TEACHERS DISCUSSION FORUM
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#1 Parent breeze - 2004-10-05
misunderstandings

> Funny, most immigrants come to America looking for the streets paved in gold. So I guess most immigrants, Chinese too, are just shameful.

~~ Only those going there not because of their diligence, but because of support from corrupted officials , causing problems to the people there, was rejected, are shameful.
Those going there on their own ability, was welcome by the people there, are just great.
Though, personally, I prefer to build my career in China, no matter how hard.

If you dye this concept blindly, then you too should be shameful living in Asia, I too should be shameful thinking about getting 6 months experience in the West.

> ... a foreigners price ...

~~ if you buy a lunch, fruits, vegetables, ..., a coat, ... the most needed stuffs for living, foreigners price = chineses price.
if you buy jewelry, expensive medicine, ... , everyone can be cheated

> Why are you Chinese like so many other foreigners and think ALL Americans have a better life.

~~ Not all Chinese think so, every country has its darkside. I never believe life is good for everyone in America, sorry.

#2 Parent breeze - 2004-10-04
Reality

Talking about reality is so cool.
Did you lose your job to some engineer in India? Were you in software?

About teaching calculus in English in a Chinese school, you will have to
find a very very good school, and better with a translator.

Math in pure English to Western students is clear.
Math in pure Mandarin to Chinese students is plain.

While I have been teaching:
Math in Mandarin to Western students who are learning chinese.
Math in English to Chinese students who are learning english

In both cases, they are curious and show great interest, but confusion
rises from time to time, the gaping eyes, ..., you will have to explain
it in their native language ...

Yes, I speak & write fluent English, but going to an American teachers'
college for a degree, what's the cost? How long will it take?
6 - 12 months in the West will be enough for me, definitely not
interested in a citizenship.

I know I have no chance for experience in a public western school.
Even a private western school, the chance for me is slim, slimmer than
your chance of Calculus in English in China, right?

#3 Parent ESL_IN_ASIA - 2004-10-03
Eastern Mathmetician

-->A better life? are you joking? The salary for a chinese there is less than US$1500/month, right? then $700/rent, $5/lunch, $100/coat, ... , traveling is at his expense ...
Here you get CNY3000 - 8000/month, right? then Y0/rent, Y5/lunch, Y100/coat, ... , traveling is reimbursed ...
-->Whose life is better?

Sorry, but an ESL teaching salary is very low even to live in China. Why? Because we pay foreigner's prices NOT Chinese prices. Second, not all schools give free apartments and certainly NOT all schools pay for transportation.

For an American grad program, yes you would get about $18,000 per year. But, after that, you could apply for US citizenship. Can we get that treatment in China??? NO. FREE education in China in a good university and have enough money to live. NO.

-->What I want is some experience of teaching math + chinese in a Western high school.

No problem. First, to teach ANY mathematics in an American high school, you need a REAL teaching degree, or one year training past your baccalaureate degree for science degree holders. That means you would need to go to a teacher's college. Unlike what you may have seen from ESL teachers, in America, to teach in public schools you need to have demonstrated knowledge in child psychology and teaching methods.

Yes, to teach ESL in China you need only be a native English speaker with a pulse; however, isn't teaching ESL in China just being a parrot?? You use your Chinese teachers for the "REAL" teaching of grammar and such and then you get the ESL parrots to squawk to their students.

As for teaching Mandarin in America, well you may have to compete for a job with the 10 million other Chinese that ARE American citizens and some of whom DO have a teaching degree from an American university.

-->Bilingual teaching is sought after here, if you can speak mandarin it's not difficult to find job of teaching math in a school here.

Ditto, if you can fluently write and speak English, and have a teaching degree, you can teach here too.

-->I taught calculus 10 years ago, but now too many teachers for calculus, and I can't ask them to stop and let you in, sorry. Hopefully it's easy for you to adapt, ok?

My point exactly, we have enough unemployed scientists and engineers that are substitute teachers and many of whom had to take a BIG pay cut and teach high school. So, like you said, there are too many professionals in America: YOU'LL HAVE TO ADAPT, OK??

-->Really??? Have they got better lives in America? I'm sorry for the jobless American scientists.

Why are you Chinese like so many other foreigners and think ALL Americans have a better life. I lived in America and many times I didn't even have enough money for a doctor or health insurance!! What you see in the movies is nothing but Hollywood propaganda. We DON'T all live in big houses and drive nice cars.

In fact, many Americans are a paycheck away from bankruptcy and 10 percent of American children have to skip a meal or two and go hungry from time to time. When my father was a university student and I was just a child, I had to have used clothes from other people and live in an apartment where the cockroaches saw me as an easy dinner. Tell me, is that better than China?? Please spare me that dribble about the poor Chinese.

--> I DON'T want to be an "economic migrant", that's shameful!

Funny, most immigrants come to America looking for the streets paved in gold. So I guess most immigrants, Chinese too, are just shameful.

Listen, sorry for being so blunt but times are tough in the world these days. My job was outsourced to India and I know many engineers in manufacturing that lost jobs to China. So times are tough...that's it.

Best of luck and no hard feelings. It's just a reality check that's all. Good luck teaching math in China and I do hope that you can open a successful western middle/high school in the future..in China.

#4 Parent breeze - 2004-10-03
Double Standard? Who??

Nice to hear from you Western mathematician.

> Actually, if you apply to graduate school in the US in mathematics, you probably would get a good stipend and have a BETTER life than we ESL teachers in China.

~~ A stipend is too hot for me, I have to think about it, what goodness have I done to the USA? it's a drag on your welfare. I DON'T want to be an "economic migrant", that's shameful!
What I want is some experience of teaching math + chinese in a Western high school.

A better life? are you joking? The salary for a chinese there is less than US$1500/month, right? then $700/rent, $5/lunch, $100/coat, ... , traveling is at his expense ...
Here you get CNY3000 - 8000/month, right? then Y0/rent, Y5/lunch, Y100/coat, ... , traveling is reimbursed ...
Whose life is better?

> For the experience, Id like to teach mathematics and NOT ESL in China. Ive taken math through differential equations for my science degree. Can I find a Chinese school to pay me to teach calculus in English????

~~ Bilingual teaching is sought after here, if you can speak mandarin it's not difficult to find job of teaching math in a school here.

> You see, why is it you Chinese think all we Western people are good for is teaching English?

~~ Not all Chinese think so, could you teach translation? comparative literature?

> Do you think you have more education? I dont think so, but I doubt you would give me the opportunity to teach mathematics in China!! What a double standard.

~~ No, I never think so. I can give my job to you if you like it + able to do it better.
In this normal college, I'm teaching elementary number theory and a course called "High School Math Competition" something like the International Math Olympiad.
I taught calculus 10 years ago, but now too many teachers for calculus, and I can't ask them to stop and let you in, sorry. Hopefully it's easy for you to adapt, ok?

> I worked with Chinese scientists and they ARE NOT smarter than the occident. I get sick of hearing this. In fact, I had to fix many problems in the lab caused by a Chinese.

~~ I'm so much sorry to hear that, the chinese causing problems to you, he was able to go there not because of his diligence but because his family has lots of money or a relative being a high ranking official in the government, I guess.

> Now, I dont mean this to be racist. As Im NOT implying one race is
better than the next.

~~ Thank you, but it doesn't matter even if you do, haha ...

> Merely, I have seen too many jobs given to Chinese people when there are more than enough professionals in America, namely scientists that have no jobs.

~~ Really??? Have they got better lives in America? I'm sorry for the jobless American scientists.

> Why do you want to leave China, isnt it enough that all our good manufacturing jobs have gone there?? And now you want to take a job in America too. Thanks a lot pal!!!

~~ I have NO intention to leave China permanently or to stay in the West long. Nor am I interested in your -good manufacturing jobs- here.
Why do you come to Asia for job? it's just the experience of culture / environment ... And as for me, the skills to open a center for western middle/high school students here to learn math, in the future ...

#5 Parent ESL_IN_ASIA - 2004-10-02
Isn't offshoring enough for you..what else do you want??

Actually, if you apply to graduate school in the US in mathematics, you probably would get a good stipend and have a BETTER life than we ESL teachers in China. For the experience, Id like to teach mathematics and NOT ESL in China. Ive taken math through differential equations for my science degree. Can I find a Chinese school to pay me to teach calculus in English????

You see, why is it you Chinese think all we Western people are good for is teaching English? Do you think you have more education? I dont think so, but I doubt you would give me the opportunity to teach mathematics in China!! What a double standard. I worked with Chinese scientists and they ARE NOT smarter than the occident. I get sick of hearing this. In fact, I had to fix many problems in the lab caused by a Chinese.

Now, I dont mean this to be racist. As Im NOT implying one race is better than the next. Merely, I have seen too many jobs given to Chinese people when there are more than enough professionals in America, namely scientists that have no jobs. Why do you want to leave China, isnt it enough that all our good manufacturing jobs have gone there?? And now you want to take a job in America too. Thanks a lot pal!!!

breeze - 2004-10-02
chance in a western school, possible?

Hello,

I'm from Guangxi, a province of 80% mountains 10% waters 10% fields, South China, teaching Chinese, English, and chiefly Mathematics - a universal language.

Most of the time I teach Chinese students in college.

Once in a while I've been tutoring Western high school students mathematics and chinese poetry.
It's fun, but I'm not so sure of the quality of my jobs if compared with that of a western teacher's, though some friendly parents from the USA did say: "our children and us are completely satisfied."

As more and more Western families are coming to this green-n-warm part of China in the future, I feel the necessity to get first-hand knowledge on western education, especially on maths and foreign language.
Thus, I'm looking for a chance of practising teaching math or chinese in a western country, then come back to provide better service to the western students here.

I realize it will be far muuuuuuch thornier than you native speakers of English looking for job in a school here.
So, is there anyone could help? or advise?

Thanks

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