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Curtinca
Joined: 26 Feb 2016
Posts: 73
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 Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 12:21 am Post subject: |
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| Simon in Suzhou wrote: |
| As many have said here, being late for class alone might be enough not to get renewed. However in China there is the reason you're TOLD that you're being let go and the REAL reason which is often never articulated to you because Chinese people generally like to avoid conflict and/or embarrassing conversations. |
Was about to post something along these lines, based on personal experience, but Simon nailed it. If you haven't been offered a renewal contract by six weeks or so before the end of term, take the hint and pack your bags. Don't expect them to spell it out for you! BUT... you can and should ask for a letter of recommendation. They'll give it to you, rather than have the embarrassing conversation! |
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Spatula City
Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Simon in Suzhou wrote: |
| I took a poll of my students and 94% said i was extremely handsome! ha. Students are not a reliable source of information, for reasons stated above. We had a TERRIBLE teacher at our school and dozens of students came to me (their former teacher) to complain about him. I told the students that if they felt he was a poor teacher they should give him a low evaluation grade at the end of the term, and they all told me, "No I could never do that! I will give him an A, the same as all my teachers!" China. |
I worked at a college where they gave salary bonuses based on positive student evaluations.
The only person who actually received the bonus was an alcoholic who experienced both hallucinations and delusions due to his alcoholism, couldn't spell let alone understand grammar or how to explain it to others, was confirmed to have showed at least 3 whole movies in his classes, constantly missed compulsory meetings, and actually slept through an entire class due to a bender... when admin knocked on his door after his class was cancelled, he actually forcibly held it shut... possibly due to hallucinations, which several of us talked him through on multiple occasions (despite him having a history of making violent threats and being somewhat sure we were members of a cult involved in sex trafficking).
The fact that he was paid more than me even once was enough to make me refuse to consider ever returning to that college. |
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Spatula City
Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Ummm... so OP, do you mean you were eating WHILE you were teaching? As in, you had sandwich crumbs dropping out of your mouth while you talked?
Anyways, putting on the appearance of being a dignified human being isn't a matter of professionalism so much as common sense. If you start calling them out on things like having phones in class, they're going to point to your own unprofessional behavior as justification for that resentment.
Every 'unconventional' thing you do will be used by the students to justify their own bad behaviors. It doesn't matter if you think being late/eating isn't the same thing as using your phone in class-- to them, your lack of respect for their expectations of 'teacherly' behavior justifies their own lack of respect for you and your class. Even if they comply, they are going to be more inclined to judge you more harshly on your own failings. Your 'oh hey I didn't mean to be so harsh' talk isn't going to work every time... and meanwhile, other adults (the ones who are more like what you should be) are going to notice and they WILL think less of you.
The rules of each classroom are not based on your whims, they are based on a sense of decency and respect that all adults SHOULD have. A lot of Chinese schools haven't figured out the difference between an actual teacher evaluation and a popularity contest, but that doesn't mean we should give into all of the negative racist stereotypes and be exactly what the worst of them expect us to be.
As an exercise, it might help to think of the kind of person you consider to be worthy of respect and try to emulate that as opposed to just focusing on what makes you personally happy/comfortable. |
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Spatula City
Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| rogerwilco wrote: |
I think that anyone that chooses to work in China is a non-conformist.
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Ummm... off topic, but do people actually see China as a land of non-conformity?
If I was a big non-conformist, I would probably go to a country where they DON'T stare at you for being different from everyone else. |
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RunItTwice
Joined: 17 May 2018
Posts: 36
Location: Scotland...for now
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 5:42 am Post subject: Re: Contract Not Renewed After 2 Years - What's the Key? |
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| chryanvii wrote: |
(a) Do you ever eat during class? Even something simple like Bao Zi or dumplings? |
When I taught in China, I used to go out to grab some bao zi before the early morning class. Most of the time, I finished the bowl before arriving though occasionally there'd be some left. I was warned and made sure to finish my breakfast before entering class from then on.
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| (b) Are you ever late to your classes? |
I get being late if you need to commute and face unexpected traffic but let's be real: you're living on the campus. Barring a serious injury, you shouldn't be late for class.
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| (c) I scolded 2 students one day (in 2 different classes) for openly using their phones immediately after telling them not to use them (I have a traffic light signal in the class which tells them when they can and can't use their phones). |
In the beginning, I got bent out of shape about stuff like this because I could never imagine doing it to another teacher myself as a kid. Eventually, I realized that I could just fail them and get the last laugh. So I didn't take away their phones unless they're using them to interrupt class.
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| (d) I failed 4 students last semester in my academic writing class for cheating, and 2 others in my creative writing class last year (for not applying themselves). Do you think the real reason the school doesn't want to hire me back is this? And that they are simply giving me another reason as an excuse? |
Probably not.
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| Anyway, thanks for your opinions. The dean did talk with me last semester about the lates and eating in class. And I have been trying to be much better about it. But the skeptical side of me still thinks that there is another underlying reason that they are really not telling me about. |
Wish I read this first. If you get warned about bad behavior and refuse to change it, then yeah you should get fired.
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| Additionally, I'm always very well-prepared. |
But you're late.
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| Something seems very fishy to me. Can you tell me what the special "key" to keeping a university job - or ANY job in China for that matter - is? I really appreciate that. |
Putting up a front of caring and doing the bare minimum is enough for most universities. |
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isitts
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Posts: 193
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 4:15 am Post subject: Re: Contract Not Renewed After 2 Years - What's the Key? |
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| chryanvii wrote: |
| I took a survey of all of my students… |
| Simon in Suzhou wrote: |
| I took a poll of my students and 94% said i was extremely handsome! ha. Students are not a reliable source of information... |
Simon is right. That’s why you should survey your employer(s). I think that’ll help you find the answers you’re looking for. |
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chryanvii
Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Posts: 125
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:06 am Post subject: |
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Actually, I don't quite agree on this one. I have also conducted in-class questionnaires about the class and haven students give them to me when finished (instructing them not to write their names on them).
Many of the students answers seemed very critical to me, and some were quite blunt. They spent a long time on writing their answers, and seemed to enjoy telling me their opinions about the class. |
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nimadecaomei
Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Posts: 605
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| Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2018 12:57 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, student feedback and reflection on their learning is useful. I usually have them do such things bi-weekly. It is good for them and for you. However, if you simply ask them to say if what you did was good or bad you will not get very good feedback. |
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