Job Discussion Forums

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[mikeparker21]

'Some waygug-in' - I can definitely relate to your comment. Those certainly were the three most stressful months of my life - and I wasn't the only one!

I think you're right - I was an overpaid babysitter. I didn't witness any grade fixing there, but some of the parents did seem to have the idea that the fact that they were paying big wads of cash for their sproglet to mess around all day meant that passing was guaranteed. That's the "you pay, we say you know stuff" philosophy.

By the way, the SEP was involved with Madison, even though it was a private school. They check that the school is following their syllabus and make the occasional surprise visit. The involvement is mainly bureaucratic though. One of the teachers was designated SEP liaison officer. Funnily enough, he was the only one with his own office... and he'd turn up late to classes, if at all. He liked to give the other teachers regular timechecks though. The thing is, one bad word to the SEP and suddenly everyone's on unpaid vacation - and the school knew it.

For the benefit of anyone considering to come and work in Mexico for the first time, I would just like to add that it's a great country and there are plenty of decent jobs around. Before moving to Monterrey, I worked very happily at the University of Guadalajara for over a year teaching adults. Less pay, but you get to teach people.

Don't be put off, just be selective. Remember that the colleges pay better, but there's a reason for that!

[moonraven]

So, you did nothing. I think that was a shameful act, don't you?

Incidentally, I don't know of any private schools that are NOT under the SEP supervision. I participated in SEP English councils when teachiig at the junior high level, the SEP supervisors came regularly to all 4 of the private junior high schools that I worked at. The SEP is (theoretically)responsible for ALL schools. (It's their capacity to be responsible that's theoretical, not their mandate.)

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[some waygug-in]

[moonraven]

Sorry, but it does matter. If you can't admit that you acted unethically, you will do so again--and with another lame excuse.

[some waygug-in]

So you're saying that I should have flown all the way back down to Chiapas from Canada at my own expense and demanded proof that they didn't change any of the Honest grades that I had given my students.

Asking a bit much aren't you?

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[moonraven]

No, Ben--I don't know you, but I don't see you as a Subcomandante Marcos clone. Some of us, however, prefer to follow that path, rather than rationalizing our relationship with the life we've been given to live.

[some waygug-in]

[moonraven]

I believe I have given you a fair amount of attention already. This is all about having the "courage of your convictions". What would it have cost you to go to the mat to see that ethics and fairness prevailed? The worst that would have happened: your dismissal. Is that such a big deal? Weren't you leaving anyway? I think that you know perfectly well what you did wrong--that's why you mentioned the incident in the first place, and why you keep needling me to give you yet another explanation of a very simple occurrence where your courage--or your sense of right and wrong--failed you. Why not face up to it, and move on?

[some waygug-in]

What?

You still haven't told me one thing. What do you suppose I could have done? I gave the marks honestly. My contract was finished. I left. I was told that the 2 students that I gave failing grades would probably come by a day or 2 after I was gone and get their "certificates" in any case.

What do you think I could have done?

Cancelled my flight? Camped out on the doorstep and tried to make sure that the marks wouldn't be changed? Cancelled my future employment prospects, just to make a point about honest grades? You are a very odd person, to say the least. How in God's green Earth do you continue to say that I this was my fault or that I could have done anything about it?

You certainly do seem to love to hurl accusations. If you had any clue about the situation in question, which you don't, perhaps you would be able to explain some options.


What would it have cost me? Well, considering the lost employment, and the loss of my return flight roughtly about 4 or 5 thousand dollars. That's assuming that I would be successful at blocking the entrance to the school, and preventing the said students from stopping by. Then having to try and spend another few months securing future employment.

Are you daft?

[moonraven]

Hey, there's nothing you can do NOW. Like Peter Fonda's character, Captain America, says to Billy (Dennis Hopper) at the end of "Easy Rider": "We blew it." You blew it. I think you need to stop defending yourself, stop rationalizing and trivializing the situation, stop asking me to live your unexamined life for you--and start examining why you felt it was important to tell us what you did (or didn't do) on this forum.

[saraswati]

Daft? Couldn't say. What IS readily apparent, and not only from this post, is that moonraven "reads" what she wants and then passes judgement at a speed that astounds.

From your posting, I understand that you assigned grades your students deserved, you resigned from the school and later you were told that a couple of those that failed MAY have their grades changed. Se fini.

[MixtecaMike]

Guys, ignore the Moonbeast , and its new persona, the Great White Female Marcos. Changing grades happens, sometimes for compassionate reasons, sometimes for passion reasons, sometimes because of family connections. It's not like we are licensing our students to go out and perform brain surgery.

For most of us our lives have enough challenges and direction that we don't need to make a great noble sacrifice for small inconsecuential stuff like this.