Job Discussion Forums

[meyanga]

Hi guys,

I really need some help as I'm going through a horrible time at work just now. I recently failed two students who then complained to management that they failed because of me. I have been pulled up, not for my teaching, but for "the way I communicated" the failure to the students and will received "training" on how to do it better. The fact that over the past 18 months I have failed a number of students seems irrelevant, but don't get me started on that....

I work at the British Council - we do 7 week, 40 hour General English courses - each course covers 3 or 4 modules of Cutting Edge and is based on CEF "Can Do" statements. Not rocket science.

The problems arise as we must do 5 assessments - 2 speaking, 1 reading, 1 writing, 1 listening - they call this continuous assessment, although there is nothing continuous about it. Each teacher devises their own way of assessing, therefore, there is absolutely no standardisation whatsoever. What I consider acceptable to pass a student at intermediate level, may be totally different from another teacher. As students move up the levels, and have different teachers, it is understandable that they get upset when different standards are applied. It isn't fair for them, I know.

However, with regard to telling students that they are possibly going to fail (which we do at mid-term counselling) or that they have in fact failed, do you have any advice on how to go about it with Saudi (female) students, to avoid tears and drama? I have had students literally beg me to pass them...grown women that is, learning English just for themselves, not for school, or university. When I ask them what is important - a certificate or actually learning English and being in the appropriate class to assist their learning, it falls on deaf ears. They want the certificate and don't seem to mind moving to a level which they are not capable of passing and which will hamper their progress. WHAT'S GOING ON?????????

I really enjoy my job for the most part and enjoying teaching Saudi women, but I find it so upsetting when a student that you have had a great relationship with (or seem to have had), writes a complaint about you and BLATANTLY LIES!!! How can they do that? I am a trusting person, I would prefer not to say naive and feel like I really do have a good rapport with most students. Although I have worked in many different countries, and am well aware of cultural differenes, I am now starting to question my understanding of the "Saudi mentality". I have always avoided stereotyping, but perhaps there is something in the Saudi education system or in society...who knows...which, if I understood, could help me understand this desperate need to pass as opposed to learn.

Put simply, if I were learning French and was struggling and a teacher advised me to repeat the level as this would benefit my progress in the language, then, perhaps I might be a bit disappointed, but I would get over it quick smart and get on with it. Wouldn't you?

Feeling really down just now. I know this seems trivial compared to people waiting months for visas or not receiving salary etc, but for those of you who are experienced here, please help.

Thanks

Meyanga

[scrog_420]

Welcome to Saudi Arabia. You're learning the hard way--just as I did. What you're experiencing is typical. If you're hoping for personal or professional satisfaction, forget it. No sane person teaches in Saudi Arabia for any reason other than money. Anytime that you start to think you have a rapport with your students, that you've connected on a personal level, remember, you're just another dancing monkey. Don't expect much better from your Saudi colleagues. It can be a brutal, spirit-crushing experience. You try to be a fair and decent person, and you just get your heart ripped out. You're stunned that someone you thought was a friend, somebody that you cared about, that you bent over backwards to help, could be so cruel to you.

"Blatant lies"? Don't I know it. I was continually appalled at how students in KSA and the UAE would stab you in the back. In both countries I saw and was sometimes the victim of the most outragous obscene lies. The women were worse than the men. I saw it there, and I now see it from Saudi students in the USA. Call me culturally insensitive, but sorry, it's the truth. I've been around a long time and worked around the world, and it's true.

Now regarding your question, when students fail, it is because the teacher failed to teach that students. Incompetent teachers don't get their contracts renewed. Therefore, the answer to your question is easy--you don't tell them they've failed because you don't fail them.

You encourage them to do quizzes and exams in pencil. Then you later use your eraser to make sure they pass.

If that doesn't work, rig the point scheme so that it's impossible to fail. Make easy questions twenty points each and the hard ones two points, etc.

Also, lower the passing score. It's generally 60 to begin with in KSA, which is already a joke, but why can't it be 50?

You can also dream up schemes to award them extra points. For example, ten points for remembering to bring a pencil to the test or five points for not falling asleep during the test. Or try easy extra credit questions. Call them "honor points."

[johnslat]

Dear scrog_420,

"Anytime that you start to think you have a rapport with your students, that you've connected on a personal level, remember, you're just another dancing monkey. Don't expect much better from your Saudi colleagues. It can be a brutal, spirit-crushing experience. You try to be a fair and decent person, and you just get your heart ripped out. You're stunned that someone you thought was a friend, somebody that you cared about, that you bent over backwards to help, could be so cruel to you."

Why is it, I wonder, that people often assume that their personal experiences can be generalized to cover everyone else's possible experiences?

Regards,
John

[007]

[With Malice Toward None]

Quote scrog_420: You encourage them to do quizzes and exams in pencil. Then you later use your eraser to make sure they pass.

You will not see the end of it. There will charges of favouritism, even worse, everyone will know what you are doing. It IS Catch22 but the only way to get around it is to help your SS to do their best. Not having the means to do so is quite another issue.

Meyanga,
It's roughly the same situation everywhere in the Gulf, and perhaps elsewhere, too.
My sis-in-law teaches Bio in an NYC Board school,says the situation is as bad.
A colleague of mine taught in Maldives before we got to Oman and he says the students are angels, placid waters and coconut palms all around you (each island is roughly 1.5 km dia and there are about 2000), everyone knows everyone else, you get invited to houses, get gifts of tons of tuna dried/fresh if you like the stuff. But the boat to Male comes say once in two days, and the pay is around USD900 .
Perhaps you should talk to someone experienced in your context like VS or littleoldlady or Mia Xanthi.

Good luck,
WMTN.

[Hiawatha]

I myself had to adjust some of my thinking on marks.

The bottom line is here in the Gulf (and Saudi is included) The students want high marks, and many of them dont want to do the work.
(Although there are those that do).

All kinds of games are played in order to achieve this. Bottom line........If the "management" does not back you on your fair marks and practices then it will come back to you the teacher. You may get low student teacher evaluations, or you could even get fired.

Like I said, I have changed my thinking on marking here, I am still teaching them and I care about their learning, yet I have a higher marking curve.

[Kalima Shahada]

[veiledsentiments]

[Sheikh N Bake]

To be honest... if your employer hasn't bothered to set up systems and standards... and then doesn't support your decisions, I would just pass most or even all of them.

Agreed! In the Gulf, where people get fired all the time for failing the little darlings, why on earth would you want to pretend your language school is Cambridge or Harvard? Move 'em on. Bada bing, bada boom.

[johnslat]

It all depends on who your employer is. At the IPA, students that failed, failed - well, at least most of the time; there were the very rare "Super Wasta" students.
If the director asked me "to help" such a student - and it was extremely seldom that would happen - I told him that while I couldn't raise the grade, he, as Director, of course had the authority to do so.

Regards,
John

[meyanga]

Thanks very much guys...guess it's just how it goes here.

As for BC, yes I was also incredibly surprised when I arrived here. This is my first BC position and I had expected MUCH more. Colleagues who have worked at other BC centres are equally amazed at the lack of systems, procedures etc in place. They are trying to improve things, but I don't see much evidence of it yet. But, here's hoping...

For the time being, I have learned a lot, but don't want to become cynical and assume that ALL students here will be like that. If I start to believe that job satisfaction will be an impossibility here, then, while I want the dosh, I'll seriously start to go mad. I am trying hard to take all comments on board, but am still plagued with the question ...WHY????

Why do they want the certificate so badly? (and you're right VS, it's totally worthless)
Why do they take it so personally?
Why do cry about it? Not a criticism, I can shed tears easily...but it's a bit odd in this context..
Why do they become so vindictive? It's like you stole their husband or something....
Why do they LIE?

WHY?????

Thanks for all replies, much appreciated.

Meyanga

[Sheikh N Bake]

Because they've been so sheltered, imprisoned and gender-segregated, relatively speaking, that their maturity level is somewhere near junior high school level.

[doner]

Also because it works. Again in the OPs situation it is the teacher who gets it in the neck not the student.

[Asda]

@Mr Bond, you have a terrible habit of surviving:lol ...er...I mean, it is mathematically possible for a student to fail an exam before they have sat it if, for example, the final paper is worth a certain percentage and the amount of marks accumulated thusfar makes it such that even if they got full marks in final, they still would not reach the pass mark.

Some of our students borrow money to attend our (private) institution, which dispells the misconception that all Saudis are loaded! Apparently, one of my students has been duped out of a considerable amount of his late father's inheritance by his older brothers, so he's had to sell a few camels to pay his fees!!

Personally, my experiences on failing students have not been dangerous to me (in terms of threats etc), but I have had students turn on the waterworks because they didn't pass. I've heard that females students have been known to fall to the ground and have full blown tantrums like a toddler!

However, I genuinely feel sorry for those who attend, try hard and still do not make it. I have <b>NO</b> sympathy for the strollers who expect help from me by going to the Dean and dispensing some Vitamin Waaw - to which I simply reply that my Wasita is not potent enough and that we have a system in place.

Also, I've been told, be careful as to how much of a rapport you (try to?) develop with students, as they may expect favours in return. At first, I found it strange when students scoring low on a test (quiz?) ask you if they can obtain some extra marks by submitting 'a piece of research' for you (no doubt taken/borrowed from the interweb!). I gather they are used to this from their schools.

And WTF is it with this 100% culture?!? I have had students kick off because they get 96%, like it's some major calamity!!! Once again, probably from their school. As for the females who don't need the English, perhaps it's for bragging rights or to attract a better suitor.

[usool]

It's clear you have no idea how things work in the Gulf. Allow me to educate you a touch. Lesson number one: students never fail in the Gulf, you Fail them. They are never the active person in a sentence involving the verb fail, always being the passive recipient of poor or malicious teaching.

Here endeth the lesson.