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Sadken
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341
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 Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 4:21 pm Post subject: The characteristics of your average English teacher |
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I am off to Japan in the next couple of months and the long, skint English winter months are giving me a lot of time to build expectations of each and every little aspect of the experience I am about to have.
I have noticed on this site that a great number of the posters are, how can I put this, complete moaning killjoy *beep*. I wonder if I am actually going to get on with a lot of the people I meet. I know that this profession, like any other, is going to be a mixed bag and, of course (hopefully), I will make a lot of great friends but I wonder if you could just sum up the average teacher's personality in three words what woudl those words be? |
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Chris_Crossley
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 1797
Location: Still in the centre of Furnace City, PRC, after eight years!!!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: The characteristics of your average English teacher |
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| Sadken wrote: |
| I wonder if I am actually going to get on with a lot of the people I meet. I know that this profession, like any other, is going to be a mixed bag and, of course (hopefully), I will make a lot of great friends but I wonder if you could just sum up the average teacher's personality in three words, what [would] those words be? |
Getting on with people very much depends upon both your own personality and that of your fellow expats. Each to his own. You may find that some people will get on wonderfully well with you and/or you may find that some people will want to give you a wide berth because you are "not one of us/the boys/the girls", etc, etc.
As for the "average" teacher, I would say that such a person doesn't really exist. I think it would be fair to talk in terms of a "typical" teacher inasmuch as he or she might have "typical" habits and personality traits. In my three years of experience in China, a "typical" personality of a fellow expat teacher would be:
REFLECTIVE (because expat teachers almost always want to talk openly about anything interesting - or disastrous - that happened in the classroom and to hear what their fellows have to say);
SYMPATHETIC (because they can almost always identify with situations both inside and outside the classroom that you are in, even if they may not have been in that situation themselves); and
FUN-LOVING (because they can always go out on a Friday night and a Saturday night and have a good time away from their schools, the only time when they can let their hair down - at least if they are still single!).
Bear in mind that these are traits which I have seen much in evidence amongst many of my former and current colleagues. Not all of them have been or are necessarily reflective, sympathetic and fun-loving, because I have known people who don't really care all that much about teaching. However, most expat teachers I have met have been honest, decent people and I have got on well with those who wanted to get on with others.
Having good people around you when you (as a group of teachers) may be the only expats around (especially in a place where expats are a rare sight) is vitally important, and, perhaps more than anything else, it will be your fellow expats who will provide you with more to talk about when it comes to telling your family and friends back home interesting anecdotes about your experiences overseas, rather than the teaching itself. |
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Sadken
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, I think "typical" is much better actually. |
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Rice Paddy Daddy
Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| is there an 'average' English teacher? |
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ls650
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 6:45 pm Post subject: Re: The characteristics of your average English teacher |
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| Sadken wrote: |
| I wonder if you could just sum up the average teacher's personality in three words what woudl those words be? |
I've seen an enormous variety in the personalities of the various teachers that I've worked with. I don't think it's possible to summarize them in just three words. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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| It is difficult to choose 3 words. It's like asking to use 3 words to describe the average 'human' |
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Seth
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 575
Location: in exile
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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| it depends on what kind of country you go to, i suppose. in china you tend to get the extremes since china is rather unregulated and chaotic. on the one hand you get daft weirdos who couldn't get a real job teaching somewhere else and go there for the easy jobs and the (supposedly) easy women. on the other, you get people who are fascinated by chinese culture and language (although that tends to wear off after a few months!) and don't mind sweating it out in a 3rd world country for little money. |
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Sadken
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| To dmb and ls650 I have to say "try harder". Why can't you be more like that other lad? |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:23 am Post subject: |
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I wonder if I am actually going to get on with a lot of the people I meet.
To dmb and ls650 I have to say "try harder". Why can't you be more like that other lad?
You may want to lower your expectations a little. I think ". . . in three words" is too difficult to describe the vast array of FTs. They are of every age, race, sex (and sexual orientation), background, interests, and personality type (from Alpha males and females to solitary "I-just-came-here-to-teach" types). I'm sure you will find those that match your interests and personality - - unless you are very demanding on what kind of friend you want. |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:27 am Post subject: |
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| There may be differences between where you teach. The Big 4 schools in big cities, probably attract a younger more of a partying-type of teacher, whereas the smaller schools in rural areas, probably have older teachers. Big generalization of course. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 2:43 am Post subject: |
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Sadken,
I can think of two ways to answer your question.
1. Agreeing with some of the others, there is no typical English teacher here, but perhaps if you narrowed it down to a specific type of teacher, you might get a clarification.
That is, are you talking about the 6000 JET ALTs, or some of the other ALTs, or the eikaiwa people, or those working FT in high schools or universities, or people who have managed to just string together tons of PT work and/or private lessons?
2. Another way to help answer your question (specifically this part)
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| I wonder if I am actually going to get on with a lot of the people I meet |
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is to ask what type of person you are. Then, we can see if you fit in with a certain crowd or not. |
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anthyp
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 1320
Location: Chicago, IL USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 7:30 am Post subject: |
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| Sadken wrote: |
| I wonder if you could just sum up the average teacher's personality in three words what woudl those words be? |
All right here we go:
Crazy drunken fucks.
You may interpret that third one any way you like, all of them would be applicable.
But seriously, don't go with any expectations of what Japan will be like, or the people you meet there -- because once you get there, you will probably have to throw them all out anyway. At least that's how it seems to work for China.
I am lucky enough to be living (stuck?) in this little city with two other foreigners who are both cool people. But we are all very different people. I think it's kind of silly to try and summarize the personality of all the teachers you've met abroad, anyway.
Relax and good luck! |
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Sadken
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 7:58 am Post subject: |
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egad.
Last edited by Sadken on Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sadken
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 341
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
2. Another way to help answer your question (specifically this part)
| Quote: |
| I wonder if I am actually going to get on with a lot of the people I meet |
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is to ask what type of person you are. Then, we can see if you fit in with a certain crowd or not. |
I am a smashing lad with so much love to give. I am a really hoopy kind of frood. |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:48 am Post subject: Re: The characteristics of your average English teacher |
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| Sadken wrote: |
| I wonder if I am actually going to get on with a lot of the people I meet. I know that this profession, like any other, is going to be a mixed bag and, of course (hopefully), I will make a lot of great friends but I wonder if you could just sum up the average teacher's personality in three words what woudl those words be? |
I don't spend much time with foreign EFL teachers. I don't think it's common for foreign EFL teachers to hang out with other foreign EFL teachers that much where I'm located. We are few and far between, so there's not a lot of opportunity to meet each other. I work with two, but I hardly ever see them when I'm away from the work place. I've met a few others in the city where I live, but I don't hang out with any of them. Most that I've met seemed like decent, friendly, independent types who were interested in meeting local people and exploring the culture. |
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