Job Discussion Forums

[Montie]

Hello,

Your honourable opinions are being sought for a university assignment. Earlier this year I was teaching at a technical college in China where the teaching staff were in frequent conflict. It was not that they were unqualified teachers who were new to ESL. They just couldn't stand each other. It was not a problem of management creating conflict, it was more one of personality conflict between teachers who also had to live and sometimes socialise with each other. Altho recruitment methods and poor screening of prospective teachers by management probably contributed to this.

I think that a consequence of this was that student grades fell sharply and activities such as English Corner had dramatic falls in attendance. Student motivation seemed to collapse.

Has anyone else noticed these problems. Your thoughts on this topic would be appreciated.

Montie,

It's a dog's life.

[MyTurnNow]

It happens. Seen it but not very often...most of us are fairly decent folks. Boring, psychotic, and alcoholic sure...but basically decent.

Sounds like the trouble is mainly outside the classroom. Sometimes swapping roommates can help. You might even be able to convince your warm-hearted and openminded management to expand living quarters to give people more space, if you can convince them that it may be that or watch the school disintegrate.

Avoid forced socialization if you can. I know a lot of schools like to trot the faculty out for social settings with students, but again if it's going to tear things apart then those gatherings will not be productive or desirable. Maybe you can rotate mutually-compatible groups through these events?

The seemingly obvious solution is to get everyone together, appeal to their professionalism, and work this thing out like adults. In my experience this just doesn't work. The best solution I've found is to simply keep people apart when they are outside the classroom.

MT

[Just a guy]

I reply�.but�.

First I�d want to know who you are, your profile says little & I wonder if you are one of my fellow foreign teachers at my school looking to see if I�ll bite.

[Montie]

Hi Just a Guy,,
I am living in Brisbane. I was in a northern city earlier this year for 12 months. Most of the people at the school got on really well but 2-3 people unfortunately made a big difference to the whole social environment. This seemed to affect the student outcomes particularly from one level class progressing to the next. This was probably because some teachers did not discuss their teaching programs so their was a lack of consistency of teaching from one level to another.

My Turn Now made an interesting statement on enforced socialisation. While everyone had their own apartments in the building there were lots of enforced outings organised by the school. Some of these outings were really great but I think we were too much in each others company. Nothing like putting a group of people together and watching group dynamics take place, particularly when they begin to vie for power of favoured positions.

Thanks for your help,

Montie

It's a dogs life