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Q: Getting along with Chinese people you work with or is it just me?
Here is my rant
So I work for a certain university. The students I teach are pretty much underachievers ranging from 17 to 40. My goal is to prepare them for the BEC vantage test. Most of these students didn't take the Gaokao or failed it; so society tosses them aside.....many of them are divorced....some are rich kids....it's a mixed bag..Recently I had problems with a class and I went to my superiors and informed them that me and this particular class doesn't have good chemistry. I requested a change....They informed me that this class has given many teachers a problem; and to just bear with it for the time being. they have changed quite a few teachers in the past.
Why don't we have chemistry?
They don't do the assignments. They sleep or don't bother to show up to class; or come late. They talk in Chinese while I am teaching. As soon as a topic becomes uninteresting to them you can see that they just turn off and shut down. They don't participate in class. They will study English topics in their note book while I am teaching. They are culturally insensitive. I don't understand it because I am a native speaker; the greatest resource that they can have if they need to learn the language and culture. When I see other teachers teaching them it's like 20/80....80% Chinese 20% English.
The problem is that these are adults. In their late 20's and 30's....I attempted to do a heart to heart....told them about my past in America in order to motivate them....that didn't do anything...
After 3 months with them they complained to the dean and head that I showed them an obscene movie and that I come to class drunk. I never showed them anything obscene as far as I can think of; aside from a picture of Nikki Manaj(fully clothed) when we had a discussion on the beauty standard. At lunch I often order 1 can of Tingdao....they saw that one time while in the same restaurant as me. I know the stories about teachers who show up to class sh-t faced. I get drunk with my best friend once every two months and we have to drink like close to 15 bottles. Aside from that I don't go to bars or clubs
My last job at a bilingual school my co workers were jealous of foreign teachers salaries. Disrespected my class often by not ending their class on time.....barging in in the middle of my class to give announcements or test scores. Bad mouthed teachers in front of students....at one point went on strike because a Chinese teacher found out what the foreigners from the international department make.
I find that mainland people don't respect kindness. I have seen so many foreigners who are really arrogant get the highest respect.
I am a black American. Could this be one of the reasons why i am having such a hard time with students and coworkers....I really want to get along with everyone; but it always seems like I fail at it.
Is it me guys? I am on my last rope.....I'm really trying to get out of teaching....steady pay but it's a dead end.
The rant of rants.
Being black could definitely be a factor. Chinese typically see the ideal foreign teacher as a young male with light hair, blue eyes and a big smile. Or a young female with light hair who's very gentle and can teach little kids. The larger the deviation from that, the more likely you are to run into problems. That being said, it sounds like the group of students you have would be pretty hard for anyone to deal with. They clearly have no motivation to learn English and it's doubtful that they show much respect to their Chinese teacher either. I get upset when my university students sleep or play on their phones but I know they do the same with their Chinese teachers.
jetfire9000:
I highly doubt that being black has to do with the problems described here. The evidence appears in the first few sentences where it can clearly be seen that its a big class that has posed problems to lots of other teachers....
Honestly what was described here represents the average composition of classes you run into at a training center any given day. While this is a university class, judging by the age range of the students , the student quality also reflects the characteristics you'd see in a random training center. I feel bad for the teacher here, but it's also pretty normal for China.
Being black could definitely be a factor. Chinese typically see the ideal foreign teacher as a young male with light hair, blue eyes and a big smile. Or a young female with light hair who's very gentle and can teach little kids. The larger the deviation from that, the more likely you are to run into problems. That being said, it sounds like the group of students you have would be pretty hard for anyone to deal with. They clearly have no motivation to learn English and it's doubtful that they show much respect to their Chinese teacher either. I get upset when my university students sleep or play on their phones but I know they do the same with their Chinese teachers.
jetfire9000:
I highly doubt that being black has to do with the problems described here. The evidence appears in the first few sentences where it can clearly be seen that its a big class that has posed problems to lots of other teachers....
Honestly what was described here represents the average composition of classes you run into at a training center any given day. While this is a university class, judging by the age range of the students , the student quality also reflects the characteristics you'd see in a random training center. I feel bad for the teacher here, but it's also pretty normal for China.
I had a much milder version of your own experience, teaching IT
* Students sleeping and not giving a shit, apart from a small core of motivated ones
* Students initially looking me at as "the foreign clown", who would give easy grades and whom class would be a joke.
* Homework sloppily done, at best. Excuses on the level of "the dog ate my homework". People sleeping during the class, chatting, texting, etc.
* Other teachers being deadbeat, unmotivated, giving good grades regardless of a student's level
* Being mostly ignored by my colleagues. I was "the foreigner". I initially took Mandarin classes and tried to talk with my colleagues, it went strictly nowhere beside politeness.
For the students, I did that. First, I gently lecture them 15 minutes on what is proper behavior, and why I need it from them. I always signal a student gently first. Second time, I became a harsh, hard motherfucker. I will shame the offender in front of everybody. Any usage of phone during the class => out of the class, don't come back. Homework is part of the final grade, to the tune of 50% of the final grade. There are a list of "don't" that will give a nice fat 0 if it ever happen. If a homework is too sloppy, I will ask the student to do it again.
The students told me I was harsh, but fair, and some wrote me email to thank me for the wake-up call and my battle to actually teach them something. After 2 years, this drained my soul too much and I was very happy to not renew the contract.
If the job drains so much of your life, by any mean, quit. You seems to be motivated to do a good job, and you get zero encouragement for it. Leave.
Sounds like you got a tough bunch. Been there. If you have had enough then start looking for something else. It seems there are lots of better teaching jobs out there than this one. In the meantime, lighten up a little bit and don't let them get to you. Do your job as best you can as that is the part you can control. Whatever happens in the class, don't take it home with you. It sounds like it really has little to do with you or who you are.
Pick up and fly to greener pastures....... Legally that is. There's lots of people that get fired and end up facing a CFTU firing squad as a result. (okay I couldn't resist to crack a joke...)
being black doesn't help with regards to student prejudices. i'm not sure if that exascerbates things, or this class is too far gone for it to matter. they sound like unmotivated dregs going through the motions to save face. teachers and students don't value FT's for true educational skills even at the best of times. get some blue contact lenses, and maybe your students will have an epiphany: "laoshi, i never noticed it before, but you're actually a very interesting teacher."
Yeah thanks guys. I'm not perfect I must admit...but I feel I bend over backwards for these people....I remember my wife went to Hawaii and I asked her to bring me a whole bunch of things back so that i could distribute among these students....She went overboard...I had like 20 items; including American currency. I kept one thing gave the rest away based on merit in a game we played.....They were not appreciative at all....Apprciation to me is like saying Merry Christmas/Happy Thanksgiving...helping me with my heavy bags...a "thank you"....none of that.
But its like Groundhog day with me....i get burned by I try to see some hope and do it again. I'm stopping this time.
I would quit but the pay is so good. This is one of the reasons why I think they are so vindictive because I floss. My wife has a well paying job and my pay is also very good...we make somewhere to the sum of at least 40k a month with bills ranging in the 10k range. So all of my clothes are name brand. I wear solid gold bracelets...ipad top of the line computer....Envy could be part of the reason....But there are times that I work 6-7 days a week traveling from Songjiang to Puxi to Pudong...So....I feel I deserve it.
@coin
Well they are getting a new white teacher from Seattle...My job is hanging in the balance due to this class....I'm just happy to be rid of them...I have to start from scratch and try to salvage what reputation I have left...I try not to focus on color and race but it is always in the back of my mind.
I don't think the color has too much to do with it, i think maybe it's because you're in a big city. I'm a black American too and the teachers I work with bend over backwards to be polite and do things for me. Granted i know some are jealous of my salary, considering i only work at this particular middle school 2 days an week and I earn 4 times as much as they do, working there 5 days a week. But we are a team. In the end, i'm helping them look good. I get them excited about English and then the next class, the Chinese English teacher will come in and take over and I will skip down the hall to my next class and do it all over again. I'm like Beyonce' opening the show for Jay Z to come in and shut it down! hahaha. So for me it's fun. I don't take it too seriously because regardless if they don't pay attention, don't do well on their tests, never learn a lick of English, I still get paid so it doesn't matter to me, as long as the students like me, which they do, because i'm the only teacher that doesn't "act like a teacher." (ie I hide in bushes and jump out and scary them, i hide behind corners and stick my foot out and trip them up, in class i walk by their desk and knock their books on the floor and blame it on someone else, etc.) But maybe at your school you do have to produce results
But i understand your frustration, I'll give you the same advice i gave someone else this morning. Use a bunch of funny videos. Make them laugh. Basically I use videos that will make them jealous and want to go to America, therefore they will study harder and pay attention so they can learn English and have a better life. It's that simple. I tell them every day. "If you don't learn English, your life will suck. If you do learn English, your life can be great. It's that simple and it's your choice. Hell, I'm American and I get paid a lot of money just to stand here, laugh, and dance to my favorite songs while teaching you English. And I can go to America ANYTIME I want. This could be you....." hahahaha. Good luck man. I hope everything works out for you.
The update is I got fired from the job....So there goes....a nice Christmas Eve present.
Sinobear:
Holy crap, man! Tough break.
There will be tons of opportunities after Spring Festival if you can hang on that long. If you're stuck and freaking out about what to do, let us know.
Try to have a good Christmas/New Years all the same.
Eorthisio:
Can they really fire you on the spot? This is strictly forbidden by the SAFEA, they must give you at least a 30 days notice.
If you still want to teach I might be able to get you a job with IGCSE students in Foshan, Guangdong province after the holidays, the kids are well behaved and very motivated, there is another black american man working there and they love him, PM me your resume if you are interested.
Thanks Sino and Eorthisio....
Yeah they have a right to do it because I was working part time....was hanging on for 6 months at promises of a visa....never got it....was supposed to sign a big full time contract with them over the vacation period....That is not happening...I'm not too worried. I got the marriage visa. My wife has a good job. It's more of a matter of face principle and earning my own money.
I'm in Shanghai so the Foshan gig I will have to decline....thanks though....this time I will be very picky of the next job I go for.
I have 8 years experience teaching but I have always taken the jobs that nobody wants because of the color of my skin....Like the ones way out in Songjiang where it took me an 1 1/2 to 2 hours one way to get to work(I wouldn't get back home until 11:30 p.m every night)...I am tired of selling my self short.
Eorthisio:
The visa carrot is a classic scam, they know that without the proper visa you are powerless in case of conflict with your employer, the SAFEA or any other government institution won't help you if you are employed without a working visa, even spouse visa won't do it.
No problem for the job, Guangdong is a nice place however, I moved here from Shanghai 4 years ago and never looked back. But if your wife is Shanghainese chances are she won't want to move anywhere else in the country.
Tough break man, it sucks being fired. I got fired (ok, "didn't pass the probationary period") crom a job ata training center because I refused to set up the (married) headmaster with one of my good friends .
