Job Discussion Forums

Faustino · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 601

What is the single worst thing about your job?

almuze · Joined: 25 Oct 2004 Posts: 125

maybe this should be with the other poll, since I like my job and it is really great for right now, but since you asked...
the single worst thing about my job is the "queen teacher" (oldest teacher? most powerful teacher? whatever) has a sister who lives in the states and is going thro a nasty divorce with her american husband, so "queen teacher" is taking out her frustration about the horribleness of american men on me. when I forget to avoid her, this gets annoying.

Faustino · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 601

You see, there's always something. Shocked

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Teachers phoning me up over the weekend and telling me they were quiting and not going into to work this morning Evil or Very Mad

Getting chucked by your girlfriend is no reason to quit your job

maymun · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 8

Like almuze, I've got a job I like that's really great for me right now and I'm hoping I'll get my contract renewed next year...but... The hours! The teaching load is okay but, man, the prep work is killing me! If I can survive through the end of this month, I think I'll be okay...maybe.

preston · Joined: 08 Dec 2004 Posts: 107

the snobby (Turkish) English teachers who talk about Mango and Zara all day. Uf ya!

Faustino · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 601

Mostly, I have problems with people imagining they've got things bad when that isn't at all true. Unfortunately, some people want the world to revolve around them.

calsimsek · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 775 Location: Ist Turkey

The kids what else could there be. I just had 14 year old give a short display of 'self pleasuer' in class while my back was turned.
So what else is new.
P.S wonder is Ghost can turn this into a negative spot.

corall · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 270 Location: istanbul, turkey

i almost picked the pointless admin meetings - that is definitely a close second. but for me it is the trips to the little primary school to teach for a few hours with a group of women that are set in their ways and quite frustrating

other then that everything is peachy, most of the time especially when i skip meetings

Faustino · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 601

How about the non-natives teaching their classes in Turkish
?!?!

Ebenezer · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 99

God knows I tried to speak only English in the class... I tried, oh, my God, I tried, but do you know what it is to have more than twenty kids going nuts in the classroom without being able to make sense of 99.9 per cent of what you are saying? Do you know what it is to have an eight-year-old cute girl criyng in the classroom and saying in despair: "anlamiyoruuum". What would you do in a situation like this if you could speak Turkish? What would you do if you passed through situations like these in most of your classes? Ok, one may call me a bad teacher but I did speak Turkish when I needed it and I cannot feel bad about it, for I know what I dealing with and I wasn't trying to practice my Turkish with my students, for I could do it in other places... so, before criticizing someone we should try to comprehend his/her reasons, I guess...

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Most of the research shows that total immersion in the target language(English) is the best way to acquire a foreign language.

For grammatical explanations - the use of English might be useful on occasion, however - since most kids "tune out" when you start explaining "grammar rules" your best bet is to stick to the target language (English). Your teaching should focus more on communicative activities, in which the "grammar" is embedded in the text in an unobtrusive way.

In every type of learning situation, it is rare to have a homogenous group. Some students will catch on, and others not. This is the reality.

For the little girl who cries and says "anlamiyorum" (don't understand) say a few things in English to her in a comforting way, and try to team her up with a girl who is more proficient.

The danger of speaking just a few words of Turkish in class is that the students will become lazy and wait for your translations every time.

Ghost noted that the most successful teachers were those who spoke only the target language in class. Speaking Turkish in class is a cop out, and the parents didn't pay for that.

Faustino · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 601

I find myself concurring with Ghost for the second time in as many posts.

sweetpea · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 33 Location: Bursa, Turkey

I wish there were another choice: ALL OF THE ABOVE. Ah, this is temporary, I suppose.

As for Ghost... I find myself concurring with him on many posts. Yes, he is sometimes a crotchity (spelling?) sounding old fart, but like most humans, he has varied traits. We ALL do. Smile

Faustino · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 601

I'm starting to think the free lunch thing is not so good. I've put on about 8 kilos (I can no longer work out my weight in stone & pounds) since starting my new job last August.