How hard is it really - from someone who has taught BEFORE China

[aelfwyne]

I constantly see 'horror stories' about long hours, difficult classes, etc. However, I'm wondering just how hard it really is.

For comparison, here in the states, I graduated with my BA and applied at a school in desperate need of teachers after Hurricane Rita. I applied with the state to get my probationary teaching certificate in English, but the school district actually put me in a 9th grade classroom teaching SPANISH, which I had only had 2 years of in college. Being an inner city minority school, at the bottom of academic rankings, none of these kids wanted to learn Spanish, but the school required it, assuming it would increase TAKS scores. These poor kids couldn't understand after weeks on the topic, the difference between the irregular conjugations of Tener and Ser. Not for lack of my teaching ability I believe - I was the 5th teacher they'd had that year, and they simply refused to pay attention in class.

Other teachers with whom I worked felt I was doing a great job with the class, but I didn't think so. I spent several hours each day after school working with other teachers, grading papers, or simply preparing the next day's lessons. I typically left home at 6am and didn't get home till 8pm.

Discipline problems were rampant. Students would fight in class, sexually harass the girl, and threaten teachers. The administration wasn't willing to do anything unless there was something CONCRETE, such as if boys were harassing girls, we couldn't do/say anything unless there was physical sexual contact. If a student directly threatened us, we had to call it a 'terrorist threat' otherwise parents would be able to object to any punishment, so no punishment would be given.

Finally I quit when a student, not even in my class and with whom I'd only had a brief association while watching another teacher's class, hit me in the face with a book. The administration made clear they weren't willing to do much beyond suspend the kid for a week, despite other students (of mine) who were willing to come forward and testify what happened. So I pressed charges on the kid, and somehow that made me a hero to the other teachers who seemed afraid to rock that boat.

So, I ask you.... the teachers who have taught in the rough inner city schools of America - and in China - are the horror stories of long hours and difficult classes really that bad, or mostly from people who don't have much idea what teaching involves to start with?

[SamODell]

Only horror stories Ive had are about the boss, students maybe wont listen but ive never had any cause problems like when i was at school in the UK...

sure maybe the hours are long but ive not worked in a school where the Chinese workers have to do less, its always a lot more than me!

[Sarpedon]

I currently teach in Korea, and it's even easier than sitting at my desk for 10 hours surfing the Internet like I used to do in America. Oh sure, there's more frustration and the little annoyances that might get to you just from living overseas, but I'm only at my place of work for 6 hours a day, and teaching for about 5.25 of that, plus getting a free place to live and a salary and quality of life that I could only dream about in America.

Yeah there's horror stories, but honestly, I think that if you get down to it, you can't really beat teaching overseas. I liked it so much that I'm currently half way through a Master's Degree in Language Education.

Judging from your experiences in the American classroom, I'd say teaching children in a foreign classroom would be a cakewalk.

[gerri]

Two things:

One, I think that the real horror stories tend to be from Chinese high schools, not college. A bit strange, actually, since high school is the tougher study time (at least, when moving closer to gaokao), and there is quite a lot of slacking in college.

Two, it depends a lot on what you expect and what you want.

I hear lots of bad comments from people who come straight out of (American) college and expect Chinese college students to be just the same, all motivated, learning independently, discussing things. That's unlikely.

If you want to reach everybody and let them all progress, that's a big problem (one I tend to have). The level is very different, as is motivation, as is the importance of your class... If you concentrate on the good ones, be happy with small steps, have an idea of what you are doing and an open mind, you are likely to feel that the students are just great.

At the very least, even if they are not interested, they are not going to cause problems with discipline...

[ArthurBorges]

With a handful of exceptions, most such tales come from two kinds of people:

(1) Those who work(ed) for private schools.

(2) Those who expect from a normal Chinese employer the sort of treatment they would get as vice-president of an ideal American employer.