Advice will be taken with gratitude...
I'm going crazy in my current IS. Crazy. I'm losing myself here (ME).
- Vindictive, lying, snakes for admin
- Completely ineffectual SMT just picking up paychecks
- A vile student body who doesn't give a shit, and aren't required to give a shit
- No parental support whatsoever
- No ability to discipline students as parents complain every time any detention or punishment is given to their children
- A threadbare curriculum that I am essentially making up as I go along
- One single set of textbooks as resources. No pens, no computer access for students, etc.
- A school that hoovers up cash with no flow downwards
- A toxic environment where local staff treat foreign staff like holiday tourist teachers.
- Completely inconsistent standards across the school in terms of behaviour management/letting students out of class/etc
I'm slipping and I'm losing faith. I would love a 'go get em, tiger'-esque comment. Alternatively, other stories that others have about how horrible their first school was and how happy they are now in their next school. Or even 'this happened to me...' would probably help.
Anyone else want to punch themselves in the face just to distract from the poison around them? How do you survive? What do you do?
Staying Sane
Response
This happens to everyone or most everyone to varying degrees. Its why its called a hardship region and your likely in a bottom of the tier 3 IS.
Most strategies involve variations of two options:
OPTION A:
1) You grow a teflon skin, let everything slide off of you, do the bauble head and focus on the coin. Uncontrollable class, stop trying to control them. Assign tasks for them to do and then just kickback. If they dont want to hear lectures, dont do it.
2) Admin issues, just tell them what they want to hear, nod your head and go back to doing what you were doing, or do nothing.
3) Join them in picking up your paycheck.
4) Cant make anyone care, spoiled entitled students arent going to change its the affluence and the culture.
5) Dont rely on parents, send them updates on the good and the bad, and if you spend more than 30 minutes a week doing it your spending too much time.
6) So make up whatever you want to do, assign reading and give worksheets, if there is no curriculum, its because the previous faculty realized that creating one was a futile and rewardless endeavor.
7) So open the book to page XX and lecture from it, its called direct teach. Think of yourself as a human tape recorder, with a paycheck.
8) Spend less time on your job and start looking at tutoring outside the school, everyone does it.
9) The local staff treats foreign staff like tourist teachers because likely thats been their experience. ITs come for the coin and thats it.
10) Stop insisting on standards where there are none.
Your issue is incongruence, you care and no one else does, adapt and thrive or dont and suffer.
OPTION B:
You pull a runer and start summer holiday early (Spring) or whenever youve had enough. Its unlikely this reference would help you much anyway, just ghost it and move on.
Most strategies involve variations of two options:
OPTION A:
1) You grow a teflon skin, let everything slide off of you, do the bauble head and focus on the coin. Uncontrollable class, stop trying to control them. Assign tasks for them to do and then just kickback. If they dont want to hear lectures, dont do it.
2) Admin issues, just tell them what they want to hear, nod your head and go back to doing what you were doing, or do nothing.
3) Join them in picking up your paycheck.
4) Cant make anyone care, spoiled entitled students arent going to change its the affluence and the culture.
5) Dont rely on parents, send them updates on the good and the bad, and if you spend more than 30 minutes a week doing it your spending too much time.
6) So make up whatever you want to do, assign reading and give worksheets, if there is no curriculum, its because the previous faculty realized that creating one was a futile and rewardless endeavor.
7) So open the book to page XX and lecture from it, its called direct teach. Think of yourself as a human tape recorder, with a paycheck.
8) Spend less time on your job and start looking at tutoring outside the school, everyone does it.
9) The local staff treats foreign staff like tourist teachers because likely thats been their experience. ITs come for the coin and thats it.
10) Stop insisting on standards where there are none.
Your issue is incongruence, you care and no one else does, adapt and thrive or dont and suffer.
OPTION B:
You pull a runer and start summer holiday early (Spring) or whenever youve had enough. Its unlikely this reference would help you much anyway, just ghost it and move on.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Staying Sane
Been there. Basically you just need to find some way(s) to squeeze some enjoyment/amusement/reward out of the current situation. There must be some part of the job that you can enjoy, some student(s) you can make some kind of connection with, make some progress with or just share a laugh with. Is there anything you could do to increase the odds of that? Sponsor a club or sport, offering tutoring, some way to find a way to connect with the students that might actually be open to something positive or share an interest?
Are there ANY other teachers or staff that you can try and find common ground with, even if it just complaining together?
If all of that totally fails then you need to find something outside of school to help balance the misery of work and try get through the day with as little pain and frustration as possible. But the only real way to survive with any kind of sanity is to keep going back to my first advice. You became a teacher for a reason (presumably because you love helping students, or you are passionate about your subject, etc). Keep going back and find some small victories to celebrate. It's a state of mind. You just need to find it, if at all possible.
Are there ANY other teachers or staff that you can try and find common ground with, even if it just complaining together?
If all of that totally fails then you need to find something outside of school to help balance the misery of work and try get through the day with as little pain and frustration as possible. But the only real way to survive with any kind of sanity is to keep going back to my first advice. You became a teacher for a reason (presumably because you love helping students, or you are passionate about your subject, etc). Keep going back and find some small victories to celebrate. It's a state of mind. You just need to find it, if at all possible.
Re: Staying Sane
Yeah, we've all been there.
First, realize that you will not change the system. The only thing you can do is look at your situation from another, more positive viewpoint, the Viewpoint of the GOOD:
You have a job and collect a paycheck - GOOD
You have an opportunity to persevere through a challenge, which will make you a better, stronger person -GOOD
You have the chance to better the lives of some other people, maybe not many, but even one is more than most others get -GOOD
You live in a part of the world that, at least, is different and you will have that cultural experience forever - GOOD
Remember, just because you may have to do things/lower standards to maintain your position at your school, YOU PERSONALLY are not losing your integrity or honor as long as you don't buy into the BS of the cowards you work for (and teach).
All things end. Do the best job you can and get good references (if possible) and move on to greener pastures. One day soon, this will be only a memory of how tough you finally realized you are. And you'll actually pity the fools.
First, realize that you will not change the system. The only thing you can do is look at your situation from another, more positive viewpoint, the Viewpoint of the GOOD:
You have a job and collect a paycheck - GOOD
You have an opportunity to persevere through a challenge, which will make you a better, stronger person -GOOD
You have the chance to better the lives of some other people, maybe not many, but even one is more than most others get -GOOD
You live in a part of the world that, at least, is different and you will have that cultural experience forever - GOOD
Remember, just because you may have to do things/lower standards to maintain your position at your school, YOU PERSONALLY are not losing your integrity or honor as long as you don't buy into the BS of the cowards you work for (and teach).
All things end. Do the best job you can and get good references (if possible) and move on to greener pastures. One day soon, this will be only a memory of how tough you finally realized you are. And you'll actually pity the fools.
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Thames Pirate
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am
Re: Staying Sane
Yes, we've been there.
Previous posters gave good concrete suggestions. You CAN do this. Hang in there until it's time to move on, use the school for all you can--pay, references, what friends you can (even if you are only maintaining a friendship for future networking purposes, though I would hope you can find SOMEONE to connect with), etc. I agree about curriculum. Don't over think it, but maybe you can utilize what you do have to create something for a portfolio, etc. Maybe you can teach some IB or AP classes so you can build your resume that way. Maybe if you ARE stuck at home with nothing to do, you could get started on a Masters online or something that you can complete at a later date. Maybe take up a hobby--are there photography classes you could take, for example? Books you have always wanted to read?
Again, think of it as a time in which you can USE the school, not be used by the school. And remember, we've all been there and it does get better.
Previous posters gave good concrete suggestions. You CAN do this. Hang in there until it's time to move on, use the school for all you can--pay, references, what friends you can (even if you are only maintaining a friendship for future networking purposes, though I would hope you can find SOMEONE to connect with), etc. I agree about curriculum. Don't over think it, but maybe you can utilize what you do have to create something for a portfolio, etc. Maybe you can teach some IB or AP classes so you can build your resume that way. Maybe if you ARE stuck at home with nothing to do, you could get started on a Masters online or something that you can complete at a later date. Maybe take up a hobby--are there photography classes you could take, for example? Books you have always wanted to read?
Again, think of it as a time in which you can USE the school, not be used by the school. And remember, we've all been there and it does get better.
Re: Staying Sane
The Pirate's line is beautiful:
Use the school and don't be used by the school.
I wish I said that.
Use the school and don't be used by the school.
I wish I said that.
Re: Staying Sane
Thanks for the advice guys. I feel a bit better. Today was another shit day but I'm going to adjust and try to practice 'going limp'. Instead of giving multiple warnings, I'm just going to kick those worst students out immediately. I'm not going to make all these lessons by scratch anymore - we're switching to pre-made resources from TES, the occasional worksheet, and videos. Etc.
Fight the good fight - at least until this year is over and I can get out of here. I'm going to leave whether I have a job lined up or not, and just teach ESL in Asia or something while I search for a new opportunity.
Fight the good fight - at least until this year is over and I can get out of here. I'm going to leave whether I have a job lined up or not, and just teach ESL in Asia or something while I search for a new opportunity.
Re: Staying Sane
At a previous school, we used a program called Peer Coaching in which you ask a colleague to come and observe you in action, then provide feedback. There was a specific format for pre- and post-observation discussions. When I had problems with a difficult class (how is it--two badly behaved students can influence the rest of the class, but not the other way around??) I asked a colleague who was familiar with the students to come and observe, and his feedback was very helpful.
So instead of just finding colleagues to vent to/with, seek out one who seems to have it together and see if he or she would be willing to observe and give you feedback.
So instead of just finding colleagues to vent to/with, seek out one who seems to have it together and see if he or she would be willing to observe and give you feedback.
Re: Staying Sane
@heyteach - some good advice, but I suspect the OP's problems really stem from the first two bullet points - much of the ethos of a school flows from that so if it's broken, there's not much they can do about it other than suck it up until the end of the contract if they're not going to run.
Discussion
@heyteach
From the LWs post it doesnt appear that any of the other faculty care about doing peer mentoring. Even if they did what are they going to do with the suggestions if the IS and leadership wont provide the resources and support to implement them.
From the LWs post it doesnt appear that any of the other faculty care about doing peer mentoring. Even if they did what are they going to do with the suggestions if the IS and leadership wont provide the resources and support to implement them.
Re: Staying Sane
I feel the same as the OP. Am also in the ME and despite a promising start I feel like I am here because I have a pulse. My ideas and initiatives are not considered and I am surrounded by a body of (regional) teachers who just don't cut it and a local admin that is lacking. Do I bail after Year 2 or grit it out for a 3rd year? yes I am making some savings but it is hurting my professionalism and enthusiasm. I am not the sort who can come in, be mediocre and take the pay. As I approach the final 3rd of my career I also don't have the time or the temperament for b.s.
Reply
@Nomad68
1) Stop offering ideas and initiatives, no one wants to hear them and your making the meeting stretch out longer.
2) They may not cut it because they learned that staring at the wall pays the same as caring.
3) Isnt all leadership lacking, its an issue of degrees, black and white vs. 256 shades of grey. Satisfaction in the ME is finding a shade your comfortable with. Some of the top WE ISs havent changed much of anything that was pop.ed 20 years ago either.
4) Most ITs find a vice that balances out the mediocre and the pay.
5) Your in education, you have the temperament for BS. If you dont you might want to think of finding something else, or have your medication adjusted.
Whats your soul worth? Not being flippant or coy, just reminding you to get a good price for it, if that price is now, you will feel really stupid if you spend another 10 years and get offered less.
You go to the ME you have to be a mercenary and go for the coin, and only the coin.
1) Stop offering ideas and initiatives, no one wants to hear them and your making the meeting stretch out longer.
2) They may not cut it because they learned that staring at the wall pays the same as caring.
3) Isnt all leadership lacking, its an issue of degrees, black and white vs. 256 shades of grey. Satisfaction in the ME is finding a shade your comfortable with. Some of the top WE ISs havent changed much of anything that was pop.ed 20 years ago either.
4) Most ITs find a vice that balances out the mediocre and the pay.
5) Your in education, you have the temperament for BS. If you dont you might want to think of finding something else, or have your medication adjusted.
Whats your soul worth? Not being flippant or coy, just reminding you to get a good price for it, if that price is now, you will feel really stupid if you spend another 10 years and get offered less.
You go to the ME you have to be a mercenary and go for the coin, and only the coin.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Staying Sane
Nomad68 wrote:
> I feel the same as the OP. Am also in the ME and despite a promising start
> I feel like I am here because I have a pulse. My ideas and initiatives are
> not considered and I am surrounded by a body of (regional) teachers who
> just don't cut it and a local admin that is lacking. Do I bail after Year 2
> or grit it out for a 3rd year? yes I am making some savings but it is
> hurting my professionalism and enthusiasm. I am not the sort who can come
> in, be mediocre and take the pay. As I approach the final 3rd of my career
> I also don't have the time or the temperament for b.s.
----------------------------------
On the face of it, I would bail and/or at least look into some options. If the money is not too fantastic to walk away from (and you make it sound like it's ok/good but not great) then staying another year is not really going help you much career/CV wise (since you say you are not a new teacher). No is going to hold it against you for leaving a mediocre school/region after two years instead of 3.
What next? Find a school that will feed the part of you that is slowly starving to death where you are currently. Barring that, find a region/country that offer greater benefits outside of school. Best of all, some combination of the two.
> I feel the same as the OP. Am also in the ME and despite a promising start
> I feel like I am here because I have a pulse. My ideas and initiatives are
> not considered and I am surrounded by a body of (regional) teachers who
> just don't cut it and a local admin that is lacking. Do I bail after Year 2
> or grit it out for a 3rd year? yes I am making some savings but it is
> hurting my professionalism and enthusiasm. I am not the sort who can come
> in, be mediocre and take the pay. As I approach the final 3rd of my career
> I also don't have the time or the temperament for b.s.
----------------------------------
On the face of it, I would bail and/or at least look into some options. If the money is not too fantastic to walk away from (and you make it sound like it's ok/good but not great) then staying another year is not really going help you much career/CV wise (since you say you are not a new teacher). No is going to hold it against you for leaving a mediocre school/region after two years instead of 3.
What next? Find a school that will feed the part of you that is slowly starving to death where you are currently. Barring that, find a region/country that offer greater benefits outside of school. Best of all, some combination of the two.