Job Discussion Forums

[BOBBYSUE]

Hi everyone

My purpose in this post is to find out what makes a bad supervisor and what makes a good one at HCT. I hope that if you are prepared to give me your opinion, I'll be able to use the insight if I get an interview for a supervisor position. More importantly, I would then hope to use the same information to become a good supervisor if selected for a post.

So thank you so much in advance for your real life examples (though of course, i don't need any names!).

B

[veiledsentiments]

I don't think good or bad supervising is any different at HCT than anywhere else in the world of work.

We all want the same thing in a manager... honesty and fairness... and an avoidance of micromanagement.

Plus I think that you will find that most of the things that the teachers dislike most about the management system at HCT are beyond your control in an overmanaged bureaucratic place like this. But you won't understand this until you actually get inside it.

I had a few victories over the bureaucracy there because I always fought for what was best for the students - which was my goal. The managers who are the most respected are the ones that stand up for their teachers.

VS

[BOBBYSUE]

Thanks very much VS

That's just the kind of personal insight I wanted and is very valuable to me.

I'd be very interested to know about some specific HCT- type unpopular measures that supervisors are unable to do anything about

Please keep 'em coming everyone

[globalnomad2]

As an addendum to VS's post: in my five years at HCT, most supervisors harassed teachers and were unresponsive. "Point taken, point taken!" they'd say in reply to your concerns, and then nothing would happen unless it was to the detriment of the teachers. They were like line supervisors in a factory and we were educational contract workers.

[veiledsentiments]

But, as I mentioned, even the well-intentioned supervisors were trapped into the system, which truly does consider teachers nothing more than cogs in the wheel. And considers those supervisors just the cog who directly controls the factory line.

One thing that drove me crazy about the place was the obsession with meetings where our input, if asked, was ignored. Generally speaking 90% of the meetings could have been handled with a one page memo of the 'new rules.'

VS

[WD40]

Know the way, go the way, show the way
A good supervisor is the first to do and the last to finish
An effective leader contributes and expects like for like by colleagues
A decent manager treats you like he/she expects to be treated away from the the confines of the college
A supervisor is a brother or sister, father or mother, never an enemy, never a threat, never harrassing
A good co-ordinator provides you with the tools and resources to ensure you teach effectively and the students learn progressively
A excellent director empowers staff and students, is always seen and heard, extends the hands of friendship, staying positive and encouraging in a supportive and professional manner
A colleague fights the battles that can be won and is supported by those with responsibility to win the wars
Anyone who takes on a role that influences other people must be honest, direct, competent, able to gel a team and ensure they play the same game while allowing for individual skill and flare.
If you possess such attributes then you should apply. If not, perhaps you are not ready.

[BOBBYSUE]

All excellent advice...thank you. Please keep coming with good and bad examples (as specific to HCT as possible). It will really help me to be the best I can if I get a job.

B

[like2answer]

At HCT -

Some supervisors want teachers to be at work, in the building, from 8 to 5. When classes start at 8, it means teachers come in earlier. That makes for a long day.

Some supervisors know their teachers work hard so don't care about the hours in the building as long as the teachers do their jobs.

Some supervisors want teachers to sign in and out of the building, so they will know where their staff is at all times.

Some supervisors try to change working hours to be more flexible.

Some supervisors don't do their job and look at google earth for hours.

Some supervisors make fun of their teachers' teaching in front of other teachers.

Some supervisors thank teachers for going beyond what is expected.

Some supervisors get a joke.

Some supervisors don't.

Some supervisors "pop" into class to see if the teacher is doing his job.

Some supervisors ask the teacher what time is best for the teacher to see how the teacher teaches.

Some supervisors have pet staff members.

Some supervisors have a lot of meetings.

Some supervisors never have any meetings.

Some supervisors promote teachers who don't work hard.

Some supervisors are kind.

Some supervisors have to be right no matter what.

I could go on for hours, but you get the idea.

You decide what you think is good and bad. The above are just some of the things that go on.

P.S. If anyone can "name those supervisors" and write me the names in an email to this account, I'll send you 100 dirhams if you get them all correct. LOL

[BOBBYSUE]

Like2answer, thanks! Very interesting!

I wonder whether supervisors have the power to decide whether to make hours more flexible, implement signing in policies, etc, or if they simply have to do the bidding of the Dean?

Despite the comments on some of these threads i think it still might be worth applying for some of the positions advertised....or do all supervisors really have nervous breakdowns and leave after 5 minutes??

By the way, would any of you guys (who I assume are faculty) ever think of applying for a supervisor role? If not, why not?

[veiledsentiments]

They couldn't have paid me enough money to be a supervisor... not for many multiples of my salary. But that is because I went into education because I love to teach... pure and simple. And from what I saw very quickly of the TEFL trade, managing this gang is like herding cats except more aggravating, I'm sure.

Those teachers that did move 'up' to management normally did it to make more money. Many people think of their work in terms of 'room for advancement' ... although in education I don't really agree with that idea.

When I was there, our supervisor had moved up from the ranks of the teachers, and he truly tried to still be one of 'us,' but the system does win out. He was definitely not able to make any changes of hours or anything else. This tends to vary slightly by college and seemed to be mostly controlled by the Director or Dean or whatever they call him these days. BUT, the Middle East in general thinks that teachers are the same as secretaries or factory workers and need to be at their desk, nose to the grindstone for 35-40 hours a week in spite of the fact that one may have only 15-20 contact hours... and the offices are open plan nightmares where one can only do any meaningful work if you are stone deaf or came from a family of 12 siblings and was used to working surrounded by chaos.

The supervisors who last are the ones who figure out what their bosses want and deliver it to them. It is rare for a supervisor to leave because the teachers are unhappy... generally speaking our opinion never matters much.

VS

[BOBBYSUE]

thanks VS!

btw, do supervisors have open plan offices too?

[like2answer]

No, they have offices.

I personally know more than 3 supervisors who all have different ideas about when to be at the college. The ones who don't care about teachers being there from 8 to 5 just don't say anything when they know teachers leave early.

You also have to realize that some teachers come very early or leave very late. Like VS said, the faculty rooms are very noisy and it's hard to work there. Many teachers bring their marking home, if they can leave the building.

[globalnomad2]

I scratched my head at the HCT wanting to gain SACS accreditation because one criterion for American institutional accreditation is that faculty are supposed to have their own offices, not share corporate workstations. And they're not supposed to teach 20 hours a week. For academic faculty it's supposed to be 9 to 12 hours, usually. Academic faculty teach 20 X 55 minutes at HCT. And the semesters are 20 weeks. It's preposterous.

[bje]

Some people believe the SACs accreditation fiasco was a useful means of getting rid of certain faculty members (for various reasons)- who did not have an MA and did not intend obtaining one. This may or may not be the case...

[Shakhbut]

I can think of few more soul-destroying and stressful jobs than supervisor in the HCT...for an educator that is