Job Discussion Forums

DosEquisX · Joined: 09 Dec 2010 Posts: 361

I take pride in my work and put forth my best effort to teach students. Some of my students showed drastic improvement and were no longer afraid of speaking English to me, but others seemed to just slide through. I felt that in Korea, the system was occasionally working against me. I felt as though I was part of a dog and pony show rather than actually being a teacher. It was sort of like, "Show up, look white, do some drilling" and go home. I wasn't sure if my teaching was appreciated or if anybody really cared about my actual performance. Whenever I would do something outside the box that would interest students, I got some sour faces from other teachers and my superiors.

Oftentimes, I felt as though my work was unappreciated. I am hoping that my students stand to improve a bit more in China. I'll be teaching in a public university this time. Perhaps I won't have go to the point of babying students and disciplining them. Even if the classes are just chalk + blackboard (which most seem to be), perhaps they will learn more from it.

Can more experienced teachers enlighten me as to whether or not my teaching will be considered valuable? Is additional work beyond just planning the lesson/teaching it worth it? Or is it all just a show? You know, get some whitey in there, do shit and go home.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

This is probably the most significant post in the 10 years I've been following Dave's. That covers 3 gigs in public unis and vocational colleges.
My advice:
Make a difference in your classroom. Don't worry about the others either Chinese teachers, admin or the other backpacker type FTs.

vikeologist · Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 600

It can be like that, and definitely is in many private training schools, but things have been different at both the school and Uni I've taught at here, because of my immediate bosses.

Chinese language teaching is awful. The Uni students will love you,. If you are a good teacher, the students will definitely appreciate you, and I'm sure that you can find a Director of Studies or equivalent who will appreciate your work. It's unlikely that the high ups in the University will aprreciate it though. They don't know anything about language teaching, and therefore have no ability to recognise it.

I teach at a pretty bad uni, which is actually good for me, because the students did badly on their entry tests or whatever. This means that they are really motivated. The only real problem I have is that some of them put a lot of misguided effort into learning English. It can be frustrating to see them wasting their time out of class misusing grammar text books.

You will be a 2 eyed man with vastly superior weaponry and a massive private army - in the kingdom of the blind.

Incidentally, there's plenty of room in China for drunken, skirt-chasing, unqualified lazy backpackers, (most of the time still the best English teacher students have encountered). I'm just saying being professional and competent is a theoretical possibility.

Zero · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 1402

DosEquisX · Joined: 09 Dec 2010 Posts: 361

Also, how do you effectively adjust to classes with limited resources?

Most of my lessons relied heavily on Powerpoint presentation, but most uni rooms at the two schools I am considering are pretty much blackboard + chalk.

flyingscotsman · Joined: 24 Mar 2010 Posts: 339 Location: Suzhou, China

The post can be taken several ways.

Serious business education is indeed in China - for the schools that make much money and invest little or none in materials or staff.

Seems so many schools with foreign affiliations market themselves as a great school because they have a Canadian, Australian, US, or UK "partnership" but really do little in the way of education and just suck the money out of the students parents.

I mentioned I work at DELTER - this is a prime example of a shiit school with an administration that cares MAINLY about the students paying their tuition bill on time. The school hired 2 druggie backpacker types, one of which teachers Business but has no experience in anything, both are drugged out or drunk on a regular basis.

Me I try to teach my business classes at 100% but it's REALLY HARD when my students want to sleep or play games on their phone - I stopped taking away phones because I really just got tired of it.

So is this serious business for me? Well I will always give it 100% for my business classes but it's just a working vacation for me now.

And in case anyone has a questions AVOID DELTER AS IT IS THE BOTTOM of the school food chain. I am debating to hang in there till June or just leave one day.

DosEquisX · Joined: 09 Dec 2010 Posts: 361

Scotsman,

You seem to be mixing two interpretations together. Yeah, it's financially profitable for academy owners. But I won't be working at those places. So, that's not the point I am making.

In other words, "Do public universities give a shit if you do more than show up and not choke on your own spit?" I am hoping that my effort will be appreciated in some way rather than just being kind of a joke.

vikeologist · Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 600

What kind of reward are you after? Most Universities get feedback from students, so I'm sure they're aware when they have a good teacher.

If you're looking for pay rises, promotion or professional development, I dare say that some unis will be open to this kind of thing, but really they are probably looking for the following things.

A decent teacher.
Someone who will not prosletyse or cause problems
Professionalism
Filling out paperwork
Not sleeping with students.

When Unis get teachers like that, I'm sure they try to keep hold of them. There's plenty of good teachers, but on the other hand they're not dropping off trees.

But as to the extent that they will care about the difference between a good and a great teacher; I would suggest that we will always be a small, albeit exotic, fish in a big pond.

As I've made clear in my earlier post; though I have exagerrated things for effect, I pretty much believe that we are shining stars in a morass of hapless incompetence; but if I made that attitude clear to the Uni, I wouldn't blame them for kicking my arrogant Western arse out of the door and getting in somebody who doesn't cause waves or cause them to lose face.

To sum up, I think you will only be happy in China if you can get satisfaction from the fact that you know, and the people immediately around you know, that you're a good teacher, and just roll with the cultural and professional imperfections and differences.

I can see no possible advantage in being a tail trying to wag the dog.

flyingscotsman · Joined: 24 Mar 2010 Posts: 339 Location: Suzhou, China

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

seamallowance · Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:50 am Post subject:

flyingscotsman · Joined: 24 Mar 2010 Posts: 339 Location: Suzhou, China

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

flyingscotsman · Joined: 24 Mar 2010 Posts: 339 Location: Suzhou, China

seamallowance · Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:26 am Post subject:

An educated person knows that life (and teaching) is not simply black or white.

I couldn't face myself if I didn't believe that my earnest efforts in teaching were actually working and that my students were learning English.

But I wouldn't be employed if I didn't do my best to keep the customers coming through the doors and paying the bills. If that includes playing a game of hangman or showing a short video now and them to keep them happy, so be it.

Everybody does what they have to to pay the rent, and it is not helpful to continually dredge up a mythical straw man in order to feel better about one's own self.