Job Discussion Forums

[Milo.Minderbinder]

Milo�s Plans and Problems at XYZ School

I�m writing this letter to try to help you make a better school, and many of the items in here apply to most of the English schools in Beijing. A collegue of mine recently remarked that poorly trained English teachers have ruined a generation of young Chinese � I must agree with this. I care about my job and the students, and I�m sick of the terrible English schools in Beijing.

The book is horrible. The audio-lingual method (substitution exercises) is terribly out-dated and is de-motivating for the students. It�s also too teacher-centered. I learned several excellent teaching methods in the CELTA class and I plan on using them. Sorry, but I�m not going to do any substitution exercises.
I have a lot of interesting and motivating material to use to teach the students, but it involves a lot of photocopying. I don�t want to spend a lot of time on this personally but I also want to do a good job. I really don�t want to work for XYZ if it�s going to be a problem or time-consuming to get you to pay for the copies for the classes.

I must tell you that while I think that while XYZ is good at marketing and selling classes you really have no idea how to teach English. I can say this because I have taught for you for one year and I have seen the material you use, the teachers you hire and your teacher-training program, which is non-existent. I also spent about five years teaching at a different school with a similar approach here in Beijing.
Actually, I use XYZ as a joke to my friends (without naming the school). I was called in to the X branch for training last year and you wanted to teach me about the history of XYZ School and take a test on it? I almost quit the school right then, and maybe I should have. (A little hint; if it�s important to you that the teachers know the history of your school, put it on a nice little, framed poster on the wall and if/when we�ve time we�ll take a look at it and learn it if we want to. It�s a much better way than cramming it down someone�s throat).

I�m a little upset that I wasn�t given a raise this year. I�ve been working at XYZ for one year now and in MY culture it�s customary to receive raises on a regular basis. I myself have been teaching here in Beijing since 2000 and made RMB 120 an hour then. If you want to keep experienced teachers you will have to do better.
I neither called in sick nor was late for class last year, and I helped out with substituting for less reliable teachers whenever I could, including teaching on Christmas Eve and New Year�s Eve.* I also feel that I did the best I could teaching the students, given the circumstances.

I really feel that while almost everyone at XYZ is nice to the foreign teachers and respectful to us, you don�t really take us seriously nor consider the fact that some of us want to be (or are) PROFESSIONAL teachers and that we look at it as a career.
We aren�t ALL a bunch of backpackers looking to have a �China experience� for a short time or misfit losers who can�t make it in the West.
Personally, the only reason that I worked for XYZ last year is because it was close to my home. The new branch isn�t so convenient and it will cost me about RMB 30 in taxi fees, and more time for every class session, yet I was offered NO RAISE!
I�m not an English teacher because making money is important to me. If it were, then I would return to America and resume my regular job. However, I have expenses like everyone else. Also, I read in the paper that average wages in China rose nearly 8% last year.
I feel that you don�t care about me because I received absolutely no bonus last year, not even a box of moon cakes � and of course, no raise this year.

So, let�s see what happens. My parents are coming in a few months and if the situation doesn�t improve before then I will probably go home and leave you in China to your poorly paid, untrained, backpacker teachers.

Additionally, I�m offended by the time clock, which I continue to refuse to use. It�s not professional. In my opinion, if you hired professional teachers you wouldn�t need to use it. The time clock clearly shows the type of �teachers� you are accustomed to dealing with, but at this rate of pay it�s not surprising. It�s very obvious that you normally deal with teachers who aren�t serious about their jobs. Time clocks, written schedules given to us like we�re children, calling me three times last Friday to remind me that I had a class that evening. A little ridiculous. (Another hint; If a teacher is often late or forgets to show up to class, fire them and hire someone serious about their job. You�ll almost certainly have to pay more though).

Your teachers MIGHT be good if you gave them some training. Lxxx told me on the phone that no teacher had ever asked for photocopies before so this immediately tells me that you�ve never had a properly trained teacher at your school.
I highly recommend the University of Cambridge CELTA course that I took. It�s expensive and a month of intensive work but I really learned a lot.
This is the link for info about the CELTA from Cambridge;
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teaching/

This is the link to the school where I took the course in Beijing;
http://www.languagelink.com.cn/celta/index.htm

I�ve heard stories from some of the full-time teachers that you are holding their passports for several months? When I got my Z visa from another school, it took a week, maybe less. I don�t want to accuse you of anything but stories like this don�t give me confidence that you are reputable people. Once again, if you pay a decent salary you will get decent teachers who are serious about their jobs and you won�t need to hold their passports.

We must certainly have a face-to-face meeting to address these problems if I�m to continue working for XYZ.

Sincerely, Milo

* I don�t think you should have class on Christmas and New Years Eves. If asked to teach on either of these two days again, I would pass.

** Also; my girlfriend�s aunt was recently certified in French. Her work unit gave her a RMB 200 a month raise because of it. I spent US$ 1,500 (and a month�s lost wages) getting certified and you offer nothing? Gee, thanks. Why did I bother to get certification, to make more money for you?

[ChinaMovieMagic]

From the China Job-related thread:

[burnsie]

[william wallace]

Nothing to say.

[mandu]

I just like to say the letter you wrote i agree with what you wrote.although i teach kindergarten,I can relate to what you have written.I have so many good ideas for kindergarten and feel my talents are wasted.

Im always on time to work and i do care about what i do.I worked for a kindy not so long ago.our English meetings were a waste of time,we got told what to do and we never talked about how to improve English classes i alyways got told i you are on your own by the principle.i was the only western teacher there and they had 3 chinese English teachers we were the English team.but there was no team work.

I prepare well for classes,Iam childcare trained,Im good at teaching nursery and k1 thats where Im at best.i have not done an English teaching course but would like to do one relating to teaching English to kindegarten children.alot of the time i think its very frustrating.it seems like no gives a shit about anything (excuse the french).

[mandu]

I just like to say the letter you wrote i agree with what you wrote.although i teach kindergarten,I can relate to what you have written.I have so many good ideas for kindergarten and feel my talents are wasted.

Im always on time to work and i do care about what i do.I worked for a kindy not so long ago.our English meetings were a waste of time,we got told what to do and we never talked about how to improve English classes i alyways got told i you are on your own by the principle.i was the only western teacher there and they had 3 chinese English teachers we were the English team.but there was no team work.

I prepare well for classes,Iam childcare trained,Im good at teaching nursery and k1 thats where Im at best.i have not done an English teaching course but would like to do one relating to teaching English to kindegarten children.alot of the time i think its very frustrating.it seems like no gives a shit about anything (excuse the french).

[kev7161]

I have fellow Chinese English teachers at my school who are just as frustrated by the "crap" as I. We commiserate with each other, but what can we do? TIC, after all (they don't say that, of course - - but they something akin to that!).

I often wonder why it is only Chinese that start up language schools? Are foreigners allowed to organize and open their own schools here? Or, if not, why not find a silent (Chinese) partner who will sign his names on all the necessary documents and maybe show his face from time to time at photo-ops? I realize, of course, that the start-up costs could be dear, but if 4 or 5 FTs/Business people would get together and organize this venture, who's to say it wouldn't be successful? Imagine, you not only running the business (with co-workers), but also directly involved in the recruitment and teaching of the students. Maybe it wouldn't be profitable at first, but who is keeping you from working a side job somewhere, say in a public school, to keep the money flowing?

A Chinese teacher-friend of mine was asking me if I wanted to join in with him in a similar venture but, alas, China is just not doing it for me and I don't have the temerity to stick around any longer.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

WW

[Roger]

Some - but not all! - of the observations hit something in my nerve system. However, what's the good of ranting in a forum for professionals? You should go public.

The main culprit are not the school masters, believe me. For education to be useful the mindset of parents would have to change first of all. No matter how enlightened a school master is the parents have the last word. And the parents have a mindset that was formed 30 or 20 years ago. At that time, English was not a compulsory subject. It has become popular mainly through government propaganda, not from practical insight. Parents think their own little emperor will be cleverer than themselves because they give him a "chance" of learning English which he can then put to patriotic use. If learning a subject is driven by "patriotism", then you can forget about its practical usefulness. This explains to a large extent why it is that Chinese assess the English competence of their own students; it should by right be FTs, shouldn't it?

But some FTs are part of the problem; they come here "to repay my debt" (as so many hint) or to have fun. FTs should be deployed to introduce better teaching styles to aspiring English teachers. They shouldn't be wasted for holding "oral English" courses. Unfortunately, quite a number of FTs actually believe "teaching oral English" to be a very worthy goal. Yes, of course - you don't want to bite the hand that feeds you...

[A Token of My Extreme]

[ChinaMovieMagic]

http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/stranger/Chap2/pg13.htm

2.4 The Vision of Language Learning in the 21st Century

<<...a constructivist view of learning suggests an approach to teaching that givers learners the opportunity for concrete, contextually meaningful experience through which they can search for patterns, raise their own questions, and construct their own models, concepts, and strategies. The classroom in this model is seen as a mini-society, a community of learners engaged in activity, discourse and reflection. (p. ix) >>


This chapter has provided a summary of approaches and of the use of technology in the teaching of FSFL for the past 100 years. The evolution of approaches described in this chapter culminated with the new era of language learning characterized by a reliance on constructivist philosophy. The evolution of technology use described in this chapter culminated with Technology Enhanced Language Learning. If we combine the new era of language learning with use of Technology Enhanced Language Learning we have a vision or an ideal for the teaching of FSFL in the 21st century. This vision is characterized by use of an approach which is referred to here as the Digital Approach. This approach relies on use of online learning environments (OLEs) and constructivism applied to language learning.

Whereas the approaches in the 20th century relied essentially on use of traditional environments, the Digital Approach relies essentially on use of OLEs. TLEs are generally structured, organized, censored, controlled and closed, provide a filtered reality and are characterized by sameness and stability. Instruction in these environments follows a linear, sequential pattern, is structured by time and relies on use of the text-book and supports synchronous communication. By contrast, OLEs are open, decentralized, unorganized, unstructured, uncensored, uncontrolled, generate reality and are characterized by sensory-vastness, growth and change. Instruction in these environments follows a non-linear/hypertextual pattern, operates independent of time and supports asynchronous as well as synchronous communication.

Whereas the approaches of the 20th century drew essentially on the principles of behaviourism, the Digital Approach will need to draw on the principles of constructivism. Some of the behaviourist approaches described in this chapter included Grammar-Translation, the Direct Method and the Audio-Lingual Method. These approaches or methods were centered on instruction with activities, techniques, skill-development and resources dictated largely by the underlying behavioural philosophy. The teachers' role was central and knowledge was conceived as a transferable commodity. Communicative Language Teaching based on a humanistic philosophy, rejected many of the tenants of previous approaches and reflected many of the principles of constructivism. However, CLT with its emphasis on one concept - that of communication, failed to provide the philosophical basis needed to define epistemological issues and to guide daily practices.

The new era of language learning draws heavily on constructivist principles as they relate to language learning. Knowledge construction replaces the earlier emphasis on knowledge transmission and reproduction. Students become the centre of the instructional process resulting in a de-emphasis of the role of the teacher as well as that of the curriculum. Students' prior knowledge and conceptions form the starting point for learning experiences. Instead of a predetermined sequence dictated by the curriculum, learning paths are determined by the students' needs and interests. Communication is redefined as a process of social negotiation of meaning and collaborative knowledge sharing. Real-world learning provides for meaningful and purposeful learning activities and experiences.

[monju]

WELCOME TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE

[ChinaMovieMagic]

RE:<<WELCOME TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE>>

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