Job Discussion Forums

[mandu]

I teach english in a kindergarten i enjoy teaching 2-6yr olds.I work in a nice kindergarten the teachers are nice the principle is nice and she communicates with me.

I concider myself to be good with this age group of children,as Im not only a teacher,but a friend a care giver a father a brother etc all rolled into one.my back ground is childcare which i used to do in new zealand.

BUT what i find very very sad is that the children i teach have nothing to play with,no puzzles,no dress up clothes,no baby dolls for role play,and the lack of educational toys.the teachers dont really sit down and do activities with the children.no sand pit,no water play,no wood work nothing.most toys in the class rooms are cheap plastic toys that break almost on the 1st time you use them.most of the children cant or dont know how to use sissors.i feel that the children miss out on so much,when it comes to useing large motor skills and fine motor skills.they are not taught to be individulas,or even to clean up after playing. i find all this to be such a shame.

In china iam an english teacher thats what Im paid to do.i go into class do the best i can.but after i have finished my class its all chinese again.we are using a book,but whats the point to all this if know one else reviews the book with them at home or during the day.and yet the parents expect so much from there children of 3 or 4yrs of age.
this is what i see but i cant really do much about it its not new zealand its china

does anyone else that works in a kindergarten see the same things i do or feel the same way?????

one more thing i disagree with smacking the children and i have seen a teacher pick up 2 children and throw them across the floor.all because they were talking in one of my classes

[august03]

I teach 10 classes per week at the kindergarten attached to the Primary School I work for. Your school must be pretty hard up for resources, my kids have everything !! I see the same kids twice a week, on top of that their Chinese teachers teach them English every day. They have 2 English activity books (they use Playway to English), must heaps of flash cards, VCDs, tapes etc to keep them entertained.

They have lots of toys in their rooms and they are always making things and playing outside in numerous activities. They are also quite disciplined and I find it easy to use the activity books because the children can cut and paste, colour and draw, I do have a Chinese teacher in the room thought to help out if the kids can't understand.

I find out of all the children I have taught, the kindy kids seem to get the most out of having a foreign teacher. They can be loud at times, but they give so much and seem to really enjoy the classes. I'm not sure what you can do in your situation, you can only try to make your classes fun and educational and perhaps the local teachers can learn from you.

[Roger]

Kindergarten teaching was my most memorable experience. I know what you feel, and I can sympathise with you.
My kindergarten had well-appointed classrooms which were playrooms that doubled as classrooms complete with a white board, a TV monitor and ion some classes even an overhead projector.
It is true, however, there were few toys around. There were some objects of obvious educational interest, including some show pieces of science, mechani8cal devices, electric apparatuses - almost like in a secondary school.
Unfortunately, Chinese kindergartens are too rigid and regimented. Parents and "educationalists" don't understand the concept of kindergartens as a socialising experience prior to school life. For them, it is an opportunity to put their kids scholastically a couple of years ahead of regular primary school pupils.

However, anyone who observes those little kids notices at once they have a strong urge to move around. They can't sit still. Thus, putting them through regular classes is a torture. Their attention span also is still rather short.

I never thought that frontal classroom teaching is suitable for a kindergarten. You must take a hand asking them to repeat in action and in words.
I enjoyed my lessons hugely. I taught them physical exercises, drawing, writing and playing in groups.
And my classes were a success. Then again, I was lucky. Parents had to put up with my leadership. I accepted no advice from them.

[Guest]

You can just imagine what I have seen after over 12 months of visiting an Orphanage!

I am told that the Chinese people think toys are "unnecessary" and simply "clutter the room up".

I have taken over 500 toys to the Orphanage over the past year - the expensive ones go home with the workers, of that I am certain and the others are hidden away in high cupboards and brought out only when there are visitors or film crews in the vicinity.

They really hate stuffed "fluffy" animals as they claim they harbour GERMS. I find this amusing as they have no problem in transferring one bottle of milk to 6 different mouths. The retarded babies get whatever milk is left over - and so they are half starved most of the time.

I had better shut up as I have just been reinstated and I do not wish to get kicked out again. How can I help these little scraps of humanilty if I cannot even get into the bl***y place!

[Long ai gu]

The Chinese are taught to be good little soldiers - obey and keep your mouth shut right from the word go. The ignorance in the educational system here would blow the minds of most westerners. It's about control, the Communist goverment is about controlling the people, keeping them stupid so they can continue in their corrupt ways of making money from these people as they get older. Students in schools are just dollar signs, I have seen this far too often. Some schools may be different, but a great deal of them care only about the money being drawn to the school by it's pupils. They will look good for the media when they come to visit, then back to the harsh reality when they leave. We as foreign teachers must do our best to help this situation, don't sit and watch it happen with your mouth shut--DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Don't be afraid of losing your job, it's the biggest employee's market in the world. Don't be afraid of the Chinese, there are different rules for you. They don't want any international incidences at the moment, they are trying to enter the modern world of western countries and don't need negative publicity. Why are you here? Do what you feel you have to to make things right.