Job Discussion Forums

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Time is NOT money. If time were money, my rent would be a lot easier to pay.

In the time it's taken us to discuss this ridiculous topic, the job could have been done many times over.
It reminds me of when I was complaining to a computer programmer/friend of mine about marking exams. I HATE marking exams. Everyone does. But my friend was completely unsympathetic.
"You're a freakin' TEACHER, Gregor," he said. "You can't b*tch about marking exams if you're a teacher. It's a fundamental part of your job. That's like me complaining about having to wait for my computer to boot up."
And he's right. It's the job, whether I get paid for the marking time or not (and no teacher in the universe, no matter what school they work for, gets paid for that).
These recommendation forms are also part of the job. If there are many of them, and you can get the student to help out with them under your supervision, that's fine, but you really should do this.

Malsol · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1976 Location: Lanzhou

"These recommendation forms are also part of the job. If there are many of them, and you can get the student to help out with them under your supervision, that's fine, but you really should do this. Gregor"

A reasonable number, maybe. But a shotgun approach to applications - no way.

DistantRelative · Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Posts: 367 Location: Shaanxi/Xian

If it's so ridiculous why bother to post? That's you're opinion Gregor, and your certainly entitled to it, but mine differs. My contract contains absolutely nothing referencing doing recommendation letters for students. Many things about my job are discretionary and I deal with em on a case by case basis, as I see fit. The fact is following "reasonable" guidelines, much of what I do in and out of class is entirely up to me. We obviously view things different and that's ok. How much fun would the world be if we all saw it the same way?

Zhu hao,

Shawn

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

Distant you are a perceptive poster - your contract also probably states that those FT's who go to dinner with a student's parents (as the OP did) and not expect a to be asked a favour latter on are being a tad naive.
Professionalism is money - being wined and dined by students and their parents in a country where the bribe is king - in my book is verging on the unprofessional Wink

DistantRelative · Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Posts: 367 Location: Shaanxi/Xian

He he Vik your a hoot man. Point Taken !!!

Zhu hao,

Shawn

P.S. Of course it's your option, but please feel free to refer to me as "Shawn" in the future. That is my given name, and I'm not shy about putting it out there. You've critiqued my opinions and postings often enough that I figure that's the least you can do. Wink

Again Zhu hao

brsmith15 · Joined: 12 May 2003 Posts: 1142 Location: New Hampshire USA

Look at Malsol's last post. That's what I do when faced with s rsft of forms. On each form I write, "See letter." These forms only fill up file drawers in the admissions offices anyway.

mondrian · Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 2:52 am Post subject:

In one Senior High School here that I worked at, the Chinese English exams were all multiple choice papers. They ticked the boxes of their choice. The Chinese English teachers then made a template of the correct answers and got the brightest students to do all the marking. That included filling in the score sheets for the office computers. They themselves checked say 2 papers out of each set.
So use lateral thinking!!!

Power to the Students!!
There is a thread somewhere here about students grading themselves. Might calm Vik down a bit!