Job Discussion Forums

[denise]

Hang in there, kuberkat! I hope you don't feel like you have to defend yourself or justify your posts. I've seen you praise Oman on many occasions, and I think your perspective is very well-balanced. I know I always benefit from reading what you have to say.

d

[bje]

[kuberkat]

denise and bje, thank you thank you thank you. I'm sure things are going to look a whole lot brighter in a few weeks when the sixty-day sanity sabbatical sets in, eh?

[bje]

Absolutely! Not long to go now, so hang in and think of that impending rest from 'everything' that we all need so badly.

[eha]

Kuberkat: As the others have said, hang in there. You're right; teaching does seem to be a very 'isolating' profession. In general, teachers are not especially supportive of each other, and this is particularly true in expat situations. There are always exceptions, but unfortunately, they're not likely to be the first six people you meet as you go down the corridor first thing in the morning! Somebody just put up a p/copy of an article from the 'Times of Oman' on a notice-board I saw recently: the article was about a questionnaire done in England, which found that teachers are the most gossipy profession. I suppose it must be something to do with not having much to think about: rocket scientists weren't mentioned.
Anyway, I hope you have a good summer; a real break. And you know, a lot of the kids really are nice, even if the system they're trying to survive in, is warping them. A survival strategy of my own is to keep in touch with several of the ex-students with whom I developed real friendships; every so often, they send me a text message or an email that reminds me of why I still bother.