I was surprised at how quickly my first week filled up not only with classes but with meetings, banquets and part-time job interviews. On Monday morning my phone started ringing with job offers to teach English at other training institutes - I have no idea how they got my number but it will be nice to be able to pick and choose the companies I want to work with depending on hours offered, lesson plans, salary and location. I'm not going to work on weekends this semester so I've scheduled some part-time hours on the days that I don't have many classes at the university. So far I am going to work for Web International English, be a private tutor for a CEO of a suit-making company and I have an interview for a company called Global IELTS tomorrow.
So far at the university I have 16 hours of class: twelve of them are Western Culture classes and four of them are Oral English. One cool change this semester is that classes have been shortened to two 45-minute periods instead of two 50-minute periods. Sweet!
Here is my schedule so far (classes could change or be added/dropped):
Monday: Culture class from 8-10 am and 2-4pm
Tuesday: Culture class from 10-12 and 4-6 and Oral English from 2-4
Wednesday: Culture class from 8-10, Oral English from 10-12 and Web from 1-5pm
Thursday: Culture class from 10-12, Chinese class (for me) from 4-6pm and English Corner from 7-9 pm
Friday: No classes at the university for me, Web from 1-9 pm
So far the students have been delightful and classes have been a lot of fun. Basically I have all of the sophomore students that Ken, Sean and Jordan had as freshmen last year and they seem like a great group of kids. So far I have had a few tell me that they wish one of the guys were teaching the class "because they are so handsome" (almost all of the English majors are female) so that can be a little disheartening but hopefully they can learn something instead of just drooling longingly over the distracting male foreign eye candy in front of the class =).
Though my students are great, the school year has gotten off to a rough start for a number of reasons. First, it is hard to get used to the differences in planning and organization when compared to an American institution. I know, I know, it's all part of the experience to get used to how the Chinese education system works but at times it can be a little maddening (but also hilarious). For instance, holidays are never known in advance. I have asked my supervisor for a list of the days off for this semester so I can plan the syllabus accordingly and start thinking about planning trips to which he replies, " Relax, take it easy. Don't work so hard. It doesn't matter. Just have a good time." I usually find out about classes cancelled for holidays the night before in the form of an email. Sigh. This will probably never change.
Second, Peter, Daniel and I all failed some students last semester for a number of reasons: never came to class, turned in blank exams, refused to speak etc. Unfortunately, this is a no-no at this university as it produces a kink in the gears of simply churning students through required classes. Logically, it would seem to me that these students should repeat the class but that is not how things work. Instead, my supervisor came to Sean and I yesterday and told us that we had to give a review session and make-up exam all before Sunday night to the students that failed any English class last year. I was not particularly pleased about this and asked what would happen if they failed a second time. My supervisor advised me not to let this happen as it would just create more work and trouble for everyone. So my question is, why do they even have to take the exam if it is just a formality?
Finally, the hardest to stomach is the suicide of a recent sophomore English major. Last week, the day before Sean and I arrived, one of our students jumped to her death from the 7th floor of Building 59, the building and floor where we teach. Nobody really knows why she did it but there are rumors on campus reporting that her roommates blamed her for stealing, she was behind in her classes, she had disappointed her parents in some way etc. What made it more awful was that she did it during passing time so many students were witness to it. The school immediately covered it up and kept it a secret and I only found out because other students talked to me about it.
Unfortunately, suicide can be rather common in Chinese schools because of the immense pressures that the students are faced with and the high expectations that their families have for them and for their future. I guess sometimes it is just too much and the consequences are absolutely heartbreaking. This news has prompted Sean and I to re-think our classes a little bit; we want them to be fun, creative and light-hearted which will hopefully offer them a little bit of a break from the intense busyness and stress that they face in their everyday routine. We are also going to hold office hours this year for hanging out, practicing skits/presentations or for extra help and review. I don't know if any of this will make a difference, but we can try.
Tell me how the office hours work out.