Job Discussion Forums

[pauleslteacher1]

Hi All...

I have been thinking for awhile about putting together a teacher's association for Indonesia. I think it would be a great idea to get together both professionally and socially with the many teachers in Jakarta and other cities.

Any thoughts?

Interested?

Cheers....

Paul

[basiltherat]

some folks in almaty, kazakhstan actually organized this while i was there and it worked a treat. they had a wednesday pizza night when they wud get together and socialize at a downtown western restaurant. it was great fun. there were pub like quizzes and all kinds of fun things going on. as many as 20 people turned up one night and thats a lot for almaty.

i wud recommend it if it can be planned n organized well.

i personally made several acquaintances, several of whom i am still in touch with.

one issue which did come up was whether people should spend lots of time 'talking shop'. there was no rule as such, but several people wud give u a frown if you spent an hour discussing efl grammatical etc points.

excellent idea, tho.

best
basil

[laughing_magpie06]

I would say talking shop is ok as we are all in the same profession so it is a common topic but hey don't discuss grammar and teaching methods cos it would put us all to sleep...keep it to the pros and cons of our present and past employers.

[beefer]

paul,
in theory i think you have a great idea but if truth be told, it will all depend on what this "association" will be all about. is it just meeting every so often, getting pissed-up and everyone trying to outdo every other persons horror/ comedic(sp..?) stories from the classroom?....or do you actually plan on building something with this?...if so, it could be interesting.

what were/ are your ideas with starting an association like this?

[Cardinal Synn]

Good question.
I suppose it could be a combination of the above - Occasional sessions but something more solid underpinning the thing. What though? How formal?
Please give us an idea of what you had in mind Paul and maybe through this forum we can thrash out some ideas. Did you have any models in mind (no, not topless ones), associations you've been in before or ones you're aware of in other countries?

CS

[pauleslteacher1]

Here are my ideas....

The teacher's association would be along the lines of a group of teachers both Western and Indonesian who would meet both professionally and socially. Almost 2 separate groups in the content of what would be done.

A. Professionally..

1. To provide a forum to discuss ways of raising the standard of our profession.

2. To share ideas on teaching the components of English fluency (speaking, reading, writing and listening, etc.)

3. To contribute resources which could be shared by members (eg. teaching techniques, grammar exercises, games, etc.)

4. To provide a place for teachers to find out about those schools which treat their teachers badly and/or don't uphold their contracts. And on the other hand to list the good schools that take care of their teachers. (I personally think this is long overdo). This would have to be carefully done in order that the true facts were presented.

5. To give support to new teachers and help other teachers who might have some unforseen problems...

6. A place to find out about other jobs, places to live, get advice...

7. Other Ideas????


B. Socially.

1. To provide a fun environment where teachers could meet once and a while (to start) to do activities (dinners, parties, going out, hiking, trips, etc.)

2. A place to gain new friends. As a new teacher coming to Indonesia can be a daunting experience, especially when you don't know anyone except the people at your school...

3. Teachers could get travel/holiday information from each other.

4. Other ideas...

Something like this would have to have some real dedicated people that were interested in helping others and not just giving up after a couple of months (as alot of projects here seem to do). And of course, it would have to be very well organized.

For me, I am planning to stay in Indonesia for a long time and a association like this would be sometihng that I would definitely support.

Cheers!

Paul

[pauleslteacher1]

Hi Again...

I just wanted to change one small error... last sentence should read "an association" not "a association"... sorry for that...

Cheers,

Paul

[beefer]

personally, i think its a great idea and hope you are able to get it off the ground and functioning in a manner that it positive and helpful to others.
its gonna take alotta work to keep it going but i wish you the best.
the beef gives paul 2 thumbs up.

[pauleslteacher1]

Thanks beefer for your positive comments, but alas I can't do it on my own... I will wait to see if there are any peoplle on this forum who are interested in getting together to at least talk about doing something on a small scale first.... anf then who knows.... Well I guess "The Shadow" does....

Cheers!

Paul

[ReveurGAM]

I think it's a great idea, Paul. Any progress?

Glenn

[pauleslteacher1]

Hello Glen....

To be honest there was so little response to it, I decided it was not worth pursuing.... People seem to be only interested in their own "worlds"....Such is life, I guess.

[jondeg]

Hi , why don't you guys join this site :
http://www.kpcmelati.org/forum/

they are very helpfull, this site design for those who married Indonesian women all around the world. and you might meet someone from your own country.
They are the one who fight fr dualcitizenship for mixed married kids.
If you join them, you may contribute your suggestion as foreigner...
who knows .....

[beefer]

thats the group my wife signed us up with. it cost 250,000 to join that group and it was more than worth it. i was in a major bind with my son and his status and stuff, it looked like we were going to have to pay a massive fine for his overstay but they were able to get around the whole thing and we ended up paying a very small fee to have everything taken care of. they are a great group to be connescted with if you need help with the laws and such

[TEAM_PAPUA]

Any new ideas?

[pauleslteacher1]

A teacher's "association" is something that is long over due in Indonesia (in my humble opinion)... I intend to stay here for a long time and would be willing to work with others to put something together... Anyone interested?