Job Discussion Forums

DOGGIE · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 7

...a last word to the "wise"...teachers are leaving EBH in droves, I think one is coming back....there is a new school opening up and many of the students will be transfering to the new school...last one out, turn out the lights

irae · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 3

Doggie,
What is going on at EBH?! I'm supposed to go in late July but it sounds like there won't be an EBH anymore!

irae · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 3

What is the name of the other school that is opening up in Comayagua? I'm afraid that I might have to find another job teaching somewhere else.

kibeth · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 9

Wow, I haven't looked here in a while and didn't realize there was so much discussion on this school now.

I did accept the job, and am planning to go. I am hoping that my experience in Ecuador will make me a little more prepared for the way schools are run and the culture. Though, what was that about there not being an EBH? What is the other school that is opening up?

popcorn! · Joined: 07 Jun 2007 Posts: 2

I am posting this to clear up some of the misinformation that has been written about EBH, where I am currently a teacher.

To the teachers who have been offered jobs for next year, congratulations! Please do not allow the above posts to worry you.

1. Yes, EBH will be a school next year. Yes, there is a new school opening up, but it won't have all the grades up to 11, nor is it replacing EBH.

2. No, teachers are not leaving in droves. This has been the lowest year for teachers leaving. One left at Christmas, and one left in April. That's it.

3. The person who has been posting misinformation about EBH was asked to leave in March, and as far as anyone knows, they are the only teacher to have been "removed" from this school.

4. At least 8 foreign teachers will be returning next year, in addition to most of the Honduran staff. This is the highest return rate EBH has ever had.

5. Yes, there are some negatives about the school. It does get loud, the administration is sometimes frustrating, but there are many good things too. You are very free to be as creative as you wish in your classes.

6. The salary, while low by North American standards is way more than enough to live on comfortably. The school responded after both times the teachers' houses were robbed...locks on the houses and gates were changed, and the school hired a 24 hour guard instead of just having one during the night. There have been no security issues since that second robbery.

If you have any questions about the school, or the job, please continue to post them, and myself or one of the other teachers who actually has a job there will be glad to answer them for you.

irae · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 3

Popcorn!,

Thank you for your post. I have spoken to several people, including EBH, since my previous posts and have been reassured that everything is fine. I got worried because I hadn't been in contact with EBH for a few weeks and I didn't have a working number for them and so then when I read some of the posts I started to imagine that EBH had shut down or something.
I was very glad to know that that was not the case at all.
I have spoken to many people that have worked at EBH in the past and I have heard far more positive things than negative. No place is perfect anyway (especially in the US).

I am very excited about teaching at EBH and am really looking forward to it!

hollyl1003 · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 7 Location: United States

Hey guys,

I was just wondering what the current story is on EBH?

All of you that accepted jobs, how is it going?

Please let me know, as I'm considering a position for next year!

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

swills · Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

I'm Sarah. The one that had the roommate from university that said I hated my experience at EBH. I am also the "lazy" teacher that is referred to by "Doggie", and former co-worker of the other teachers who posted the "Popcorn!" response.

I was not aware of this discussion board until I came across by chance this week - a year after it was all posted.
For those of you you stumble across this, wondering about this school for future reference, I would like to clear some air, and finally speak for myself instead of others speaking for me.

I did not have a horrible experience. In fact, my time at EBH and in Honduras is time that I miss very much. I never thought I could be "homesick" for a country that was not Canada, but I fell in love with my students, the people, and the country. My time teaching at EBH is time I remember fondly.

Were there frustrations along the way? Of course. I did have many problems with my students. Discipline is not an easy task with these children. I tried to take a very "life-lessons" approach to my teaching, and implemented community class meetings, and quotes of the week, in order to provide my students with more than just Math and English. In response to Doggie's post, there were times I called my students "little shits" and there were times when I sat in my desk, as they worked independently on assignments, as their punishment for bad behaviour was missing the class meetings and hands-on activities that they had grown to love.

I thought Popcorn's response was very accurate. Things are not perfect in Honduras. There are problems. Life is very different. And yes, Doggie was a previous teacher of the school who was asked to step down from his position, so his bitterness towards the school is personal.

I documented my entire trip in blog-form. If you would like to read more about my thoughts and feelings on my journey (frustrations included!) please feel free to visit:
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/swillett/

Good luck to all those who are embarking on their personal journeys, either here or there. Buenas Suerte!

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

thepharleyboy · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I am thinking about working at the Atlantic Bilingual School in Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Does anyone know about this school or city?

DOGGIE · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 7

I thought about writing, I thought about not writing.
This is not intended as a he said/ she said thingy.
Just wanted to clear the air about my being "let go", EBH, and Comayagua.

Popcorn and Sarah were not at the meeting held. The school had pressure put on it and I was the fall guy. I believe I could have won in a court of law, but I feared that the "scales of justice" would have been tipped by powerful, and rich, parents and I did not have the money to combat them. The school paid me a lump sum which they certainly would NOT have done had they a clear case. (It merely involved by chastising two high students who didnt care for my tone.)

In regards to EBH, they are neither the best nor the worst school in the Honduran system. A system that is badly broken. Can you say "Reparation exam(s)"?
EBH pays roughly 10,000 lempiras a month($500), renews your visa every 90 days, and does their best to hire certified teachers when they can, although often some employees are not.

As to Comayagua, it is a wonderful, sleepy, colonial town that fits me well now. (I have been living 2 hours above the town in the mountain village of my wife)
One movie theater, a Wendys, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, a small mall, a few good bars.
Two hours to Tegoose, 3 hours to San Pedro Sula, 6 hours to the beach at Tela.

You wont get rich, you might enjoy yourself.