Job Discussion Forums

[ghost]

An English was given his exit papers yesterday (fired) by the M�d�r of this Koleji following allegations from parents that he was failing to keep law and order in the classroom. Furthermore some parents allege that he threw objects at the students and mistreated them.

The truth of all of this is that this poor teacher had been trying to control several classes of very 'yaramaz' students who were breaking all sorts of rules on a daily basis during the English lessons. This included running around the classroom and outside of it, fighting in the class, throwing objects at the teacher when his back was turned, tearing up work sheets, hitting other students etc.....

The teacher had asked the Koleji to deal with the atrocious classroom situations but was told that there is no specific discipline procedure at this Koleji, and that since he was a trained teacher he should find methods himself in which classroom order would prevail.

The poor teacher had tried everything from shouting (the students just laughed and would clap their hands) to disciplining the students. When he tried to discipline the students the children went home to tell their parents that their teacher was 'nasty.'

Things came to a head of Friday Oct. 10th when a 4th grade student came running at fall speed towards the teacher who was at his desk. The teacher put out both of his hands to stop the student from making contact, and in the process the student fell back against the whiteboard hitting her head against it. The student went to the doctor, the parents were called and two hours later the teacher was given his marching orders.

Of course no course of action was taken (or will be taken) against the students for the awful acts committed during the class (including hitting other children and stealing their objects).

In this Koleji the parents rule, and money means that the M�d�r will do anything the parents ask including firing a teacher without justification if that is what they desire.

[dmb]

It sounds like hell. I guess the teacher might be happy to lose the job

[scot47]

This reminds me of my reasons for leaving the awfu l business of teaching children in the state system in my native land. Adults are better !

[ghost]

The teacher was happy not to have to face the students again, but will miss the benefits which included 1000 dollars a month and free lodging and food in the Koleji. Now this teacher will have to go cap in hand begging for work in the 'Dil Merkezi' (language schools) where many owners only pay their teachers around 5 to 6 million an hour ($3.50-$4.50 per hour). Basically this teacher got screwed, and it is the system which is at fault not the teacher who was only trying to do his job.

Something has to be done about this business of tolerating appalling standards of behaviour by the students. In any other business if people behaved that way, including the parents who are willing participants in the mayhem since they do not punish or even advise their progeny to desist from their behaviours, the business would go bust.

In most areas of life when people (including children) commit wrongful acts, those misdemeanors have to be paid for. There are penalties. And when people (incl. children) know that if they do something wrong, they will have to answer for their behaviour, they will usually not commit the wrongful acts.

The teacher wanted to fight his wrongful dismissal but relented because the Koleji threatened to sue him if he did not sign there and then. There was no way he could fight the powerful foundation of this Koleji.

[scot47]

Ghost, were you that teacher ? You seem to be very close to the events !

[Anitata]

Wow!! The story sounds terrible. I am so glad that my students didnt do those kinds of things to me during my lessons and the department of the administratıon is quite supportive. I taught all classes from grade 1- 8. And so far, I have classroom management problems with Grade 1 (they are too young and they love running around in the classroom), grade 7 (few students are very talkative) and one grade 8 class (their English level is low and they are not interested in learning). Perhaps they say some mean words to me during the class in Turkish...I don't understand Turkish so I think its fine with me. The students are very talkative and childish.....but I think this is the nature of this specific nation...turks love talking and they talk a lot..........I used to feel sad about my classroom situation...but thanks guys, after reading yours, I think my school is actually a great school...and I guess all the children are having some behavioural problems....so I am not alone..I think as a teacher, we need to adjust and relax a bit.....yes, we are teachers, but we also travel here to experience the culture and beauty of this country. We only can try our best to teach them....we cannot change the education climate at this country nor can we save them.....so just enjoy ourselves here and enjoy working with Turks.....everything will be better, I suppose. Its only week 5 of this semester. We need to keep our spirit high.

[irieteacher]

Would love to know the name of this school?

A lot of the Kolejis in Ist. offer glossy hiring terms but in reality are full of sh%&.

Irie Teacher

[ghost]

It is on the Mediterranean coast in one of Turkey`s main tourist resort cities.

The Primary section is absolute hell, and the kids do what they like with the foreign teachers of English. There are a few nice kids, but they are dominated by the silly/screaming babies (majority). And of course one always ends up trying to gear one`s class to control the monsters.

There is a double standard, because the children do not dare misbehave with the Turkish teachers....so basically it shows a total lack of respect for Yabanci teachers and the subject - English. Basically teaching English there is the ``goof off`` class in which anything goes...including harrassing unsuspecting yabanci ESL teachers.

These types of situations are present in the majority of Koleji (Private) throughout Turkey, and ESL teachers need a very long fuse to last the year, and not lose it.

The Mudur (Principal) is nothing more than a puppet who dances to the tune the parents set....because it is big cash for the Koleji....and the farce continues year after year....with nothing changing because this is Turkey, and nothing is logical in Turkey....

[richard ame]

Hi Ghost

Without wishing to sound uncaring about what happened to you, I think its a fair question to enquire what could you have done to avoid this confrontation ,those of us who have survived in this type of work, for a lot more than the 6 months you did, know which way to roll .
I always rather had the impression from the tone of the many posts you sent that listening to some good or for that matter ANY advice was not part of your make up .
Perhaps that little known side of your character may have contributed to ONES downfall .
Just thought one would value that little insight for future reference,lest history repeats itself .

[yaramaz]

Hi ghost,

Sorry to step into this newly opened can of worms but I really think you werent built for teaching kids. Admittedly, I only met you for a few days so I have no way to judge, but youstrike me as quite academic, solitary and, well, very Type A-- as you have admitted. These traits are not very helpful when teaching crazy turkish kids. I struggled, but I think I succeeded, though after 2 years in the koleji system without a hitch I am ready to move on. I'm leaving my school on very good terms with great recommendations from all the highers-up and co-workers, in spite of the loony kids who insulted me or spat on me or screamed at me in Turkish or refused to work... They were not the majority, in fact--- most were really sweet, albeit noisy. I have enjoyed an exceptional 2 years of working with a lot of great kids whom I will miss very much (except sadistic and oblivious 9a-- though Hatice and Mustafa and Burak were lovely).

I am a quiet, somewhat introverted and academic type... and yet I grew to really like these kids. Its a pity you didnt get a chance to knowthem better-- my first few months teaching 4-5-6 were really hard, quite an adjustment from the silent Asians back in Canada...

[richard ame]

Yeah hasn't it just ? A certain poster can't or won't give the name of the school or the town its located in . Perhaps he forgot ,it was such a long time ago after all and well he has travelled a long ,long way sınce then .

[yaramaz]

I thought it was Antalya Koleji in, um, Antalya. I think that's what he said before.

[richard ame]

Hi Yaramaz

Yeah you could be right there,still its hard to tell with Ghost. He moves around so much ,he may have mentioned the town in another of his many(yawn) interesting threads,but the name of the school is still unclear to me at least . I do like the way he describes what happened to "a teacher" when he couldn't admit it was himself all along . Some people get thought more off by leaving certain establishments under a cloud ,others just run away and hide .

[ghost]

It`s not cool to give extensive details about schools and people, because others have different experiences.

Ghost left that first Koleji, and the business was finished, and he moved on from there.....no need to give names of Kolejis and such....that would be unfair to the Koleji and future applicants.

Most people know, by now, that teaching in private K-12`s is no cake walk.

In retrospect the negative experience can turn into a positive, because teachers then know where they are going in the future, and make better choices in future job searches.

Yaramaz did well at the Private school in Kayseri, and that is good, because teaching adults will almost feel like no work after that experience. It will be more relaxed and fulfilling. She will have to keep on her toes though, because when she teaches `conversation` groups in Turkey, some structure is better, because the Turks are not used to a class that has little or no structure.

A survey done at two language schools in Eskisehir, showed that a substantial number of students in `speaking sections` dropped out of the course during the year, sometimes by as much as 75%.....food for thought?

Many Turkish students are not used to the idea of learning without a teacher bellowing insructions into the ears of the students....

[FGT]

Food for thought - (as I'm sure yaramaz is aware) conversation classes too require structure, maybe even more than book taught lessons the teacher has to plan the hows and whys and wherefores.