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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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 Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:24 am Post subject: Anyone else making up classes today(Sunday)? |
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I work at a high school in Ningbo and we were given Thursday and Friday off for the holiday. But we were informed last week that we would have to come in today to "make-up" Thursday's classes. I was told this decision was handed down by the regional education committee.
Now so far I have been treated pretty well here - I am contracted to teach 20 hours a week, but so far have only been teaching 10, so I am certainly not going to complain about being overworked - I'd be a fool to. The whole "pick your battles", and look at the "big picture" thing.
I just find it odd, that's all. If it's a holiday, then it's a holiday. One does not "makeup" a holiday. Just saying...... |
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kungfuman
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 1749
Location: In My Own Private Idaho
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:32 am Post subject: |
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I got a 4 day holiday. No making up anything.
But for the next holiday was told gotta work a Saturday. Then told my students have an outside exam so I don't have to come in at all. |
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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:34 am Post subject: |
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search, baby, search. it's been covered in depth.
thursday is the official holiday. chinesers like 3-day breaks, so
they take friday off as well. friday ain't a holiday, so the classes
are rescheduled to sunday. you're not making up the holiday.
same situation here, but since i have no friday classes, i get a 4-day
break. classes currently in session. drinking coffee, washing clothes,
heading to the beach soon. |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:38 am Post subject: |
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| kungfuman wrote: |
I got a 4 day holiday. No making up anything.
But for the next holiday was told gotta work a Saturday. Then told my students have an outside exam so I don't have to come in at all. |
Yeah actually that is my bigger worry - it is going to be the same for every "holiday".
"Holiday" will from now on be in parentheses. |
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Javelin of Radiance
Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Posts: 1187
Location: The West
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:40 am Post subject: |
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| Sept 19th was the holiday and that's the only day people are entitled to be off. If there were no rearranging of classes then people would be working on Wednesday, off Thursday, back to work Friday then have a regular 2 day weekend. By rearranging classes you get a three day weekend instead of two days. The classes today are for Friday classes. If you have no classes on that particular day then your holiday is extended another day. Sometimes you luck out, other times you don't. All balances out somewhere. |
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chinatimes
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| If it's a holiday, then it's a holiday. One does not "makeup" a holiday. |
This is not a good example of a holiday because it is only one or two days. That pattern I have become used to is to take a holiday and give back the school one day. If they give you 5 days off, they will ask you to work one day. If it's 7, then 6.
In this case it's only one day so it's got no effect on me. The advantage is that everyone gets Thursday off to do something together, that's how they are thinking of it, not that you get an extra day off. It's like celebrating New Year's. You wouldn't wait for the weekend if New Year's Eve fell on a Thursday or Friday.
This same kind of thinking though can hurt you when working at a language school. You start off with fewer hours than contracted for, but 6 months later you have to teach more classes. The logic here is that you didn't have to teach classes before, but now you must teach to make up for it. I am not saying I agree with it, just pointing out they do play games like this and in those instances I would put up a fight.
We will have a longer holiday coming up and that should make up for the shorter holiday. I have never celebrated a fall holiday in my hometown. Maybe that's because Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and winter break are so close. |
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Javelin of Radiance
Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Posts: 1187
Location: The West
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:51 am Post subject: |
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| chinatimes wrote: |
| Quote: |
| If it's a holiday, then it's a holiday. One does not "makeup" a holiday. |
This is not a good example of a holiday because it is only one or two days. That pattern I have become used to is to take a holiday and give back the school one day. If they give you 5 days off, they will ask you to work one day. If it's 7, then 6.
In this case it's only one day so it's got no effect on me. The advantage is that everyone gets Thursday off to do something together, that's how they are thinking of it, not that you get an extra day off. It's like celebrating New Year's. You wouldn't wait for the weekend if New Year's Eve fell on a Thursday or Friday. |
Maybe that's more true here because the holidays fall according to the lunar calendar. The full moon ain't gonna wait because someone wants the holiday on another day.
| JoeKing wrote: |
| I just find it odd, that's all. If it's a holiday, then it's a holiday. One does not "makeup" a holiday. Just saying...... |
Despite the peculiar nature of this situation, which people on this forum love complaining about, if you're working at a public school you get more holidays than you know what to do with. I get more paid time off in one year here than I got in any five years back home. Yes, pick your battles wisely. This isn't one of them. |
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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:55 am Post subject: |
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and........i imagine if we were to get only the official holiday off, that
being a thursday, and then have to return to work a single day on
friday, the bitchin' and complainin' would be even louder.
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Last edited by choudoufu on Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:59 am; edited 2 times in total |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 2:58 am Post subject: |
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Ok thanks for the replies. It not only makes sense now, but I agree with it 100% - better to have an unbroken 3 days in a row.
My confusion stemmed from not knowing that only Thursday was the true holiday, and not having it explained to me very well. I was told it was Thursday we were making up, which I see now does not make sense. |
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wangdaning
Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 3154
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:20 am Post subject: |
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I don't start teaching until after the national holiday.  |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| We make up Friday's classes today. I don't have any Friday classes. This is VERY common. Weekends are not "weekends" in the Western sense; it doesn't matter though, every day's a holiday in China! |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:58 am Post subject: |
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Don't think of these holidays as Saturday or Sunday or any other day of the week.
The arrangements are just to open up the biggest non-class gap that can be achieved. It's a chance for your STUDENTS (remember them?) to get home and back - generally by bus or train.
More of a problem for FTs encountering this for the first time, is the late notice.
Access the Chinese calendar off the Time and Date website and you'll see the public holidays.
Ask your monitor to tell you what to expect.
Often because the college honcho wants to reserve the power to direct proceedings from on high, the FAO will be reluctant to give you info.
Meanwhile the students are cheerfully booking their travel. They are your best source of information. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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Javelin of Radiance
Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Posts: 1187
Location: The West
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| Non Sequitur wrote: |
| Meanwhile the students are cheerfully booking their travel. They are your best source of information. |
I agree. But I've seen posters on here refuse to solicit the students for info because they felt the information should be coming from higher (admin), not lower (student) sources. Another case of "I'm going to pick this battle even though I know I'm going to lose and look stupid" thinking. |
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JoeKing
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 4:29 am Post subject: |
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Now see, this calendar calls Friday, September 20 a holiday, so without further explanation I would have still not known it had to be made up.
But again...I get it now. In the future I will ask.
| johntpartee wrote: |
| Weekends are not "weekends" in the Western sense; |
This is sinking in as well.
| Non Sequitur wrote: |
More of a problem for FTs encountering this for the first time, is the late notice.
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In Korea I often had the opposite situation - show up for work only to be told I could go home if I wanted due to some test, or sports day or something that they had all known about and could have easily told me about and saved me a trip. |
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