ESOL versus Regular Classroom Teacher - Thursday, 8 October 2009

ESOL versus Regular Classroom Teacher
Right now, I feel that if I just walked out--left--I would be justified. If the school is not following the contract, then why must I? I am teaching ESOL (English as a Second Language), not Key Stage 1 or 2, as specified by my contract (basically, Key Stage 1 is like Early Childhood & 2 is Elementary). Yes, I am teaching math and science, but to kids who don't understand me, and I'm not teaching at their level.

What makes this experience interesting is that the American teacher is an ESOL teacher. She has taught in Korea and the UAE. So while I compare this experience to my experience as a regular classroom teacher in South Carolina, she compares it to her ESOL experiences. While I'm pissed that I don't have my own class, that we're on a period schedule like high school, that I'm not really teaching subjects, just basic English; she's pissed by other things. She says the salary here is not as good as many ESOL jobs. She's pissed at the hours we have to work, how many lessons we have per week. We now have close to 30 hours of lessons a week--pretty similar to how many hours an American teacher is in her classroom, in charge of her students. But she's used to just 18 hours a week.

We had a meeting with the vice principal today, where we learned about our Long Range Plans and Teacher's Folders. Nowhere near as much work as Long Range Plans in South Carolina, however far more work than she's used to, and a pain in the rear considering we came a month late and still don't have textbooks for math and science. Also, we have to turn in our lesson plans weekly, something I luckily didn't have to do too often in SC, but something I know that schools often make teachers do. But Valerie just can't imagine being forced to do something like that.

So, it seems like ESOL teachers have it easy. Lots of money, little work. Why do real teachers get screwed so badly?

On another note, from what I've heard, the Kazakh teachers make far less than us. My teachers (Kazakh teacher and aide) are really nice and friendly, they don't seem to resent me, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Kazkah teachers did. They have a lot of work to do--paperwork type stuff--and they've been working since August. And the anglophone teachers come in with much fanfare, and we get paid more, and we have so much stuff that gets in the way. (Hey, there is very little room to store things in the classroom!!)

I asked my Kazakh teacher today if she had a behavior plan, a way of dealing with behavior. She had never heard of such a thing before but was very willing to try something! But with 7 different lessons in a day, and so many different teachers coming in and out, it will be hard for me to think of something that will really work. But I'll try!