Job Discussion Forums

[englishgibson]

In the private school where I�ve been working there is a kind of a standard to have �strangers drop by to see whether it�s worth to join a course�. The reception directs those �interested� into the foreign teacher�s classroom and lets them �observe�. It doesn�t happen on daily bases, but often enough to make me worried.

In my opinion, it is inappropriate and unfair not only to the teacher, but also to the students in the classroom. The teacher builds�chemistry� and a friendly atmosphere in the classroom in order to encourage the students to produce the language and be creative. From my experience the existing classroom students seeing �a stranger or two� observe them not only the teacher and listen to them not only the teacher is absolutely disruptive.

I suggested demo lessons as well as create a short �demo VCD� to play for those �strangers� if they want to see the �action before they pay�.

Have you got those issues in your private schools and how have you been dealing with them?

Cheers and beers

P.S. The education is not always the business!

[tw]

[kev7161]

When I was working at Dell, this happened a couple of times. I think my students actually enjoyed "showing off" their English skills to the new face. I have no idea whether or not they signed up for a class though.

[Roger]

I can't see a problem with visitors dropping by at a training centre, and have always humoured them with no trouble. This generates more business for your boss, so youshould support it. Your students couldn't care less whether there are any newbies in the room, believe me!

I even have had visitors to my university classes, and some remained throughout the semester. When most regular students had to sit final exams in other subjects I still had these visitors! I was happy, and they were happy!

[englishgibson]

[Babala]

I am also at a training centre. At my school, new clients are shown around and may look in at the classrooms while I'm teaching (the whole place is glass rooms) but they are never allowed to enter a classroom. I would object strongly if they ever tried. It would be an interuption to both myself and my students. Contrary to what Roger said, I think it would make the students feel uncomfortable, especially the low level students.

[burnsie]

It's a good way for a business to drum up extra business for their school. The Chinese habit is just to turn up when you like and if there is a class on they can put the potential student in to 'observe'.

When it has happened to me I concentrate on the students who are paying in the class rather than the newcomer. I have explained this to the school and they are aware of this.

Many of the schools wanting corporate clients have training managers, hr managers and other personnel come to classes for extended periods of time without paying a thing!

Not a great way to run your business but here, this is the culture.

[Chris_Crossley]

When I worked for EF in the Hankou area of Wuhan (Hubei), the practice of having total strangers observing classes was "not encouraged" (i.e., prohibited). Hence, this seems at odds with the "culture" mentioned above.

Then again, our classrooms were (and still are!) small, and one had a sense of just how small they were whenever parents' meetings were held at the end of young learners' courses when certificates were presented to the "successful" students. (There was a stated "no-failure" policy, so it did not matter how unbelievably bad in English the students were during the courses, but that's the subject for another thread, I think.) Having 20 students and at least 20 parents (and/or, in some cases, even grandparents) in the same room all at the same time (anything up to 40 minutes) emphasized the room's lack of size.

Whether things have now changed since then, I have no idea, since I left that particular school in mid-October 2003.

[go_ABs]

OP: every once in a while this happens at my school, too.

Like today, we were informed that in our next classes all the Chinese teachers will be 'observing' our methods. No pressure, huh?

What's more, apart from the additional distraction this will cause my students (who are only young), we are moving to a bigger classroom for this week to accommodate the extra bodies in the room. This creates an entirely new dynamic.

Because I teach young ones I sometimes have some scared kids. Children that have never seen a foreigner, never spoken a word of English: understandably they're a bit nervous. In these cases I allow the parent of that kid to sit in for several minutes of the first class until the kid is a bit more used to things. But THANKFULLY the school's policy is that parents must remain on the ground floor until their kids come down to them after class.

While our two cases are very different, because of the ages we teach, I understand and feel your pain. YES, a stranger in the classroom does create a completely different class dynamic, no matter what you do. YES, it's a pain in the bum. YES, I always completely ignore the 'visitors'.

(You're not alone.)

[cimarch]

I love the setup in my school (Private weekend). We have video cameras in all the classrooms which can be viewed in the Headmaster's office or on the big screen in the AV room. Any parents who want to are encouraged to come along and observe. And it's a great way to scare the bejaysus out of the troublemakers, just point to the cam and remind them that their parents could be downstairs watching and we can tape it to send home if we feel it's necessary...

[englishgibson]

Cimarch, �cameras in the classroom� is a SHOCKER TO ME. I am not new to the business of ESL teaching, but this is something that I have not heard of before. And you actually remind them of the cameras, so that they would not forget it is there. Maybe I am old-fashioned kind and maybe this is a future of education. WOW! Do your students feel comfortable for real?

[cimarch]

They're tiny little spy cameras, about the size of your little finger, so they're not intrusive. Most of the time everyone forgets that they're there, it's only when one of the kids is seriously acting up/being violent that I remind them. Once they realise there could be concrete evidence that they couldn't lie their way out of they quieten down VERY quickly. Otherwise, either the kids don't know about them or they're not camera shy.

I like them too from a personal security perspective, as a male teacher who occasionally has to teach small groups of girls by himself, it makes me feel more secure against possible allegations...

[englishgibson]

Sorry, but whatever the cameras can do I still find them hilarious as well as intrusive in the classrooms of ESL education.

Cheers and beers