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eslmommy
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 21
Location: Canada
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 Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:22 am Post subject: |
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Hi All,
This is the school to which we plan on sending our daughter http://fcdxx.bjchyedu.cn
I have given this considerable thought. One of my golden rules of homeschooling is ABT or always be teaching. Everyday opportunities provide learning and that will not change when we are in China. We plan to take every opportunity to learn. I am not concerned that my daughter will turn into a bored, incurious child at school in China... I feel her personality is strong enough. School itself will be an adventure and a learning opportunity. That's the approach we are taking.
Is China really that awful? Why are there so many non native teachers there? Is there not any one person out there excluding Anda that cannot see this as an learning opportunity? It's not just about the language but about life in general. Rise to the occasion, challenge yourself, come on people, please open your minds.
Thanks Anda for coming to my defense.
Frustrated
J |
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China.Pete
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
Posts: 547
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:23 am Post subject: How Did This Happen? |
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Please, Anda, I'm not trying to debate the relative wonderfulness of Chinese and Western societies. I'm simply saying that someone who is so sensitive to the needs of their child that they find the Western system of education potentially deficient is not likely to find the Chinese school system any better. Considering all the things you've had to say about your students at the university level, I'm surprised that their elementary experience was, in your opinion, so positive (at least for one year or so).
Last edited by China.Pete on Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Surfdude18
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Posts: 651
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:58 am Post subject: |
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| Anda, for all the faults of the UK education system, I'd send my son to anything but one of the worst UK schools rather than a Chinese school. |
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China.Pete
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
Posts: 547
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:35 am Post subject: Learning Opportunities |
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"Is China really that awful?" -- ESL Mommy
It's not about China being good or bad, it's about China offering a rather singular approach to K-12 education. Having decided to educate our own child by homeschooling, I'm rather perplexed at your decision. But since you're clearly looking for affirmation not reality, I can assure you that your daughter will learn a lot.
Last edited by China.Pete on Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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eslmommy
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 21
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:51 am Post subject: |
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China.Pete
"Having decided to educate our own child by homeschooling, I'm rather perplexed at your decision."
So you are a fellow homeschooler?
If so, what are your motives for homeschooling?
Are you in China?
The only reason I mentioned in my original post about my daughter is that I was attempting to give background information. I was actually looking for information about wages, working hours, accommodations etc. I thought it was important that people know I would have a dependent with me when replying. I was not looking for affirmation but information. I am more than happy to answer questions about our situation but like most people get a little annoyed when others question my judgement, especially when it comes to my child... I think it's only human nature.
Perhaps we should just agree to disagree.
I've learned something here and it's not the information that I was seeking.
J |
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China.Pete
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
Posts: 547
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:24 am Post subject: More Questions |
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"[W]hat are your motives for homeschooling? Are you in China?" -- ESL Mommy
Yes, we're in China. My motivation is to try and provide the best that Western education has to offer. Other than serving as a marketing ploy, I think that's really the main value that I bring to my job here in China, and I believe in what I'm doing.
"I was actually looking for information about wages, working hours, accommodation, etc." -- ESL Mommy
Alright. I think the wages you quoted, though normal elsewhere, are too low for Beijing. Accommodation can also be more costly. At a university, �6,000-8,000 a month for around 18 periods a week, housing included, would be more reasonable.
Last edited by China.Pete on Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:32 am Post subject: A bit of info |
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A lot of your questions are answered here:
http://www.wab.edu/employment/WAB_app_proc.shtml
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Results 1 - 10 of about 400,000 for Beijing teaching English.
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Teaching English in Beijing, teach in Beijing, jobs in BeijingBeijing teaching English jobs. Free source to search paid and volunteer abroad teaching jobs in Beijing.
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eslmommy
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 21
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks all for the information. I can see that I have a little more research to do.
J |
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:22 pm Post subject: Um |
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1 - 10 of about 513,000 for Beijing Expats. (0.45 seconds)
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Beijing Expat - Beijing apartments, expat relocation, Beijing ...
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lf_aristotle69
Joined: 06 May 2006
Posts: 546
Location: HangZhou, China
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:34 am Post subject: China. I hate it AND love it... |
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| eslmommy wrote: |
Hi All,
This is the school to which we plan on sending our daughter http://fcdxx.bjchyedu.cn
I have given this considerable thought. One of my golden rules of homeschooling is ABT or always be teaching. Everyday opportunities provide learning and that will not change when we are in China. We plan to take every opportunity to learn. I am not concerned that my daughter will turn into a bored, incurious child at school in China... I feel her personality is strong enough. School itself will be an adventure and a learning opportunity. That's the approach we are taking.
Is China really that awful? Why are there so many non native teachers there? Is there not any one person out there excluding Anda that cannot see this as an learning opportunity? It's not just about the language but about life in general. Rise to the occasion, challenge yourself, come on people, please open your minds.
Thanks Anda for coming to my defense.
Frustrated
J |
Hi again J,
Sorry J, I and I'm sure others, are not necessarily trying to put you off coming or criticise your personal educational philosophies etc.
Maybe it's more we just want you to be forewarned and therefore forearmed...
That said; some of us, being career teachers, might also be expressing some righteousness in regards to our views about home schooling.
I see one parent in China has replied to you here, but you might like to read this too.
http://www.suzhou-expat.com/component/option,com_fireboard/func,view/id,229/catid,13/
You might have to copy and paste the link.
Well, I tried to look at that school website... and it didn't connect... I tried putting a dot before the 'edu' and still no go... So,.... I thought I would G00GLE some permutations and see if I could find it. I did, and it looks good from my cursory study. It seems to be where the ChaoYang district Govt send their kids.
Hmmm, the ChaoYang district Govt... in my search for your school I also turned up a BBS/Chat board based on the ChaoYang District Govt website that had porn links, including some alluding to be kiddy porn. I did try to verify one of the non-child links, but it wouldn't play without downloading an 'exe't file, so I'm not sure if it is what it purports to be, or not. I hope not. Yes, I am going through some avenues to report such inappropriate activity, especially the fact that it is on a Govt website.
But, it does mean I can raise the view that socially China is still 30-40 years behind western countries in developing acceptable norms. A lot of people are very self and family focused and despite the socialist rhetoric there is not much egalitarianism or altruism around. A common community idea in the west, "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", is frequently modified in China to become 'you scratch my back and I'm ahead, so when you turn around I'm outa here...'
I feel that in China there is not a high value placed on human life, except one's own.
Recently, last year (?), a married couple of teachers (I could be misstating this somewhat) abducted 20 or so of their female primary school students (from some smallish town I think) on the pretense of going on a school trip... some months later they were finally caught... they had been pimping the girls in cheap hotels and KTVs/Bars during much of that time... It took months for them to be apprehended! 20 or so girls! A lot of people must have been complicit.
You would have heard more about the people (including children and handicapped) forced to work as slaves in mines and brick kilns being freed last year. I'm sure it's only the tip of the iceberg...
A lot of Chinese social morality was surgically removed by the dreadful cultural revolution I believe.
Take a certain remote region in China where a few days of forcefully repressed peaceful protests (unfortunately) led to not so peaceful protests, but the Chinese Govt choses to ignore the fact that there was provocation... treating them as less than human I think. 2nd class citizens in their own home state.
It's not just a problem in China, but a lot of "bosses" here think they own their workers and can make them do almost anything in some situations. If you ask many high school and Uni students what job they want to do when they start working, I've found that a common answer is be a "boss"... Scary. None of that working your way to the top guff for them.
Also, corruption is endemic. While I really think that the current top national leaders have the right ideas about fixing this (out of necessity, if nothing else) it will take ages before China follows the strict rule of law. Obviously, so many in various levels of Govt are involved that they have to traed carefully in cleaning things up. Also, they can't paint the party too badly and admit to the extent of the problem, or the common people might not be happy that they are getting what they paid for.
That said, most Chinese people I meet are really friendly. Although, a few too many in an uncomfortable "Hello. Oh, we said hello. Now we're friends, what's your phone number?" kind of way...
Be careful. China seems like a very safe country for foreigners, but just under the surface there's a lot to be very, very wary of.
About non-native speakers being over here teaching English. Why? Money. For us the money for most of the ordinary ESL jobs we would consider as being pretty sh.itty, but clearly for Fillipinos, Indians, Africans, etc. the money is much better, relatively. In fact, now you can see Chinese schools specifically asking for such teachers and offering even lower than normal salaries, because they know that many will accept it as it's not such a bad deal for them as it would be for us.
And, I'm certainly not saying that all native speakers are automatically good ESL teachers and non-native speakers are automatically bad. Far from it in many cases. The best ESL teacher I've met in China is a Filipino lady, and many other non-native ESL teachers I've met are good teachers too. The main disadvantage of many non-native speakers though is their accent, which can be a bad thing for students. The Govt is beginning to set stricter policies, in some areas, most notably in BeiJing and ShangHai, for schools to hire native speaking teachers.
Good luck...
Your friendly neighbourhood semi-pessimist who still loves what China should and could be...
LFA |
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:46 am Post subject: Um |
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Eslmommy what lf_aristotle69 wrote is correct; China is a hard country but it has another side also.
One of my students told me last night that to get a government teaching position once one graduates university a bribe of about 50,000 RMB has to be paid. A starting salary for a teacher is about 700 RMB a month.
Beijing has a real name for pick pockets so be careful. They cut through things to get at the money or whatever as well.
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Lorean
Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Posts: 476
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Be careful. China seems like a very safe country for foreigners, but just under the surface there's a lot to be very, very wary of. |
Agreed.
Integrating into Chinese life requires you flip your moral compass upside down... or manufacture a new one.
A few words of caution, don't trust anyone here - everyone here *wants* something. |
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