Job Discussion Forums

[Smitman]

Hello again, everyone. It's been quite awhile I suppose since I last posted, and this honeymoon stage of mine has lasted for about four months now and I am loving it. Thanks again to all the posters that helped me out before I came here, I appreciate it.

That being said, I'll stop ski-daddling and ask my question. I have a slight chance to experience Northern China teaching university level for about the same pay as I do teaching 5th and 6th grade here in Southern China, so I was considering doing that next year. I've gotten some opinions from the local foreign teachers here, but wanted extra insight or advice on such an endeavor.

I love my current job, but I was thinking that a college lecture in which I don't have to expend tons of energy to keep the students entertained might be good to experience. It seems 5th and 6th graders get bored quite easily and stop paying attention to you as soon as you talk about something less than stellar-ly interesting. I wouldn't mind this so much but they talk instead of fall asleep in my classes when they get bored, and it becomes difficult to quiet them, even with a Chinese assistant teacher in my class. My solutions have been to attempt to razzle-dazzle them at every turn, and for the most part it works and the kids have fun while I'm able to conduct a class for the other assistant teachers to see and praise me for. However, I'm thinking a class in which I'm paid to present the material and attempt to engage the class (failures acceptable), give them marks and take attendance, might be slightly refreshing. I've been told that the English level of college students are almost as bad as 5th and 6th grade, so my expectations of teaching higher level English are non-existent.

Another possible up-side that I thought might be present is the lessening of pressure. My current school conducts reviews every so often, and I have to have an open class or two rather often as well. Not only that, but I have a Chinese English teacher as my assistant in every class I teach, so if a class totally bombs, they're there to see it. If a class is a dead silent non-participant one, then they're there to see and criticize it as well. While this makes me a better teacher because I usually ask for advice and grow with each class, I thought it'd be nice to teach a class without much performance pressure in a higher-level environment (behavior, not English level).

Many thanks in advance for your guys' opinions.

[Anda]

The teaching doesn't change at all. I have done five years of teaching middle and high school and at present I teach college students. I control my classes by myself and prepare all my lesson material. The students want to be entertained so they don't have to think the same as at the school level. Don't expect change that's all!

[Steppenwolf]

In contrast to Anda I do see enormous differences between tertiary students and middle-schoolers.

At college and university level they have lost most of their natural vitality through schoollife-induced attrition; they are zombies and only sith through your lessons because it's their job (though a lot of them will be AWOL, which is not legal).

There are students and sometimes whole classes of students that really show enthusiasm; I found that in some normal colleges. At other universities - where English is only a minor subject - they show very little general interest, and thus you will have to lead them. Their English also leaves a lot to desire, considering the very long time they have had time to study English.

[Anda]

I would agree that students loose interest year by year as they realize that they are not retaining what they have learnt due to lack of revision. However this can be changed by building revision into your lessons. I have to hard teach for about six months before my students start to see they are learning. When students become aware that they are learning then you get interest out of them and not before.

I find the above to be true however for middle school, high school and at college or university.

Elementary schools are where I find interest straight off, full stop!