Job Discussion Forums

[kev7161]

I would love to compare to other teachers on what June is like at your school (esp. for FTs). I teach in the senior department and I am starting a 5 1/2 day holiday today. Tomorrow is normally my day off and then the kids go home for their scheduled 4 day break on Saturday. They will come back on the 16th and I will teach 2 classes each when I will have ANOTHER 4 days off so they can do some testing. After that, I will see them once or twice more before my contract ends on June 30th (maybe - - I was told that my classes could be finished by then - - who knows for sure? Certainly not me).

I decided to have June as "DVD month". I've only shown one DVD to Senior One and Senior Two classes (around the holiday time) so I knew that this would be a good month for another. Senior Two is watching "Dances With Wolves" and they are LOVING it (it's quite long - - 3 hours; we'll finish after the break) and Senior One is watching "Peter Pan". They too seem to be enjoying it. If I have an extra class or two, we'll take some pictures, play some games, listen to music . . . just silly, fun stuff for them.

[anthyp]

Ah, I have it even better! The term technically ends next week, when all exams are supposed to be completed and graded - but I only have to give exams for my Business English classes, and I've felt free to cancel the majority of my remaining oral English classes. Most of them have already had their exams (given by the other Chinese English teachers), and I don't have any reason for making them sit through more lectures, or games, so I won't. I'm not sure why the schedule was arranged so poorly, with extra classes after the exams, but I chalk it up to another example of The Way (Things Are Done Here in China). I have something like six hours these next two weeks and them I'm done. Although with all this free time I am finding my DVD collection less impressive than I thought it was.

[struelle]

As far as I can tell, here's how things will end in this joint:

[A] Student classes

- This week, I give exams for my optional science classes
- Next week we have 3 more days of oral English, as all the classes wrap up
- The students already took their oral test, which was recorded into a computer. So I'll spend the next 3 afternoons grading them with the Chinese staff.
- Students get their final exams beginning next Thurs, and continue into the next week, and get them back. No oral classes then.

[B] Teacher training classes

- Both rounds end next week, as I give my final oral exams.

So while expecting a nice 2-week holiday to end June, I had a sinking feeling in the back of mind that something just had to come up. And it did. I get announced a last-minute teacher training course that begins next week.

Essentially it is a 2-week crash course on Western culture for a bunch of kindergarten teachers who will study in Australia in the summer. I'm rehashing similar material I did for other TT courses. I would have said no, but I met the person in charge of the program last night who has connections with my FAO. This person happens to be .... the education department head of Malu Town.

The upside of all this is that I can save a bit of money and do more local travel instead (all days free). I may not be in Shanghai for a long time, and I've always wanted to visit each of the surrounding districts.

Steve