Job Discussion Forums

[thrifty]

"If you download teacher hand book please click ." (sic)

You have got to read this-it is priceless.

http://www.englishtime.com/downloads/TeacherHandbook2006.pdf

[url][/url]

[Kodak]

I am guessing you have to be an ESL 'Veteran' to get it. I don't understand what's funny about it

[TeachEnglish]

Kudos to English Time to have a handbook.. how many of these places don't have the nerve to print one.. or courage to put what they promise in writing..

[FGT]

Having assisted in the writing of a teachers� handbook I was curious to read this and, on the whole, I was impressed. However, I have a few comments/queries:

1) What is a �valley girl�?

2) Students cannot teach if �they are hungover and reeking of alcohol�. What if it�s only one or the other rather than both?

3) Re new grammar: �ask if they have questions about it before moving on. If most students get it and one is stuck, work with that student after class instead of hanging up the whole class�.
a) It depends how you ask the question - �do you understand?� usually brings forth a positive response or no answer at all, whereas concept check q�s�..
b) In my experience, if one student voices a lack of understanding it�s always worth going over things again with the whole class as there are usually others who were too shy to speak up.

4) I question the value of students reading aloud other than on rare occasions - they are not good modals of the language for the others and no other student is getting speaking practice at this time.

5) The writer obviously thinks highly of �co-operation activities� as these are gone into at length on, I think, 4 occasions. Perhaps �communication� would be preferable?

6) Teachers �took composition at university�, did they? I didn�t. That was something I learned at primary school. At university we were expected to be fully competent in the essay process.

7) �When the student gets the writing back, it should have the teacher�s comments all over it�. Should it? In what colour? Is it a good thing to always highlight mistakes?

In the exam/quiz section: �The student didn�t do his homework yet� is marked as wrong. Forgive a limey, but I thought that was OK in US English?

9) Also in the exam section: �We gave they to the man� warrants 1 point. Why? It�s blatantly wrong. Knowing the pronoun is plural is not enough when the question is obviously testing subject/object pronouns.

10) Now a test of my biblical knowledge connected to the explanation of Kurban Bayrami - Was there a �ram in the burning bush�? I thought MOSES encountered a burning bush, and ABRAHAM a ram?

11) Is the plural of bus �busses�?

12) Is there an English word �pension� that describes a place to stay? I know the French, Italian and Turkish are all very similar but I always thought the English equivalent was B & B or boarding house etc. �Pension� in French is common in the UK but should be in inverted commas.

13) Re lojman: A curfew!!!! The use and keeping of alcohol is forbidden??? What, not even a can of Efes in the fridge??

14) There is a lot of information about border runs. It is understood that these are conducted in the teacher�s own time. I didn�t see any reference to expenses, presumably the school covers that?

I realise that this has become something of a rant, I�m sure I�ve left myself open to criticism. I repeat that overall I was impressed but think the document was somewhat too long, as is this post!!

PS Why does the number eight appear as a smiley? I've never used one in my life and had no intention of starting now. I tried to remove it but failed.

[thrifty]

I especially liked the FAQ section. In particular the question:

Can you work on a tourist visa?

The answer was technically no but the government turns a blind eye!

I was disappointed that there was no mention off teachers "seeing" students or did I miss it.

An deliberate oversight was of course that you cannot work on just a residence permit.

[yaramaz]

The number 8 is a smiley because to get the icon of smiley with sunglasses, the code is 8 )

[molly farquharson]

thank you all so much for your comments. if you would like to revise it, please let me know and you can take it over. btw, we posted it on the web because it was too big to send out. we are trying to inform the teachers as much as possible-- so that is something we should not do? that's what is so great on this forum-- damned if you do and damned if you don't

[xulagu]

Did it actually say that you couldn't keep booze at home?
If so,that's utterly absurd-even in Kuwait we were never told that....

[molly farquharson]

it is absolutely absurd, because it is not true. teachers are not allowed have alcohol in the lojman, and i think that is reasonable. it is school property and the school is responsible for it. And you know it would be abused.

[dmb]

Molly, as a friend and a former DOS of a large group of teachers I really recommend changing the section on the housing in lojman. You are giving our good friend Thrifty a loaded gun and saying 'shoot'

I know you don't make the rules but try to change them.

Like most here I started off the EFL thingy as a young 20 something year old. If I had read a document about having a curfew and not having any alcohol in my room, I'd have run a mile from the job offer. I am not saying hide the truth but change the rules.

[Kodak]

When someone said a curfew I almost started having a panic attack. Then looking at it, it's not THAT bad. 2am on a week night and 4am on Fri, Sat, Sun. I can live with that.

[molly farquharson]

the lojman is in the back streets of Beyoglu and there is one guy who runs its-- he has to get some sleep sometime. I did not make the rules and I can't change them, dmb, but thanks for the advice. teachers who don't like the rules should hurry up and get their own place. they can only stay in the lojman for 3 months anyway.

[xulagu]

What time are "Lights out" at in the lojman?

[Baba Alex]

NO booze at the lojman eh?

Well at least your still allowed to keep ganja I suppose. Actually I'm assuming this because my computer doesn't "do" PDF. Does it ban all-night bukkake parties? Or is that okay as well?

[thrifty]