administration has to keep the parents and the child happy at the expense of the kids who want to learn and at the expense of the teacher.

[Volver]

I work a