Job Discussion Forums

[peabocardigan]

As I said, it's not the battle that I mind but rather that I am not clear about what the fight is about to begin with. Being a better trained monkey? Looking whiter in those glossy promotional brochures? That's why I commend anyone that is sincerely dedicated to re-shaping English language education in China. But that's for another day and another thread...

Best,

P

PS: Apologies again for the multiple posts. I shouldn't type with my boxing gloves on

[englishgibson]

To certain extend, the �fight� is about the authority and the approach to the education with regards to English language education in China, if I understand you well.

This might fall into a different topic/thread, though it does integrate here somewhere. The private �large mills� education system in China goes roughly like this: �The Franchiser-Employer/Investor (Chinese)-Director of Studies (foreigner usually)-Academic Staff-Non Academic staff (usually Chinese)�. The DoS usually is the �King of white monkeys� as we might say and his/her authority is to run the academic affairs, though never completely. So, the academic staff often discredits and disregards their �King�. In the case of Chinese public education system the �King(s)� usually is/are Chinese and he/she/they is/are credited and regarded appropriately.

So do we want to be here in China to only complain, to entertain our students and serve as a �motivating tool� to them or do we want to fight for our authorities and prove to the Chinese that we are not only well qualified but also well capable individuals of �running the show�?

Back to the employer-employee relationships, once when DoS I tried to follow a franchise�s standards of limited number of students in the classroom to only have my employer confront me on the issue. Explaining to that students� leader that the high number of students in that class would have lowered the course�s results helped the students with regards to their expectations. My employer did not like my approach much, though did accept it as well as my reasoning of that course�s expectations. The point here is �to fight, to reason, to justify, to stay on the job for as long as we can without giving up� and �not to run, not to succumb to the employers� business minds as well as their traditionalism�.


Cheers and beers

[peabocardigan]

I don't think we differ in our take on the state of affairs here and in our analysis of what seems to be the problem. As I said, if I was older, more dedicated to language-education in China specifically and more patient overall this fight might become my mission too. As it stands, there are better and more experienced people here than me to fight this fight and good luck to them since I am convinced that, in addition to their skills and abilities they will truly need it .

At this stage noone seems to care about these skills and abilities and I think we agree that this is all about making them relevant and supplanting the 'trained monkey' attitude to native English. I just don't see a career for myself in this fight...