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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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 Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Grendal wrote: |
| ... are waisted for the straglers... |
Grendel...sounds like you are getting a little bit "waisted"  Having a bit of fun in the mead halls tonite? G'nite, mate!
NCTBA |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:19 am Post subject: Re: Tell the whole story ladies |
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| heavie wrote: |
Perhaps your students will be well motivated and want to learn. Personally I think you will have a better chance of being asked out to the movies by a camel who speaks 3 languages in Saudi Arabia.
Your students will want one thing from you.
VERY HIGH MARKS.
They will work in class and smile at you and even ask questions that they are curious about. They will also smile and tell you what a wonderful teacher you are, but in the end they dont care what they learn, have no motivation to learn, because their place in life is already established through family connections or "wasta". They will compliment you, thank you, all nonsense just to develop wasta with you, so you will give them high marks. They will not study outside of class, the smiling and friendliness they show you in class should be enough to pass, so expect a very pleasant time in class until there are exams, and then you will face the music.
This is not Asia, I assure you. Education in Saudi means, you have passed the course and they haggle with you over 1-2%. It has nothing to do with learning.
You passed 4 students from your class in Singapore, you will not be doing anything like that in Saudi. You will pass the people who have family connections(wasta) or someone in administration(your boss) will pass them. If you fail your students in Saudi Arabia, they will go to the administration and tell all kinds of lies about you, e.g you are saying bad things about the royal family, you are saying bad things about Saudi Arabia etc, etc. You can fight your case, but you are a foreigner and a non-muslim, so who can the administration believe, the infidel non muslim or the devout religious students. They cannot accept your version over a non-muslim, i.e take the word of a non muslim over a foreigner and also cause trouble between tribes. The administrator will see this as a chance to gain wasta with a powerful connected person, "I will take your side in this and later when I need a house for my brothers family I will call you."
Are you students PAYING for their "education", then they are payiing for their results. Why pay money for a failure, well they dont.
I've read some nonesense on this website, but giving hope to Saudi females?? Are you trying to change the world or teach English? I wouldn't attempt either in Saudi Arabia
1) They will be married off to a cousin and told what and when to do it.
2) 98% of women will not have a job. They are not western women, they are not empowered and have no examples like Hillary Clinton to follow.
3) Their family will get them a job, not their qualifications or education, so whats the point in education.
You have two types of sudents.
1) Wasta students
2) Without wasta students.
Number 1 does not need education, its family connections open all required doors.
Number 2 does not need education, because even with it, they have no family to open the required doors.
If you are coming here to make women's lot a richer and better experience, forget it. People are in Saudi for the money and anyone who is there for any other reason is a liar or a fool.
Girl Power, Are you one of the Spice girls? Emma Bunton, I'll bet.
"I feel like jumping on a plane" well after you get there, you will feel like jumping under a train. Good luck with your "Harvard hopefuls". |
So... heavie... How about you tell us about your years of experience teaching in Saudi Arabia. And especially your years of experience teaching Saudi women.
According to your August, 2009 post you were applying to your first job in Saudi and were applying to like Berlitz or IH or something.
Personally I would put more value on the posts of the women here on the board who have actually taught university women in the Gulf.
VS |
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meyanga
Joined: 02 Mar 2008
Posts: 103
Location: Malaysia
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| Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:27 am Post subject: |
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My sentiments exactly VS.
I really don't understand why anyone would stay in the Kingdom if they truly felt like that. Yes, you can make money, but there's more to life than that.
Heavie, if you feel that way about the students that you spend 20-25 hours a week with, then life must be pretty miserable for you. 
meyanga  |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:02 am Post subject: |
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| They are not western women, they are not empowered and have no examples like Hillary Clinton to follow. |
And a good thing too, I say!
Imagine having as a 'role model' a talented lawyer who gave up her highly promising career to trail her philandering husband around the world, only to later use her connections to obtain a job which allows her to display her stunning lack of principle to the world at large.
BTW I can only echo VS: just how long did you spend teachign Saudi women? |
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rigel
Joined: 17 Apr 2009
Posts: 308
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:15 am Post subject: |
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| I want to get on of those Gaza T-shirts. Better have one of those if I go the KSA. 'Sides...it's how I feel anyway. Somebody hook me up with one. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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Just don't try getting on an American airline wearing it. You won't fly until it is covered or off... and maybe not then.
VS |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| If you are coming here to make women's lot a richer and better experience, forget it. |
I didn't go to KSA for that reason. I went strictly for the money.
However, I ended up enriching women's lives and having my own life enriched enormously by them.
My opinions about Saudi Arabia and about the place where I worked are completely separate from my opinions about Saudi female students. I can safely say that I have never enjoyed a group of students so much. Many of them were very bright, most of them were delightful to have in class, and all of them treated me with kindness and respect. |
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