The Good and the Bad

Just finished my last assessment earlier today. Glad assessments are over, but sad to finish my work placement. I am fortunate to have become acquainted with so many great people on this course.

HK-wise, the British Council has a low number of student applications this month, probably because parents are wary of swine flu, but hopefully BC will consider hiring more English teachers for their Summer School in August.

HK this Summer?

Surprise, surprise. The job application that I sent to HK was actually successful... but is it definite? If it is, I have reassured them that I will be arriving a day before the job starts. (I seem to like doing things in a rush.)

Flights are charged peak-time right now, so will I be employed enough days to help cover cost of tickets? We'll wait and see.

Demi-Success

I have an interview at the end of this month! Hurrah, but it's only for 2 weeks in a Summer playscheme for kids and I'll get a vocational qualification (NVQ) out of it. So if successful, I'd still have to carry on job-hunting.

I've sent an application to British Council Hong Kong, but it's unlikely that I'll get it, since there's a flu pandemic over there, so presently educational institutes catering for SEN, kindergarten and primary students will be temporarily closed for at least 2 weeks. When I was working in HK last year, schools were also closed for a few weeks, but from what I have heard this year is worse than before.

Olympics Dance

Found a video of my former students' graduation ceremony, which took place in July earlier this year. It is arguably the best performance, compared to all the children from other branches of the school. I should also mention that it really does help if you have a nice song with an upbeat rhythm, the other children were quite unfortunate to have very slow, very unsporty-like Olympic songs to dance to. All children were between 5-6 years old, and my 5 favourite Little Men were all in the 'hoop group'.

The End... (for now anyway)

Finally tied up all the loose ends with the school. Today was the start of a new term, I was told that a horde of parents were asking where I was. I suppose they were wondering why a Latino American guy was standing at the door where I should have been. Two years of hardwork have paid off, the students are showing results, and their parents show their appreciation... it's truly touching, and an amazing feeling. The staff also saved me some cake and drinks, knowing that I'll be coming for my last visit. Gah! I'm getting all emotional, but it truly has been, without a doubt, a fantastic 2 years.

Signing off,

Stephanie a.k.a Jingle.

The Future and the Unknown

I showed a prospective English Teacher around the school today...

The thought of having to leave fills me with regret and an unwillingness to leave. I know part of it is due to the feeling of dread and fear of the unknown. To step away from a place of familiarity and stability, and to jump into somewhere which is completely alien... surroundings, language, people and culture.

I am really happy with my current work place. I don't want to leave. I love the environment, my colleagues and the children, but as I told a fellow teacher: I should do everything that I want to do while I am still young and able, because later on in the future, I may not have the opportunity to do so, and I should grab the chance while I have it.
Anyway, it's been made completely clear, that there will be a place for me when I eventually return to HK. The higher-ups gave me some very positive comments about my performance, which was very encouraging, since they rarely give praise openly.

Gosh, I just know I'm going to turn on the tap on my last day, but fortunately, the school is well-stocked with tissues for those runny little noses and teary eyes!

Olympian Ending

Summer holiday started for me on Wednesday... 2 days before the kids'. Gosh, the first day of my holiday and I was a'missing them already, even more so the next day, because unlike all the other school breaks, I knew I wasn't ever going to see them again.

It just didn't feel right, not going to work. For the first time in ages, I got sufficient sleep, and I had this excess amount of energy. Energy that I would normally use to keep up with the children, and now I'm finding that I can't keep still.

My holiday started off with a farewell meal with my colleagues. I was treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet at a sushi restaurant in the Olympian City shopping mall.

Aftermath of a Storm

There was a T8 Storm Signal yesterday morning, so no-one had to go to work, and what a coincidence... yesterday morning was also supposed to be my students' graduation ceremony.

I had woken up at 6am, in order to arrive at the venue by 8.30am, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Over 5 hours later, the storm died down to a T3, and I recieved a phone call asking me to get there as soon as possible. My school's graduation ceremony had been moved to 5pm, and we were to help the other school branches in the afternoon session.

After making a dash for it, I managed to get there at 1.15pm, to discover the school who usually provided the teachers with lunch during off-site events, had decided not to do so because we didn't work in the morning. I'd rushed out of the house without having lunch beforehand. On top of that, I was updated with the news that our session will start at 6 rather than 5, and finish at 8 in the evening. In the end, the ceremony ended at 9. My contract hours were 9-5pm. I had also missed my Kung Fu lesson.

This morning, I didn't hear my alarm, and got to work 46 minutes late. It was the first time, in the 2 years I've worked here, that I had overslept, and it was going to deduct my pay.

Gosh, am I feeling pissed off. I will ask if I can claim back my lesson fees for Kung Fu tomorrow.

However, there were a few positive things that happened, seeing my students graduate and performing is really such a great feeling. Gosh, thinking about how they're going to leave in 2 weeks gives me heart pangs.

EDIT: I did enquire about whether teachers will be compensated for the extra hours that we did, of which the boss answered 'no', but that's all I asked. I decided that I may come back to work one day, and I didn't want to change their present impression of me.

Post Pic: The finale of my school's performance.

Cheeky Chipmunks

This week, the children celebrated Children's Day, and rounded off the week's activities with parties on Friday. The teachers had their party today, with a lucky dip. I won a Chip & Dale cushion! Gosh the school really splashed out on presents this year ;)

Talking about parties, I really can't believe that it's nearly my birthday already. I didn't realise it until someone popped me an email ;) Hopefully, I'll be a year wiser!?

Each week, I teach two sessions of private tutoring to two different children of kindergarten age. Today I had my first ever teaching session with a teenager and... it was difficult... especially when they weren't keen on the idea in the first place. Especially when they have an English oral examination in 2 weeks; the English that they know isn't enough to hold their own in a discussion; they didn't make any effort to talk in the 90 minute lesson; and especially since their mother is my colleague. /(>.<)\ Gosh, teaching little kiddies is so much easier.

Post Pic: Nursery children (3 yrs old) who will be going up to K1 later this year.

Little Birdies Flying Away

Why is it always the good ones that leave and the more 'energetic' ones that tend to stay? Yep, another one of my favourites will be leaving tomorrow. Isaac is such a happy-go-lucky sort of kid, always smiling, and has such a cute personality! Here's a really toothy picture of him (middle) together with his classmates:

The next few days will be a little different from the old routine with a public holiday to look forward to, and Open Day to prepare for. Extracurricular classes are just about over, hurray! Although I still have to write the reports for them, damn!

School Life

I rarely lose my cool, and when I do, it's once in a blue moon. It was at a group of the most devilish little devils that haunted the school. The kids completely ignored my instructions. When several attempts of repeating my instructions and physically setting them in place to stand behind their chairs proved useless, I let a shout slip... Thinking about it afterwards, there were other options that I could have taken without being mentally and physically pushed around. I rewarded some stickers to a girl who was the only child to have listened during that hideous couple of minutes. She starting going around telling people that she'd got these stickers because she was the only one that listened when Miss S. was shouting. Oh God.

A student's parents confronted me yesterday, and asked whether I would tutor their child. So starting from next week I will be doing some private tutoring, actually not even tutoring, more like a playmate for English conversation. The parents of that kid even asked me not teach any reading or writing... Easy money!?

Little Devils

I was observed today, during my morning lessons, in preparation for the official EDB (Education Department Bureau) inspection next week. They weren't bad, but personally I didn't think they were too good either. The K1 (3-4 yr old) class teachers were being inspected as well, so what did I find? I found that my K1 English classes were filled with all the 'special' children... but I think I managed to pull it through, although they started to put away my teaching materials without being asked to. Anyway, at the end of the morning, I was told that I was an 'excellent' English teacher... really now... two years into the job, and I've mastered it already *ha ha ha*.

The observer was a principle of another branch, so I suppose it's okay to believe it a little, or... maybe... maybe she thinks I'll break out in hives from nervousness on the day, so she's trying to boost my confidence with nice comments... Although I think I will seriously break out in hives if I have the school's 3 mini-mega devils all in one class. Unfortunately, they attend whole-day school, so my mind is already damaged from mentally being banged against an invisible wall.

Today was also the last day of the second term of Wing Chun Kung Fu. It was commented by an older condisciple that, because of my long arms, I would be great at hitting people... Which was perhaps why another older condisciple kept on teaching me how to 'knee' people.

Flu In Hong Kong Closes Schools

Yep, as the title says, starting from today, all kindergartens and primary schools have been ordered to close by the government for at least a duration of 2 weeks because of the flu. The disease is breaking out in schools, and there have already been children who have died from it. There was a small-scale outbreak at my school too, which included 13 children + a form teacher from ONE single class. Well, I'm sure the kids will enjoy their extra week of Easter holiday, whereas the teachers don't start their holiday until a week later. That's more time to get things done I suppose, but man is it going to be quiet... and a little dull.

It's Teacher's Training Day tomorrow, and the heads have organized a Team Building Course for us. From what I can understand from the programme, it involves going through black holes and lots of 'Mission Impossibles' (that's the actual name of one of the activities, but hey with teamwork, nothing's impossible!), should be fun!

It's oh so quiet...

It's been really quiet these past few weeks at work, what with the kids being off for the Summer holiday, and some teachers taking some Summer days-off while they've got the chance. The school's being renovated with new classroom layouts; displays; teaching materials; and toys. I've done up my little own English Corner, it's a little sparse at the mo, while it waits for some toys and a curtain for the Little English Theatre. Gosh, it's too damn quiet, and there's no-one to play with... *mope*mope*

Anyway, I've signed up for some new courses, Intermediate Japanese and Wing Chun Kuen (a style of Kung Fu), which are starting later in September. Also in September, I've signed up for some voluntary work with a charity called Crossroads International, more on that another time. I've been considering voluntary work at a dog rescue charity, but it needs over an hour's travel time to get there; shifts are either in the early mornings or evenings; the main jobs are dog-walking, dog care, and kennel work; and it definitely requires caution, especially as I don't have any experience with dogs. I may give it a go and see how it goes, we'll see... I'm still considering.

Mind Mysteries

It's the same issue that keeps on coming up. Decent teachers are being driven off. This school has such a high staff turnover, it's unbelievable, and here I thought only caterers and retailers have these kind of stats.

New teachers came in the previous year to replace the ones that had left, and in the year just gone, some teachers left after reading through their new contract for the coming year. Not only that, there're teachers who have signed their contracts in order to have some money coming in while looking for another job. The school's hired up some new teachers, teachers who they aren't even sure can do a good job, teachers who have to be trained up in the running of the school. Gosh, I don't understand why the principle isn't doing a better job of keeping the reliable, efficient staff that she's already got in her hands. I really don't understand how some people think, wouldn't it benefit the children, the effective running of the school, the school's reputation and finances??

Another example of a mind I don't understand, there's a teacher who complains she isn't happy working here, so why doesn't she look for another job? She doesn't have a family to support. Also you're working everyday and if you aren't happy where you work, isn't it pretty depressing to have those sort of feelings and emotions everyday? Search for another job while working here, and leave when you find somewhere else, perhaps the wage will be lower, but give me health and happiness over money anyday, but hey... that's only my way of thinking, there will always be people who think otherwise.

Writing Reports

Currently writing the reports of the lil' munchkins who took up the English curricular classes I'd taught, fortunately just 58 of them, got about 15 of them already out of the way... I'm getting there, I've got at the most 2 weeks to complete them...no probs... really... no, I'm serious.

The principal and headteachers have got together, and have started to have private talks with staff about contracts... yes, scary stuff, you can literally feel it in the atmosphere. I may have mentioned that the school will become half-state in the coming academic year, so because of that the teachers are a bit anxious that their wages will be cut, and reduced to become standard public school wages. Even if wages are cut, I don't think many teachers will leave, compared to working in the UK, it is harder to find a job in HK. It's been hinted that the English teacher's won't really change...we'll see... they should be discussing it with me this week. I know it's unlikely, but *singing to the tune of White Christmas* "I'm dreaming of a nice pay-rise, with much more money coming in..."

Also thinking of doing some private tutoring within the local area to earn some more dosh...yeah, I know this post is very money-orientated, but the thing is, in HK, the two main choices here, are to spend or earn. I'm not in great need of anything right now, so I think I will earn, and save my pot of gold for a rainy day, preferably with a rainbow.

Green Day Green Weather

Did my first session of voluntary work today, for the WWF. I had to help man a game stall at the Green Carnival 2007 situated at Wan Chai Sports Ground. Lots of freebies afterwards, got to know a new place, got to know new people, got to help a good cause, not bad for a few hours of unpaid work eh?

So tired, and I'm plagued with this itchy throat, and theres a domino effect of chickenpox going around the school. The weather's just all over the place here in HK, but at least its not raining. It's going to be hectic these few weeks before the Chinese New Year holiday, what with The Big Head coming over to observe her empire, Observation Days for parents' to come and check us out, extra-curricular classes to sort out for March, and reports to write... hopefully I will be just fine... heh heh heh...

Encounters with the Boss

I was asked by a parent to fill in a reference form for his son who was applying for primary school, and without a second thought I agreed. Oh boy, oh boy should I have referred him to someone else. Ya see, English teachers are not really well informed about the rules and what goes on about the school, someone higher-up probably thought it was too much of a bother to translate the staff handbook and weekly teacher's notes into English.
I went to the boy's form teacher to discuss the form with her, and when we were partway through the form, she tells me that we needed permission from the Principal before filling in the school's contact details. So we went to see the Principal... and man was she furious. Furious that the form was accepted without her consent. The worse thing was, even though it was me who accepted the form, the Principal was mostly focussing her attention on the form teacher.
Most of the questions just required ticking boxes, but there was this one question which required you to write a brief, note the words write a brief descriptive summary of the boy's academic abilities, interests etc. Man did she make us type and re-type it over and over again, she felt "good communication skills" didn't seem right, instead she wanted "able to understand the teacher's instructions and questions, and be able to respond using basic complete sentences"... now tell me if that isn't communication?! Answering that question took up a couple of paragraphs, so it was impossible to manually write it onto the form, we had to type and print it out in a size 10 font before sticking it in. We worked on that damn question for 2 hours before she was happy with it... no, seriously... so this is what it's like to work for a boss who's a perfectionist.

Anyway, I was expecting something like this to happen sooner or later, I was lucky to go though 6 months of the job without any trouble, being a new, inexperienced teacher and all, who's only informed of important information, verbally, when the Head just happens to remember.

Oh my gosh, ranting in the 2nd post already! Okay, enough of that, I'm going fencing and picnic-ing this weekend, and Chinese New Year holidays are just round the corner.