Juanisaac
- 2010-06-13
Yes, humor, goodlooks, and making the class as hilarious as possible will give you tenure in some places. I've become an edutainer here in China and I don't know if I like it. I am not the best teacher or the worst one, nor the the most handsome or the ugliest, but I can make a class laugh. Besides an occasionaly bone to the powers that be, a gift or recognition to administration, it helps to also be available the students in a non-teaching capacity. I've had students confess to me that they are gay, have a secret girlfriend in town, are scared and lonely at school, and other juicy morsels; I am the de-facto school counsler as well.
I've also come to the point that I do not have much contact with the teachers. We've come to an amicable divorce do to irreconcilable differences. In the end, colleagues matter less as to whether you keep your job. You just have to keep your clients, the students, and your bosses, the Chinese who took pity on you to employ you (in THEIR mind), happy
happy hooker!
- 2010-06-12
That is generally correct, be nice to your Chinese boss, be nice to the students ,and then you are a good teacher. That is usually more important than any teaching skills/prowess you may have. Helps if you are good looking and charming also, then your chance of being fired is almost zero, even if you are the most useless teacher in existence. The students, especially girls, love the handsome or beautiful FT ( and many of the boys also), many female Chinese teachers will also be happy! As long as you are not one those foolish FT's who sleeps with his own students, you will be fine!
Image, looks, and superficiality, that is what counts in China. Talk about evaluation of FT's in China is nonsense! Who shall evaluate them? A loser refugee DOS from the West who is otherwise unemployable? Or even worse, some TA!
Kev
- 2010-06-07
To them, it is more important that you are doing well what they expect you to do and do not make any problems to them. If your students are happy, they will tell the school, and then you are a "good" teacher.
That's exactly right, Turnoi. The main thing is to keep your students happy. Then everything will be hunky dory. Permit me to add that its also a good idea to keep the dean of your department and the uni foreign affairs office happy too. Personal relationships in China are oftentimes more important then actually whats taught.